Displaying items by tag: LafargeHolcim

Colombia: The Council of State has confirmed a US$0.31m fine to Holcim Colombia imposed by the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce (SIC) for fixing the price of cement. The ruling follows a similar confirmation of a fine to Cemex. The court found that an agreement between Cemex Colombia, Holcim Colombia and Cementos Argos distorted the price, supply and sales of Ordinary Portland Cement in the second half of 2005.

El Salvador: The Superintendence of Competition (SC) has started investigating the effects of competition in the production and sales of cement upon the local construction industry. The study is being conducted by GPR Economy, an Argentine company, according to the El Mundo newspaper. It will examine any potential monopoly distortions in the local cement, asphalt and heavy machinery industries. The country has two integrated cement plants that are both operated by Holcim El Salvador.

Spain: LafargeHolcim España has appointed Carmen Díaz as its commercial director. Díaz was previously the general manager of the group’s ReadySet Mix digital venture. She succeeds Simón Kronenberg in the post who has moved on to a new role with the group in Switzerland.

Díaz is a chemical engineer from the University of Oviedo and she also holds an MBA. She joined LafargeHolcim in 2002 and has held various roles including Area Manager in Madrid and the Vice President of Commercial Performance and Head of Ready Mix Commercial in France.

Colombia: The Council of State has confirmed a fine to Cemex imposed by the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce (SIC) for fixing the price of cement. The ruling found that an agreement between Cemex Colombia, Holcim Colombia and Cementos Argos distorted the price, supply and sales of Ordinary Portland Cement in the second half of 2005. In particular the tribunal found that the way in which Argos gave information about Cementos Andino’s involvement in the national market to Cemex and Holcim was be anti-competitive.

India: ACC forecasts that demand for cement will grow by up to 7% in 2018. However, intense competition and insufficient consumption will lead to excess capacity it added, according to the Press Trust of India. Demand is expected to benefit from government-based infrastructure projects, rural development and affordable housing schemes.

Around 66% of ACC’s cement demand came from the housing sector, followed by infrastructure with 18% and 16% from the commercial sector. The country has a total cement production capacity of 465Mt/yr but it is only producing 305Mt/yr, giving it an utilisation rate of 66%. Cement plants in the south of the country are pulling the rate down compared to northern, central and eastern regions. Excess capacity is expected to continue until 2019, with the increased outlays on housing, infrastructure development and agricultural sector initiatives.

Czech Republic: Lafarge Cement, LafargeHolcim’s local subsidiary, has launched a new range of Standard Plus cement products under the trademark Český Čížkovický Cement. The range has a standardised compressive strength of 32.5MPa after 28 days. The products are sold in 25kg bags and are available in bulk.

Spain: LafargeHolcim has chosen its Carboneras cement plant in Almeria as a refrence training centre for its European operations. The plant was selected due to its port and high level of staff expertise amongst other reasons. A group of LafargeHolcim engineers from Poland, France, the UK, Romania, Croatia, Greece and Serbia have all recently visited the site for a training course.

Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan has launched its Spesial 400 Cement product. The general-purpose cement product is intended for mid-strength concrete applications. It follows the launch of the Optimal 300 product in 2017.

France: LafargeHolcim France has started the first phase of a Euro100m upgrade project its Martres-Tolosane cement plant. The first phase of civil engineering work has been awarded to Eiffage Génie Civil and it will be carried out until mid-2020. The stage of the project will build the foundations to support a new production line and its preheater tower. The upgrade will also enable the unit to increase its alternative fuel substitution rate to 80% from 30% at present.

Cameroon: Cimencam will spend US$70m to upgrade its integrated plant at Figuil. A new kiln is being built at the plant to meet increased demand from export markets in Chad and the Central African Republic, according to the Cameroon Tribune newspaper. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim is also building a cement grinding plant at Nomayos.