Displaying items by tag: Mexico

Mexico: Holcim Mexico is launching two new brands for the local market. Holcim Prefacem is targeted for precast concrete elements and Holcim Supercem, a Composite Class 40 Portland Cement, is aimed at ready-mix concrete plants. Both products were developed by the company’s Centre for Building Technological Innovation (CiTec ) and are being produced at its Ramos Arizpe plant. Holcim Prefacem and Holcim Supercem will be first available near to the Ramos Arizpe plant in the states of Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Durango, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas and Coahuila.

"Innovation makes a difference. With the support of Holcim Mexico and LafargeHolcim worldwide, we aim to cover the needs of specific market segments, with products that enhance our clients’ profitability”, said Marco Maccarelli, Corporate Sales Director Cement and Retail of Holcim Mexico.

Mexico: The Mexican cement multinational Cemex has announced that is planning a new round of asset sales and debt reduction in a bid to speed up its growth and return to an investment-grade rating. It will reposition its portfolio to focus on markets with the greatest long-term growth potential.

By January 2021 Cemex aims to sell US$1.5 - 2.0bn in assets and reduce its total debt by US$3.5bn, while finding further cost savings of US$150m. It also plans to pay annual cash dividends starting with US$150m in 2019. Cemex has given a lot of money back to bond investors and banks in recent years and now is in a position to compensate shareholders with dividends, in addition to recently approved buyback funds, according to Chief Executive Fernando González.

Cemex lost its investment-grade ratings in 2009 during the global financial crisis, when its earnings fell after the company had taken on large amounts of debt to expand through acquisitions. The company returned to profitability following major asset sales and debt reduction. In early 2018 it announced that it was thinking about expanding into growing markets, apparently indicating an end to asset sales. However, it abandoned these plans after a number of shareholders objected.

Debt reduction, cost cutting and asset sales of recent years were successful, but earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), a measure of cash flow, didn’t grow as much as expected, according to González. In addition to lower earnings in Colombia, Egypt and the Philippines, Cemex also faced rising fuel costs.

In the second quarter of 2018, Cemex’s net profit increased by 32% compared to the same period of 2017 to US$382m. Sales grew by 7% to US$3.8bn, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, (EBITDA) were up by 4% to US$714m. Cement sales in the same period increased by 4% to 18.6Mt.

Mexico: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua’s (GCC) net sales rose by 11.4% year-on-year to US$399m in the first half of 2018 from US$358m in the same period in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 22% to US$115m from US$94.2m.

Its US sales rose by 11.1% to US$283m and its Mexican sales rose by 7% to US$60m. Cement sales volumes increased by 6.1% and 2.5% in the US and Mexico respectively. However, the cement producer reported falling sales volumes in the second quarter of 2018 in the US due to poor weather in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota and delays in paving projects.

Mexico: The Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA) awarded an Recognition of Environmental Excellence to 12 Cemex cement plants. The award is presented to companies that demonstrate a continuous commitment to protect the environment. The plants that were recognised were: Atotonilco in Hidalgo; Barrientos in Mexico State; Ensenada in Baja California; Huichapan in Hidalgo; Mérida, in Yucatan; Monterrey in Nuevo León; Tamuín in San Luis Potosí; Tepeaca in Puebla; Torreón, in Coahuila; Valles in San Luis Potosí; Yaqui, in Sonora; and Zapotiltic, in Jalisco.

Mexico: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) has taken out a new US$400m loan to reduce its interest payments. The loan has a term of five years with a margin of 1.25 – 2% on Libor, based on the debt / earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) ratio, according to the El Financiero newspaper. The initial margin will be 1.75%. The loan has been supplied by BBVA Bancomer, Banco Nacional de México, JP Morgan Chase Bank and the Bank of Nova Scotia. It will also be used for general corporate purposes.

Mexico: Cemex says that its digital platform, Cemex Go, has reached over 10,000 customers or a quarter of its worldwide customer base. Cemex Go is currently available in Mexico, the US, Colombia, the UK, and Germany and is expected to be deployed in half of the company’s markets in the coming weeks. By the end of 2018, it is expected to be available in all of Cemex’s key locations, serving approximately 45,000 customers.

The system allows the company and its customers to will be used in real time to manage order placement, live tracking of shipments and invoices and payments for the company’s main products, including bagged and bulk cement. Cemex Go was introduced in Mexico and the US in late 2017.

Mexico: Cemex has launched an online retail store to sell its construction material products. The new website is part of the company’s Cemex Go digital platform.

“Cemex’s launch of the Construrama Online Store builds on our efforts to transform the construction industry into a more efficient model. Our clients will now enjoy easy access to a wider catalogue of products and be able to select, purchase, and follow up on their online order, generating significant savings in productivity for our Construrama network of retail stores, builders, and final customers,” said Sergio Menéndez, Vice President of Distributor Sales of Cemex in Mexico.

The Construrama Online Store is part of the company’s commercial digital vision which aims to offer its clients a seamless experience for placing orders, live tracking of shipments and managing invoices and payments for Cemex’s main products.

Mexico: Cemex has named Volvo & SDLG as its first global supplier of the year. It has also announced the winners of its third Integrate Innovation Program. Volvo also picked up first place in the Integrate program.

The initiative included 11 global suppliers of various categories and services - including mobile equipment, paper and sacks, lubricants, additives, and refractory material - who proposed 15 creative ideas to generate more efficient processes, products, and services. To evaluate and qualify the ideas received, 70 people from different areas of Cemex and different regions of the world participated in the selection of the three winning ideas.

Sweden's Volvo won first place in the Integrate program for its competence development of machine operators with simulators. Germany's Klüber Lubrication came second with its first hydro lubricant for gears. Germany's Refratechnik followed with its idea to counteract knowledge loss and special training on site. Volvo was also recognised for health & safety, Kao Chemicals for sustainability, BillerudKorsnäs for applied innovation and RHI Magnesita for customer focus.

Mexico: Siemens has appointed Juan Ignacio Diaz as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Siemens Mexico, Central America and Caribbean with effect from 1 June 2018. He succeeds Louise Goeser, who has left the company. Diaz was previously Country CEO of Siemens Chile and lead for its Mobility division.

Diaz joined Siemens in 2008. He has served in various functions in Chile and South America, first as General Counsel for Chile and later as General Counsel for the South America region. In 2010 he also took the position of City Account Manager for the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile, responsible for developing the portfolio of sustainable solutions for megacities. Since 2013, he has been CEO of Siemens Chile and lead for its Mobility division.

Mexico: Germany’s Loesche has sold two coal or petcoke grinding mills to Cruz Azul. Both will be used on new production lines at cement plants in Hidalgo and Oaxaca respectively. No value for the deal has been disclosed.

Each mill will have a capacity of 65t/hr. Loesche will be supplying complete plant equipment, including process gas filters, mill fans, inerting units, explosion protection valves, kiln gas cyclone separators, feed screw and drag chain conveyors as well as the complete electrotechnical equipment. The scope of supply also includes engineering for steel and concrete construction.

Loesche previously delivered a LM 46.2+2 CS type mill to Cruz Azul’s Tepezalá cement plant, operated under the Cycna subsidiary, at the end of 2016.