Displaying items by tag: readymixed concrete

Italy: Buzzi Unicem says its ready-mix concrete subsidiary Unical has completed the largest continuous concrete casting in Europe at the Galeazzi Orthopedic Institut project in Milan. It pumped 33,000m³ of concrete continuously for 94 hours including 3300 concrete mixer journeys with 106 Unical staff on duty. The new 16-storey building will have a height of 90m once completed.

India: ACC’s operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 11% year-on-year to US$267m in 2018 from US$296m in 2017. Its new sales increase by 12% to US$2.02bn from US$1.80bn. Cement sales volumes grew by 8.4% to 28.4Mt from 26.2Mt. Ready-mix concrete (RMX) sales grew by 16.6% to 3.16Mm³ from 2.71Mm³.

The cement producer said that despite rising prices of slag, petcoke and diesel it had focused on productivity and an improved raw material mix. It also built 18 new RMX plants during the year.

US: LafargeHolcim has acquired Metro Mix, LLC, a leading provider of ready-mix concrete in the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado. With Metro Mix, LafargeHolcim reports that it has further strengthened its position in the United States, where it is already present with operations in cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt.

Jan Jenisch, CEO of LafargeHolcim, said, “This is our fourth acquisition this year, in line with our Strategy 2022 - 'Building for Growth'. Metro Mix's operations are highly complementary to our existing footprint and will allow us to gain a larger share in a growing market with immediate commercial and operational synergies. I very much welcome all employees of Metro Mix to our company.”
Metro Mix operates two ready-mix concrete plants and reported net sales of around US$30m in 2017.

UK: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has referred the proposed acquisition of Hope Construction Materials by Breedon Aggregates for further investigation unless Breedon can take action to address competition concerns. An initial study by the CMA found that competition issues might arise in 27 ready-mixed concrete sites, causing potential price rises for end consumers. The study ruled out any competition issues with regards to the companies’ aggregates and cement markets.

“The vast majority of the merger raises no concerns but there are a number of areas where the companies compete strongly with each other for customers and the concern is that the loss of such rivalry could lead to price rises for customers. The businesses may now resolve these concerns or face a detailed investigation,” said Sheldon Mills, CMA Senior Director of Mergers. Unless Breedon takes action an in-depth phase two investigation will be conducted by the CMA.

Breedon responded that the CMA’s response was expected. Subject to agreement with the CMA on appropriate remedies, Breedon expects to complete the acquisition later in 2016. Breedon announced in November 2015 that is was planning to buy Hope Construction Materials for Euro480m.