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Ireland: Justice Max Barrett of the High Court has ruled that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) breached the terms of a search warrant by seizing the email account of a CRH executive in 2014. The court also determined that the competition body had breached the Data Protection Acts, the Irish constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The court added that the seized emails contained material outside the scope of the investigation.
The CCPC responded by saying it was ‘considering carefully’ the implications of the judgment and the next steps that it would take. However, its investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Irish Cement in the supply of bagged cement continues.
The CCPC carried out an unannounced search at the premises of Irish Cement on 14 May 2015 as part of an on-going investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices in the supply of bagged cement. During the search, the CCPC seized a number of electronic documents including the mailboxes of a number of current and former employees of Irish Cement. CRH argued that certain emails in the mailbox of one such employee, Seamus Lynch, were unrelated to the business of Irish Cement and were therefore not entitled to be seized. Accordingly, in November 2015, CRH brought a High Court action against the CCPC seeking an injunction to prevent the CCPC from examining these emails.
Peter Nelson appointed interim chairman of PPC
Written by Global Cement staff
06 April 2016
South Africa: PPC has appointed Peter Nelson as its interim chairman following the retirement of Bheki Sibiya. A permanent replacement for Sibiya is expected to be recruited by September 2016.
Nelson was appointed to the Board as an independent non-executive director on 25 January 2015. His experience covers manufacturing, mining, telecommunications, healthcare, leisure, property, packaging and the motor industry in listed and private entities in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. He has served as chief financial officer on several Boards including Telkom, Netcare and Mondi.
ATEC appoints Wolfgang Hammer as managing director
Written by Global Cement staff
06 April 2016
Austria: A TEC Group has appointed Wolfgang Hammer as its new managing director. The former Global Sales Manager at the company replaces Hans Joachim Grieb who retired on 31 March 2016. Stefan Kern has been appointed his deputy. He is responsible for the markets Northern Europe, Eastern Europe and South Africa. These appointments are effective from 1 April 2016.
Indocement acquires marine transport firm for US$2.1m 05 April 2016
Indonesia: Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa has purchased stakes in marine transport services firm Lintas Bahana Abadi through the company's subsidiaries, Bahana Indonor and Indomix Perkasa. The acquisition is expected to support Indocement's business activities, particularly in the marine transport segment, according to Indonesia Finance Daily.
“Bangun Sukses Niagatama Nusantara will divest its shares in Lintas Bahana Abadi to Bahana Indonor and Indomix Perkasa for US$2.1m. The acquisition is fully funded from the two subsidiaries' internal cash,” said Christian Kartawijaya, President Director of Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa. Lintas Bahana will become a subsidiary that is indirectly owned by Indocement.
US: Martin Engineering has launched its new Pin Latch Secondary Belt Cleaner, a tungsten carbide-tipped secondary cleaner that slides in and out for service without requiring any tools. The design features a square, tabbed mainframe with segmented blades connected by a pin mechanism, allowing access and blade replacement by semi-skilled personnel.
The pin latch design provides adjustable tension for varying conditions, such as belt speed, material being conveyed and belt cleaner position relative to the head pulley. It can handle belt speeds up to 5.1m/s and the versatile unit accommodates belt rollback. The carbide tip is acid- and abrasion-resistant, and the assembly is suited for use on belts with mechanical splices, smoothly adapting to and riding over the splices without damaging the splice, belt or blade. The new belt cleaner is considered as a preferred upgrade for Martin SQC2 and SC16 Secondary Cleaners.
“The maintenance-friendly design of the new Pin Latch Belt Cleaner is engineered for a wide range of global applications,” said Martin Engineering South Africa Sales Manager Pieter Opperman. “It can drastically reduce downtime for service or replacement, since no alignment or setting of the blade is required. Inventory is reduced to a one-part blade and buffer, without bolts, nuts or other fasteners.”
Martin Engineering builds products for bulk materials handling. The company has it headquarters in Neponset, Illinois. It has offices in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, India and the UK.