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Wolfgang Reitzle to become chairman of Holcim in 2014
Written by Global Cement staff
20 March 2013
Switzerland: Swiss-based multinational building materials producer Holcim has announced that Wolfgang Reitzle will take over as chairman in 2014. To ensure continuity, current chairman Rolf Soiron has been proposed for re-election at the annual general meeting of 17 April 2013. Also at the meeting the board of directors will propose the election of Hanne Birgitte Breinbjerg Sørensen and Anne Wade to the board of directors of Holcim.
Sørensen is currently the CEO of Maersk Tankers based in Copenhagen, one of the world's largest tanker operators. She holds an MSc in Business Economy from the University of Aarhus.
Wade, an investor with extensive experience in capital markets, was the Senior Vice President and Director of an investment management company, Capital International, based in London from 1995 to 2012. She graduated with a BA from Harvard University and holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics.
In addition the board of directors is proposing the re-election of Beat Hess for a three year term. He is currently deputy chairman of the board of directors. Markus Akermann and Peter Küpfer are no longer available for re-election. Christine Binswanger has resigned from the board effective from the date of the meeting.
Australia: Swiss cement maker Holcim has announced plans to operate Cement Australia as a joint venture (JV), in which both Holcim and Germany's HeidelbergCement AG will hold equal 50% stakes. Holcim will therefore sell 25% of its stake in Cement Australia to HeidelbergCement for an undisclosed amount. The move has already been approved by the Austrian authorities, according to Holcim.
Cement Australia operates two cement plants and a grinding station in the east and southeast of Australia and in Tasmania with a total cement capacity of 4.2Mt/yr. In addition, a new grinding station in Port Kembla with an annual capacity of 1.1Mt/yr is expected to go online in 2013.
Lafarge Surma to supply Madina Cement 20 March 2013
Bangladesh: Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd signed an agreement with Madina Cement Industries Ltd at a ceremony organised at the company's headquarters. Under the terms of the deal, Lafarge Surma will supply its high quality clinker to Madina Cement from its integrated plant at Chhatak to produce 'Powercrete.' This will be subject to strict quality controls by employees of Lafarge Surma to ensure world-class quality that Lafarge Surma promises to deliver to its customers.
Furthermore the production process will follow the highest safety standards. Lafarge will shortly launch Powercrete, with the aim of strengthening its market position in Bangladesh.
Holcim Lebanon to burn expired pharmaceuticals 20 March 2013
Lebanon: Holcim has been named by the Environment Ministry as the country's sole disposer of pharmaceutical waste, according to a press release. The ministry issued a permit to the company to burn the drugs in its cement kiln. Holcim is in the process of destroying hundreds of tons of expired pharmaceuticals in the kiln at its factory in Shekka, in the north of Lebanon.
The drugs that are to be burnt were discovered during investigations that uncovered hundreds of tonnes of expired medicinal goods around the country. Officials sought a responsible way to dispose of the material and discovered that they could be used as an alternative fuel for a cement kiln. The high temperatures (~1500°C) in the kiln ensure that organic materials are completely destroyed during combustion.
Hanson’s EcoPlus reduces use of Ordinary Portland Cement 20 March 2013
UK: Building materials producer Hanson, a UK-based part of Germany's HeidelbergCement, has launched a new range of quality concretes designed to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with construction projects. The EcoPlus range contains Hanson Regen, a sustainable substitute for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in concrete. Hanson Regen is a ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) and can replace up to 70% of the OPC content. Replacing 1t of OPC with 1t of Regen in EcoPlus concrete reduces the embodied CO2 by around 850kg.
Paul Lacey, Hanson's head of sustainability and marketing, said, "EcoPlus is designed to help engineers, specifiers and contractors meet current and future environmental legislation. Our online carbon calculator shows the CO2 savings that can be made by specifying one of our eight standard EcoPlus mixes, which are suitable for foundations, pavements and structural projects. We can also design and supply bespoke mixes."
Using Regen in EcoPlus also improves the durability of structures, particularly where sulphates and chlorides are an issue, and gives a lighter, more aesthetically pleasing colour to the concrete.