04 August 2016
Buzzi Unicem makes gains in first half of 2016 04 August 2016
Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s sales have risen by 1.9% year-on-year to Euro1.26bn in the first half of 2016 from Euro1.24bn in the same period in 2015. Its cement sales volumes rose by 2.7% to 12.2Mt from 11.9Mt and its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 33.5% to Euro223m from Euro167m. The group attributed the gains to sales volumes increases in all markets except Italy and Russia. Sales increases were particularly notable in the US and Poland.
France: Vicat’s sales revenue from cement has fallen by 1.5% year-on-year to Euro761 in the first half of 2016 from Euro773m in the same period in 2015. The group has blamed the decline on a fall in selling prices in most of its market regions except for the US. It was also hit by negative currency effects in relation to the high value of Euro. Overall, Vicat’s sales fell by 0.4% to Euro1.24bn but its EBITDA rose by 2.3% to Euro208m.
Despite this, its cement sales volumes rose by 12.1% to 11.1Mt from 9.88Mt. Volume increases were noted in India, Turkey, Egypt, France, the US and, to a lesser extent, by Kazakhstan, Italy and West Africa. Switzerland was the only country to record a fall in sales volumes of cement the first six months of the year. Alongside this the construction materials company reported that its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 3.3% to Euro168m from Euro163m. It noted particular profit indicator gains in Egypt, due to sales volumes growth and lower energy costs following the commissioning of two coal mills in the second half of 2015 and increased prices and sales volumes of cement in the US.
“The Vicat Group delivered a good performance in the first six months of the year. The positive trends from the first quarter continued, with our business growing across most of our markets, with especially renewed growth momentum in France and in Egypt,” said Guy Sidos, the group’s chairman and CEO.
Titan buys stake in Cimento Apodi 04 August 2016
Brazil: Greece’s Titan Cement has agreed to acquire an equity stake in Companhia Industrial de Cimento Apodi, a Brazilian cement producer that operates in Ceará in Northeast Brazil. Through a joint venture agreement, Cimento Apodi will be jointly owned and controlled on a 50/50 basis by the Dias Branco Group and a TITAN-Sarkis subsidiary, in which Titan is the majority shareholder. Titan’s investment in the purchase will be determined when the deal closes but it is expected to be about US$100m.
The assets of Cimento Apodi include an integrated cement plant in Quixeré that has operated since 2015 and a cement grinding plant in Pecém port, near to Fortaleza, that has operated since 2011. Cimento Apodi has cement production capacity of over 2Mt/yr.