Displaying items by tag: LafargeHolcim
Switzerland: Géraldine Picaud has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of LafargeHolcim and member of the Executive Committee with effect from 1 February 2018. She succeeds Ron Wirahadiraksa, who is described as leaving the company for ‘opportunities outside the group.’ He leaves after less than two years in the role.
Picaud, a French national, joins the group from Essilor International, an ophthalmic optics company, where she has been Group CFO and member of the Executive Committee since 2011. Prior to joining Essilor, she spent four years working for the ED&F Man group in Winterthur, Switzerland following 13 years as CFO at international specialty chemicals group, Safic Alcan. She originally trained as an auditor.
Lafarge Syria alleged to have paid armed groups up to US$100,000/month to keep cement plant running
09 October 2017France: Lafarge Cement Syria allegedly paid up to US$100,000/month to armed groups including US$20,000 to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Former plant manager Bruno Pescheux told investigators that the money went via local businessman Firas Tlass, who was a former minority shareholder in the cement plant, according to the Agence France Presse. Witnesses in the French judicial inquiry have also described false accounting methods used to disguise oil purchases from IS, travel documents allowing Lafarge trucks to move in the region and a planned meeting between IS and a Lafarge Cement Syria security official. The inquiry continues.
LafargeHolcim vehicles targeted in Paris security incident
06 October 2017France: Petrol containers and burnt matches have been found under trucks at a LafargeHolcim site in Paris. Workers found the items underneath the vehicles on the morning of 5 October 2017, according to Agence France Presse. However, the incident is not thought to be terror related. Security camera footage shows the perpetrators trying to ignite the fuel on the night before. Investigators say that the ‘crude device’ had no chance of detonating. Lafarge France operates a number of concrete and aggregate units in the city.
The incident follows on-going anti-terrorism investigations in the city following the discovery of several gas canisters and a cell phone detonator earlier in October 2017. LafargeHolcim is also under investigation by the French judiciary for its conduct running a cement plant in Syria during the civil war.
Australia: The Federal Court has upheld an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and raised a fine against Cement Australia and its subsidiaries for anti-competitive agreements to US$16.1m. Originally the cement producer was fined US$13.4m but the ACCC argued it was too low. A cross appeal by Cement Australia was dismissed.
“The penalties imposed in competition cases are hugely important in deterring anti-competitive conduct, which is why we appealed the original penalties given to Cement Australia,” said ACCC Chairman Rod Sims.
The ACCC first brought the proceedings in 2008 against Cement Australia, Cement Australia Holdings, Cement Australia Queensland (formerly Queensland Cement Ltd), Pozzolanic Enterprises and Pozzolanic Industries. They were related to contracts that were entered into by Cement Australia companies between 2002 and 2006 with four power stations in South East Queensland, to acquire fly ash. The court found contraventions of the Competition and Consumer Act in 2014 and a fine was issued in 2016.
Xavier Saint-Martin-Tillet appointed head of Association of Cement Producers of Cote d'Ivoire
04 October 2017Ivory Coast: Xavier Saint-Martin-Tillet, the chief executive officer of LafargeHolcim Côte d'Ivoire has been appointed as the head of the Association of Cement Producers of Cote d'Ivoire (APCCI). His term will last two years, according to Financial Afrik. He will be assisted by Soro Nagolo, deputy general manager of the Société des Ciments d'Abidjan (SCA), who will serve as the vice-president of the association.
Saint-Martin-Tillet is a graduate of the École Centrale Paris in France. He spent 20 years working for Lafarge before joining LafargeHolcim Côte d'Ivoire in October 2016 as its managing director.
Opposition political party backs tyre burning ban in Nova Scotia
04 October 2017Canada: The New Democratic Party has called for a ban of burning tyres in Nova Scotia. The opposition political party held a news conference with opponents of the government's decision in July 2017 to approve a one-year pilot project allowing Lafarge Canada to burn tyres for energy at the company's Brookfield cement plant, according to the Canadian Press newspaper. No tyres have been burned at the plant so far as the cement producer waits for industrial approval of the project from the provincial government.
Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre said the government’s decision was based on a Dalhousie University engineering study that was too narrow in its focus and wasn't peer reviewed. However the government has said that it used several technical studies to inform its decision. A group of local residents also started legal action in August 2017 on the grounds that the project violated the province's Environment Act.
Heracles Group launches online customer platform
28 September 2017Greece: Heracles Group, part of LafargeHolcim, has launched Xtizoume Mazi (Building Together), an online platform for marketing, product information and training. Via a new website its customers can find information about Heracles’ products and access training courses. The site will also allow access to the company’s loyalty scheme.
Romania: Mădălina Gogorici has been appointed as the Health and Safety Manager at Holcim Romania, a new position within the company. A biochemistry graduate from the University of Bucharest with a Master’s degree in Ecology and Sustainable Development she holds over 20 years of experience in the field.
Lafarge France to upgrade mill at Havre-Saint-Vigor cement plant
25 September 2017France: Lafarge France plans to spend Euro14.5m towards upgrading its Havre-Saint-Vigor cement plant. Euro8m will be spent on upgrading the plant’s mill and modernising its dock. The remainder will be spent on changes to the quarry including a new crane and wharf. The quarry at the site will be used to process construction waste from the Greater Paris area.
Lafarge North America completes upgrade of Ravena Cement plant
22 September 2017US: Lafarge North America, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has officially opened the upgrade to its Ravena cement plant in New York. The upgrade work took three years at a reported cost of US$300m.
“By modernising the plant, we have transformed it into an efficient, competitive and state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to meet the growing needs of our customers and remain a strong partner to the community for the foreseeable future,” said John Stull, chief executive officer (CEO) US Cement, LafargeHolcim. He added that the plant has supplied cement for high profile projects, including the Tappan Zee bridge reconstruction and One World Trade Center Memorial.
Upgrade work focused on building a new clinker production line to modernise the previously wet process plant. Following the work the plant now has a clinker production capacity of 2Mt/yr with improved emissions levels and higher operational performance.