10 July 2019

India: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai has approved Dalmia Bharat’s offer for debt-laden Murli Industries, subject to conditions intended to stop the company going into liquidation. The tribunal has given Dalmia Bharat until 12 July 2019 to decide if it wants to proceed, according to the Economic Times newspaper. The conditions include forcing the buyer to reinstate lapsed mining leases related to Murli Industries itself and removing clauses allowing Dalmia Bharat to modify or withdraw its plans at any stage. Dalmia Bharat bid around US$60m to buy Murli Industries’ 3Mt/yr cement plant in Maharashtra in late 2017.

Philippines: Big Boss Cement has reportedly stopped plans to build a new grinding plant at Bamban in Tarlac province following a series of protests by local residents. Local mayor Jose Feliciano said the cement producer had withdrawn its US$117m investment, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. The project was going to be built an agricultural land around 0.5km from a school with 4000 students. However, Feliciano noted that the loss of the factory would reduce local municipal funds.

China: Jidong Cement and its subsidies have received US$30m in subsidies from the Chinese government in the first half of 2019. It said that the subsidies were related to its daily activities, according to Reuters. The cement producer said that its estimated profit nearly doubled to US$134m in the reporting period following restructuring the company. Its cement and clinker sales volumes by 15% year-on-year to 45.76Mt.

El Salvador: Holcim El Salvador is marking its 70th anniversary with the launch of a 42.5kg limited edition bag for its Fuerte cement brand. The new bag features the traditional red and black colours and landmark buildings constructed with Holcim’s cement product packaging, such as Torre Futura, the San Salvador Metropolitan Cathedral and the Divino Salvador del Mundo monument, according to the El Mundo newspaper. The new limited edition bag will be sold until the end of 2019.

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cement has renewed its clinker export licence. It is valid for one year from 9 July 2019.

France: Lafarge France has launched its Lafarge 360 initiative. The scheme aims to aid specifiers, contractors and builders make low-carbon structures through reducing CO₂ emissions, preserving natural resources and responsible innovation. It will start the initiative by proving a Lafarge 360 score on its associated digital platform to allow customers to assess the environmental impact of Lafarge’s products. By providing a rating of A to D the tool will offer information on the concrete types.