08 December 2021
Insee Cement says it has eased the cement shortage in Sri Lanka 08 December 2021
Sri Lanka: Insee Cement says it has eased a local cement shortage by operating at maximum production capacity and optimising its distribution channels. It reported a record output of 0.7Mt for the third quarter of 2021, according to the Colombo Post newspaper. The company also introduced two new import ships to help the situation.
Gustavo Navarro, the chief executive officer of Insee Cement Sri Lanka said, “We continued to fully support government regulations and industrial policies to first stabilise the market, and were able to deploy our island-wide distribution and dealership network to ensure an uninterrupted supply across the island. The loyalty and patience of our customers gave us that extra encouragement we needed to overcome the challenge.”
Christian Pfeiffer supplying mill and separator for Cementos Inka 08 December 2021
Peru: Germany-based Christian Pfeiffer is supplying grinding and separation equipment for Cementos Inka’s grinding plant project near Pisco. A 4.2m diameter 3500KW mill and a QDK 143-Z type separator with gas recirculation, to help dry the raw material without hot gases, are being provided. Cementos Inka’s 0.7Mt/yr plant was previously reported to have a budget of US$20m.
Turkey: Steel company Erdmir has received the Turkish Competition Board (TCB)'s approval for its acquisition of a 100% stake in refractory and magnesia producer Kümaş Manyezit Sanayi. Erdemir's parent company is OYAK Group, an industrial conglomerate with interests in cement alongside other industries. Thus, the TCB considered the deal's competition impacts on the cement industry. The board ruled that the vertical merger would not have a negative effect on competition because it does not give rise to horizontally affected markets, hence neither creating nor strengthening any dominant market position.
Zimbabwean government to continue cement import programme 08 December 2021
Zimbabwe: Industry and Commerce Minister Sekai Nzenza says that the government will continue to issue cement import permits until local production returns to normal. The situation has been blamed on a breakdown at Lafarge Zimbabwe’s cement plant, according to the Herald Zimbabwe newspaper. The company is importing cement from Zambia to compensate. A roof collapse over the mill at Lafarge Zimababwe’s Manresa plant was reported in October 2021.
Ambuja Cements responds to CDP Water A List 2021 listing 08 December 2021
India: Ambuja Cements has celebrated the recognition of its water management practices through its listing on CDP's Water A List 2021. The company is the first cement producer to acheive the rating. It said that it succeeded through 'prudent' use of water- for instance through modular curing and concrete mix proportion adjustments - and harvesting. In addition, it continues to evolve its cement portfolio to minimise its consumption of natural resources, with a focus on water. Ambuja Cements' Sustainable Development Ambition 2030 strategy commits it to a freshwater withdrawal reduction of 15% by 2030. Its initiatives have so far saved 70Ml of water, according to the company. It called this a 'robust step' on the global path to sustainable construction and said that it will continue to advocate for environmentally friendly solutions.
Managing director and chief executive officer Neeraj Akhoury said "Water has always been the key focus area for Ambuja Cements. This achievement reaffirms our will to remain committed to address water scarcity issues in future and contribute to the establishment of sustainable tomorrow."
Rwanda: PPC subsidiary CimeRwa reached a total of US$115,000-worth of donations given to its host communities in the 23-month period which ended on 30 November 2021. The New Times newspaper has reported that the company distributed the donations under five pillars: education, health, enterprise development, environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure development. It partnered with the Rwanda Ministry of Education to build classrooms for schoolchildren and gave its backing to self-help initiatives for local women. Helping to overcome the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in host communities during the past two years gave a specific focus to all of the producer's efforts.
CimeRwa said "The company rose to the challenge by putting measures in place to safeguard the community it operates in. This includes the provision of face masks to employees and surrounding community members and launching extensive Covid-19 awareness campaigns." It continued “The CimeRwa team also made a contribution towards the Covid-19 fund and helped the Ministry of Health by facilitating screening and testing of all CimeRwa staff and people in surrounding communities.”
Saint-Gobain to buy GCP Applied Technologies 08 December 2021
US: France-based Saint-Gobain has entered into a deal to buy GCP Applied Technologies for around US$2.3bn. It said the move was a ‘decisive’ step in helping it to become a leader in construction chemicals with total sales of over Euro4bn. It is also expected to promote the group’s strategy as leader in light and sustainable construction. Saint-Gobain expects to conclude the deal by 2023 and will finance the acquisition through cash on its balance sheet.
Benoit Bazin, the chief executive officer of Saint-Gobain, said, “The acquisition of GCP is an excellent and significant step for Saint-Gobain to further reinforce its worldwide leadership in construction chemicals and strengthen its geographic presence in North America and emerging markets, both objectives being at the core of our ‘Grow & Impact’ strategic plan.” The proposed purchase follows Saint-Gobain’s acquisition of Chryso, another constructions chemicals company, for Euro1.02bn in October 2021.
GCP Applied Technologies is a global producer of specialty construction chemicals with approximate revenues of US$1.0bn/yr, 50 manufacturing plants in 38 countries and it employs around 1800 employees. It manufactures cement additives, concrete admixtures and products for infrastructure and commercial and residential waterproofing.