03 August 2021

Italy: Cementir’s revenue rose by 16.5% year-on-year to Euro665m in the first half of 2021 from Euro570m in the same period in 2020. Its cement and ready-mixed concrete sales volumes grew by 18.7% to 5.46Mt and 31.4% to 2.52Mm³ respectively. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 36.6% to Euro134m from Euro 97.8m. The cement producer noted strong cement sales volumes performance in Turkey, Belgium and Denmark and good concrete sales volumes also in Turkey.

“Despite the first half 2020 [when] results were affected by the lockdown due to Covid-19, during 2021 all the markets in which we operate are showing signs of vivacity and in particular Turkey is recovering significantly," said chairman and chief executive officer Francesco Caltagirone Jr.

Egypt: France-based Vicat raised a case against the Egyptian government with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in late June 2021. It concerns its cement production business. Reporting by the Qatar-based New Arab newspaper alleges that the cement producer was forced to reduce its shares in its subsidiary Sinai Cement due to a law stopping foreign ownership of companies operating in the Sinai Peninsula on the basis of security grounds. It reports that Vicat has reduced its shares in its subsidiary to 42% from 56% previously.

Vicat confirmed in its financial report for 2020 that it was in the process of taking legal action locally on the matter of foreign ownership in the Sinai region. It added that an investment of around Euro35m in Sinai Cement had been delayed due to administrative approval time. In July 2021, Tamer Magdy, the country manager for Sinai Cement, told local press that Vicat was keen to continue investing in the market.

Ghana: George Dawson-Amoah, the executive secretary of the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers Ghana, has warned that mounting clinker costs are negatively affecting the cement industry. He said that the cost of clinker grew by 55% in the first half of 2021 and it is expected to nearly double, according to GhanaWeb. Cement prices have risen subsequently. Dawson-Amoah added that congestion at local ports is also adding to clinker import costs as importers potentially face demurrage fines.

Mexico: Cemex has signed the Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitment led by the We Mean Business Coalition in partnership with the Science Based Targets initiative and the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. With this commitment in place the company has also joined the Race to Zero campaign of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. All members of the Race to Zero coalition pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, in line with global efforts in limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Cemex says that these objectives align with its Future in Action programme to reduce its carbon footprint by delivering net-zero concrete globally by 2050.

“Cemex’s commitment to Climate Action runs deep and we are excited to partner with prominent global organisations to deliver on this challenge. Implementing climate solutions require active collaboration between industry, governments, non-governmental organisations and multilateral agencies, and we intend to continue to play an active role in these efforts. We encourage others to join us in this important challenge”, said Fernando A. González, the chief executive officer of Cemex.

In addition, Cemex has submitted its new 2030 target of below 475Kg CO₂/t of cementitious product for validation to the Science-Based Targets initiative as part of its commitment to fulfil its ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Nigeria: The first set of female drivers has graduated from the Lafarge Driving Institute (LDI) in Calabar, Cross River state. Lafarge Africa said that this demonstrated its commitment to enabling inclusive workplaces for women, professional gender diversity, road safety through training and the creation of local jobs. The LDI admitted 53 female trainees in March 2021.

The institute was launched in late 2017 in partnership with Lafarge Africa, Automated Integrated Services and the Federal Road Safety Corps. It was set up to improve driver quality and to ensure that heavy goods vehicles (HGV) are manned by professionals who have passed through a training programme.

Germany: The Federal Cartel Office has approved the takeover of Heinrich Teufel by Holcim Deutschland. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim said it had agreed to acquire the ready-mix concrete and aggregates in July 2021. The purchase is intended to increase the company’s presence in southern Germany.

US: Flexicon has expanded the production facilities at its headquarters at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The increased 4645m² space at the site will be used to store sub-assemblies, crating and the staging of assembled equipment. This will allow the main plant to increase its production capacity for fabrication and assembly.

Flexicon specialises in bulk handling equipment. It owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Brisbane, Australia and Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and maintains factory-direct sales offices in Barcelona in Spain, Santiago in Chile and Singapore.

China: Vortex Asia-Pacific has opened a new office in Shanghai. It is intended to serve the solids and bulk handling components company’s customers in China and a variety of other countries in Asia. The subsidiary of US-based Vortex Global was established in 2009.

“Vortex has been established in China for over a decade and is excited about our continued partnership with dry bulk processors across the country. It is also great to see our team transition back into a new office environment after a difficult year with the pandemic,” said Travis Young, the president and chief executive officer of parent company Vortex Global.