
Displaying items by tag: Acquisition
Russia: Buzzi Unicem has completed the acquisition of 100% of Uralcement from for Euro104m in cash. The acquisition of Uralcement's plant in Korkino raises Buzzi Unicem's annual production capacity in Russia to 4.5Mt/yr.
In September 2014 Buzzi Unicem, via its German wholly-owned subsidiary Dyckerhoff, agreed to acquire Uralcement, subject to regulatory approvals expected by the end of 2014. Having obtained the authorisations, Buzzi Unicem has finalised the agreement for the acquisition of Uralcement's plant in Korkino, south of Chelyabinsk, with a cement production capacity of 1.1Mt/yr.
Buzzi Unicem seeks to boost its position in the Urals region and benefit from the combined production network with Dyckerhoff's plant at Sukhoy Log. Dyckerhoff entered the Russian cement market in 1994 with the acquisition of a stake in Sukholozhskcement.
Lafarge’s Nigeria unit to take complete control of United Cement
11 November 2014Nigeria: Lafarge's Nigerian business has entered into an agreement with Flour Mills of Nigeria to purchase a 30% stake of Nigeria's United Cement Company. The deal will give Lafarge complete control of United Cement Company.
"Pursuant to the agreement, the first 15% stake would be acquired in the first quarter of 2015, while the second 15% stake is scheduled to be acquired by February 2016 at the latest," said Lafarge.
Taiwan Cement buys Sichuan Railway Group Cement for US$111m
05 November 2014Taiwan: Taiwan Cement, is purchasing Sichuan Railway Group Cement for US$111m to expand its presence in China. Taiwan Cement made the purchase through its subsidiary TCC International Holdings. The Sichuan company's production site has a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr.
Prior to the purchase TCC International operated two cement plants in Sichuan: one in Guangan with a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr and the other in Chongqing with a capacity of 4Mt/yr. Following the purchase TCC International will boost its capacity to 8Mt/yr. Taiwan Cement said that the acquisition is expected to create synergies for TCC International, helping the company cut operating costs to improve its bottom line.
TCC International reported a 79.6% rise in net profit to US$134m for the first half of 2014. In addition to the purchase in Sichuan, Taiwan Cement said that TCC International will also add a new production line in its Guizhou plant later in November 2014 to boost its production capacity by an additional 1.5Mt/yr.
India's UltraTech acquires 51% stake in Oman's Awam Minerals
04 November 2014India/Oman: UltraTech Cement Middle East Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of India's UltraTech Cement, has acquired a majority stake (51%) in Omani gypsum mining firm Awam Minerals LLC.
Awam Minerals has a license to mine substantial gypsum deposits in the south of Oman. It's gypsum mining license will serve as a captive mine for the network of cement plants owned by UltraTech Cement in India, two grinding units and a cement plant in the UAE, as well as a grinding unit in Bahrain through its Middle East subsidiary.
Cemex and Holcim agree on series of transactions in Europe
03 November 2014Europe: Cemex has signed binding agreements with Holcim regarding the series of transactions that was originally announced on 28 August 2013.
The main scope of the transactions in Germany and the Czech Republic remain unchanged: Cemex will acquire all of Holcim's assets in the Czech Republic and will divest its assets in western Germany to Holcim. In Spain, Cemex will acquire Holcim's 0.85Mt/yr capacity Gador cement plant and its 0.9Mt/yr capacity Yeles cement grinding plant. Holcim will keep all of its other operations in Spain.
As part of these transactions, Cemex will pay Euro45m in cash to Holcim. Once the transactions are closed, Cemex expects a recurring improvement in its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), including synergies, of about US$20m to US$30m. These transactions are expected to close during the first quarter of 2015.
Asia Cement considers buying Ssangyong Cement
28 October 2014South Korea: Asia Cement is considering the acquisition of South Korea's Ssangyong Cement. According to investment banking sources, Asia Cement is currently discussing the feasibility of purchasing a 46.8% stake in Ssangyong Cement for US$762m.
In terms of shipments, Asia Cement is the seventh-largest cement producer in South Korea with a market share of 6.9% in 2013. During 2013 it posted sales revenue of US$418m. During the same period, Ssangyong Cement recorded US$1.96bn in sales revenue and a market share of 22.0%.
Aditya Birla Group bids for LafargeHolcim assets
21 October 2014India: The Aditya Birla Group has submitted bids to purchase global assets being divested from the LafargeHolcim merger. UltraTech and other companies that belong to Birla have put in bids for cement units of Lafarge and Holcim in Brazil and the Philippines at an enterprise value of US$1.4bn. The group had identified Brazil as a major place for expansion three years ago. The Philippines was among the overseas countries where the group started operations several years ago.
Birla is competing with rival cement companies and private equity funds for the units. Germany's HeidelbergCement has teamed up with Votorantim Cimentos of Brazil while Cemex has joined hands with CRH plc. Eurocement is also in the race. Birla's move is part of its overall plan to increase its cement capacity to 70Mt/yr by early 2016 from 63Mt/yr currently.
Over 50% of Birla's revenues come from its overseas operations. According to a consultant involved with the deal, Birla will be unable to bid for LafargeHolcim assets in some of the market, including India, as a purchase will lead to monopoly in those markets.
India: Sagar Cements has received final approval for the acquisition of the 100% equity stake in BMM Cements, which owns a 1Mt/yr capacity cement plant and a 25MW captive thermal power plant in Gudipadu, Andhra Pradesh.
Jaiprakash Associates to sell Bhilai plant to Shree Cement
17 October 2014India: Jaiprakash Associates Limited is selling its 2.1Mt/yr capacity split grinding plant at Bhilai, Chattisgarh to Shree Cements Limited for an enterprise value of US$293.
The deal is expected to be completed in October 2014.
Bhilai Jaypee Cement Limited is a joint venture between Jaiprakash Associates, which holds 74% stake in the unit and the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), which holds 26%. The cement plant, which has revenues of US$130m/yr, has US$97.5m of debt. After adjusting for this, the equity value of the deal is US$179 – 195m.
Argos gets green light to access more cash
08 October 2014Colombia: Directors at Cementos Argos have given the green light for an ordinary bond issuance of up to US$495m to be used as working capital and to swap financial liabilities. The company will have three years to carry out the issuance, although it will most likely do so in the coming months.
Previous issuances by Cementos Argos, such as those carried out in 2012 to raise US$495m, have helped the firm expand in Colombia, Latin America and the United States. Argos revealed in August 2014 that it is considering buying Holcim and Lafarge assets in the region, particularly Mexico and Brazil, and has announced that it will also build a US$450m plant.