Displaying items by tag: Austria

Austria: RHI Magnesita has launched 4PRO, a new refractory solutions contract model. It says that the new business model is designed to “lead high-temperature industries like steel, cement, glass, non-ferrous metals etc. towards a sustainable and technologically-advanced future through a more holistic and contemporary approach.” The 4PRO contract model is guided by four key pillars: Performance; Partnership; People; and Planet.

The company supplies refractory products, systems and solutions for high-temperature processes exceeding 1200°C in a wide range of industries, including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass. RHI Magnesita has over 20,000 employees in 67 main production sites (including raw material sites), 12 recycling facilities and more than 70 sales offices.

Austria: Haimo Primas has been appointed as the CEO of Holcim Austria. He succeeds Berthold Kren in the role.

Primas, aged 53 years, has worked for Holcim for over 20 years. He started working for Lafarge Zementwerke in the early 2000s and has worked for related companies, including Holcim CE Holding and Lafarge Slovenia. His responsibilities have included senior positions at cluster and national level in finance, business development, supply chain and human resources. Amongst other roles, he was the plant manager of the Retznei cement plant from 2022 to October 2024. Primas studied business administration at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz.

Austria: Alpacem will invest €50m to modernise its Wietersdorf plant, including a new cement grinding plant, reportedly capable of saving up to 21,000t/yr of CO₂ and reducing electricity consumption, according to the Kronen Zeitung. The plant is scheduled for completion and commissioning in 2027. In the future, a new cement silo plant will also be built in the Görtschitztal valley, directly connected to the railroad.

Florian Salzer, technical director at Alpacem Zement Austria said "With this new project, we are investing in a sustainable future and laying the foundations for energy-efficient and environmentally conscious cement grinding."

Managing director Lutz Weber added "Alpacem has a clear goal: CO₂-neutral production by 2035. To achieve this ambitious goal, we need a package of measures and a concrete path."

Austria: Austria's cement industry produced approximately 4.4Mt in 2023, a 15% decrease from 2023. According to Holcim Austria CEO, Berthold Kren, there will be another double-digit decline in 2024. Kren highlighted a significant downturn in construction sectors, with a notable drop in housing permits. Infrastructure construction in eastern Austria is also decreasing, aligning with broader negative economic trends affecting the industrial construction sector.

US/Austria: RHI Magnesita (RHIM) plans to acquire Resco Group for US$430m. The acquisition of Resco will add fireclay and pyrophyllite-andalusite mining operations in the US to its existing magnesite and dolomite operations across Europe, the US, Brazil and China. Furthermore, RHIM aims to transfer ‘significant’ production volumes from non-US plants to Resco's US facilities. The completion of the acquisition is anticipated in the second half of 2024.

Austria: RHI Magnesita reported 7.7% year-on-year growth in its sales from €3.32bn to €3.57bn in 2023. Its gross profit rose by 12% from €763m to €857m, while its earnings before interest, taxation and amortisation (EBITA) rose by 1.6% from €372m to €378m.

Austria: Rohrdorfer’s proposed acquisition of a 49% stake in building materials producer Asamer has entered an extended review phase. The parties registered the deal with the Austrian Federal Competition Authority (BWB) on 10 January 2024. Due to competition concerns, the BWB applied to a court for an in-depth investigation on 21 February 2024.

Switzerland: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment developer and supplier Neustark says it plans to more than double the number of its CO₂ storage sites in Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK to 34 from 14. Neustark’s process turns mineralised captured CO₂ and existing mineral waste streams into useful limestone. Building materials producers lease Neustark’s storage sites to produce reduced-CO₂ alternatives such as recycled concrete. The sites currently have a total storage capacity of 5000t. Existing customers include Holcim.

Neustark CEO Johannes Tiefenthaler said “Neustark is scaling up rapidly, and we’re well on track to achieve our aim of permanently removing 1Mt of CO₂ by 2030. Our global goal is a series of reliable, region-specific CCS facilities that can be replicated anywhere, offering immediate sustainability benefits to local supply chains.”

Austria/Australia: RHI Magnesita has signed a deal with Australia-based carbon capture company MCi Carbon for the construction of a large-scale carbon capture plant at its Hochfilzen dolomite plant in Tyrol, Austria. Prior to construction of the large-scale system in Austria, the companies will partner to test and scale-up MCi Carbon’s technology at the latter’s Myrtle demonstration plant in New South Wales, Australia. The Myrtle demonstration plant will aim to capture 1000t/yr of CO₂.

RHI Magnesita CEO Stefan Borgas said "The partnership with MCi Carbon is forward-looking and their technological approach is particularly interesting because it combines carbon capture storage and carbon utilisation. This is currently the most promising way for the refractory industry to reduce process emissions."

MCi Carbon CEO of Marcus Dawe said "This investment marks a pivotal moment for MCi Carbon and underscores the trust our partners place in our transformative technology. With RHI Magnesita's support, we are poised to accelerate our global commercialisation efforts and address the challenges faced by heavy industries in achieving decarbonisation."

Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the company’s chief operating officer Sophia Hamblin Wang said "We call on global leaders to move beyond rhetoric and embrace tangible actions, fostering a climate-conscious, prosperous future. MCi Carbon’s technology proves that it is possible to decarbonise and create profitable business models at the same time. The support of RHI Magnesita accelerates our impact, amplifies our voice and solidifies our position as leaders in carbon capture and utilisation."

Austria: Australia-based FCT Combustion has appointed Átila Soares as its Sales Manager for Europe and Africa. He will be based at the company’s office in Vienna. Soares previously worked for Aumund Group in Brazil in a variety of roles since 2005. The latest position was as a Sales Manager based in São Paulo. He also holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (FEI) in Brazil.