Displaying items by tag: Czech Republic
Czech cement production grew by 2.5% to 4Mt in 2017
18 July 2018Czech Republic: The Czech Cement Association reports that production grew by 2.5% year-on-year to 4Mt in 2017. Cement consumption grew by 3.5% to 3.95Mt in the same period, according to the Czech News Agency. Exports fell by 6.5% to 0.55Mt. The majority of this output went to Slovakia, a minority to Germany and the remainder to Poland and Austria. Imports increased by 19.2% to 0.55Mt, mostly coming from Slovakia and Poland.
Association members include Ceskomoravsky Cement, Cement Hranice na Morave, Cemex and Lafarge Cement. Each of these companies operates integrated plants locally.
Lafarge’s Czech sales increase but profit falls
03 July 2018Czech Republic: Lafarge Cement’s sales in Czechia increased by almost 7% to Euro38.2m in 2017 but its profit dropped by 25% to Euro5.9m, according to spokeswoman Milena Hucanova.
Czech construction registered only moderate growth in 2017, which was reflected in the company's sales. Operating profit was comparable with the level from 2016.
"The company's net profit was mainly as a consequence of changes in the volume and appraisal of inventories, higher consumption of carbon credits and the firming up of the Koruna / Euro (exchange) rate after the Czech National Bank’s interventions," said CFO Jan Mencl.
Investments by the company in 2018 are planned to amount to Euro3.8m. Hucanova said that half of this had already been spent on the conversion of an electrostatic precipitator to a baghouse at the company’s Čížkovice plant.
LafargeHolcim Czech Republic launches new product
15 June 2018Czech Republic: Lafarge Cement, LafargeHolcim’s local subsidiary, has launched a new range of Standard Plus cement products under the trademark Český Čížkovický Cement. The range has a standardised compressive strength of 32.5MPa after 28 days. The products are sold in 25kg bags and are available in bulk.
Czech Republic: Lafarge Czech Republic plans to spend nearly Euro4m on upgrades for its Ciskovice plant. Half of this investment has been spent on rebuilding an electrostatic precipitator for the main chimney for the plant. An additional Euro1.5m will be spent on improvements to the warehouse, handling and dosing of alternative fuels for the kiln. Upgrades to improve the unit’s noise and fire protection are also scheduled.
Cement Hranice cement sales rise on exports in 2017
30 April 2018Czech Republic: Cement Hranice’s cement sales rose by nearly 9% year-on-year in 2017 due to despatches to fellow subsidiaries of Buzzi Unicem in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its overall sales rose by 6.3% to Euro61.5m from Euro57.9m, according to the Czech News Agency. Board member Roman Michalcik said that the local construction sector had grown in 2017 due to good weather towards the end of the period and large local infrastructure projects.
European Commission clears acquisition of Fels-Werke by CRH
01 November 2017Germany: The European Commission has approved the acquisition of Fels-Werke by Ireland’s CRH. Fels-Werke is active in mining, processing and distribution of lime and limestone products, gypsum and mortar in Germany, the Czech Republic and Russia. The commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because there is limited geographic overlap between the companies' activities. It described them as ‘remote’ competitors. Fels’ owners Xella agreed to sell the business to CRH in August 2017 for an undisclosed sum.
Czech cement production rises 4.1% in 2016
31 August 2017Czechia: Cement production in Czechia grew by 4.1% year-on-year to 3.94Mt in 2016 as consumption rose by 3.9% from 3.82Mt, according to data from the Association of Cement Producers. The production figure was 17% lower than the country’s record of 4.77Mt that it made in 2007.
Speaking to the Czech News Agency the association's secretary, Jan Gemrich, said, "In 2016, one of the dominant areas was the extension of the transport network, chiefly the reconstruction of the D1 motorway, which is to last until about 2020. Another important area, though stagnating at present, is new housing construction for young families." For 2017 Gemrich expects cement consumption to record annual growth of around 3%.
Cement exports increased by 8.5% year-on-year to 585,000t, accounting for about 15% of national output. Imports grew by 7.7% to 463,000t.
Germany: Ireland’s CRH has acquired Fels, a lime and aggregate business, for Euro600m from Xella International. The purchase includes nine production locations in Germany, one in the Czechia and one in the Moscow region of Russia, as well as over 1Bnt of limestone reserves. The assets will be added to CRH’s Europe Heavyside division. The purchase is expected to make CRH the second largest business in the European lime market. The acquisition has been funded by the sale of CRH’s Americas Distribution business to Beacon Roofing Supply for Euro2.2bn.
Afghanistan: A Czech company plans to invest US$70m towards building a cement plant in Zenda Jan district of Herat province. A deal is expected to be signed in early April 2017, according to a Sirus Alaf, an Afghan presidential adviser on the economy, quoted by the 1TV Afghanistan television channel. Local companies are also expected to match the foreign investment. The planned plant will have a cement production capacity of 1600t/day.
LafargeHolcim establishes new European Works Council
28 March 2017Switzerland: LafargeHolcim and employee representatives in Europe have established a new European Works Council (EWC). The forum for consultation and dialogue at a transnational level will bring together worker representatives from 19 countries with senior leaders from LafargeHolcim.
“People are essential to the success of LafargeHolcim and our commitment to social dialogue through the new European Works Council is testament to this. During a period of transformation, we recognise that ensuring the full commitment, mobilisation, and engagement of our employees is a key building block for success,” said Eric Olsen, chief executive officer of LafargeHolcim.
The EWC was established based on an agreement signed by Olsen and Executive Committee members Caroline Luscombe, responsible for Organisation and Human Resources and Roland Köhler, responsible for Europe, Australia / New Zealand and Trading as well as Sam Hägglund, General Secretary of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers EFBWW, among other management and employee representatives. Chaired by Köhler, the EWC replaces the previous European Works Councils. Countries represented in the EWC include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.