Displaying items by tag: France
Heidelberg Materials sells French cement transport business
11 January 2024France: Heidelberg Materials has completed its divestment of its French cement transport business, Tratel, to multiple local players. Tratel controls 450 trucks and around 770 trailers across France. Groupe Garnier has taken it over in the north western and Île-de-France, e-b-trans in south eastern and south western France, Groupe DESERT in western France and T2GL in eastern France, while Heidelberg Materials France continues to manage order intake, chartering and dispatch activities. Heidelberg Materials says that the move advances its portfolio optimisation strategy, which involves increasing its focus on core businesses.
France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has announced the signing of its latest partnership agreement, with single-family home construction firm Groupe Trecobat. Under the agreement, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies will supply its clinker-free alternative cement for Groupe Trecobat’s property developments throughout western France. Groupe Trecobat generated Euro203m in sales in 2023.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are delighted to be working with a leading player in single-family home construction such as Groupe Trecobat. This local partnership, which will enable us to develop a low-carbon offering for single-family home construction, accelerates our diversification and further strengthens our presence in the eco-responsible construction market."
Saint-Gobain to buy IMPTEK Chova del Ecuador
01 January 2024Ecuador: Saint-Gobain has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in IMPTEK Chova del Ecuador, a producer of waterproofing construction chemicals. When the deal completes it will be France-based company’s first manufacturing presence in the country. IMPTEK sells its products locally but also exports to several Latin and Central American countries. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval by competition authorities and expected in the first half of 2024. No value for the purchase has been disclosed.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies and the Scientific and Technical Centre for Building extend strategic partnership
20 December 2023France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies and the Scientific and Technical Centre for Building (CSTB) have extended their current strategic partnership for a further three years. The partners plan to assess current and future technologies, in particular with regard to clay-based cement technologies, such as Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies’ H-EVA and H-P2A cement products.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are convinced that our extended partnership and shared planning will keep on providing us with optimised timeframes for certifying our promising future clay-based technologies, such as H-EVA and H-P2A. We look forward to bringing these new technologies to market, as they, like our current technologies, benefit from very strong interest."
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies signs exclusive licensing agreement for new units in Florida
13 December 2023US: France-based Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with a partner in the US to build and operate ‘several’ new units to produce its clinkerless cement in Florida. Business Wire News has reported that the units will employ the same model as Hoffmann Green France Cement Technologies’ existing H2 unit in France.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "Following on from the contract signed with Shurfah in Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago, we are delighted to continue our international expansion with the announcement of this future site in the United States. This agreement with a Florida-based partner demonstrates the appeal, beyond our borders, of our clinker-free cement and our vertical production model. We are proud to be working alongside our partner to decarbonise the construction sector in a state as strategic as Florida, the third most populous state in the US.”
Earth Uprising targets Lafarge France sites
08 December 2023France: Climate protest group Earth Uprising says that it will target sites belonging to Holcim subsidiary Lafarge France for demonstrations as part of planned actions between 9 and 12 December 2023. Ouest France News has reported that the demonstrations will include a ‘festive but determined’ gathering at Lafarge France’s Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou concrete plant in Maine-et-Loire on 10 December 2023.
Lafarge France said “The people who intend to respond to this call for mobilisation against our sites have the wrong target. Of all industrial sectors, ours is moving the fastest and strongest in favour of the climate.” It added “Moreover, we are useful to society. The country's needs for housing, public facilities and infrastructure are immense, and concrete represents the best solution to meet them.”
Calderys launches new brand platform
29 November 2023France: Refractories supplier Calderys has announced the launch of its new brand platform following its integration of HWI (formerly HarbisonWalker International) earlier in 2023. The platform is comprised of four values, reflecting the personality of Calderys’ company culture, namely accountability, authenticity, multiculturalism and tenacity.
Chief people officer Melissa Bihary and global vice president communications Aurélie de Chassey-Hayot said “These new values and the overall platform have been developed through an employee-led exercise. Therefore, they truly define the essence of who we are and how we do business. They guide our actions and behaviors and help us make the best decisions for the benefit of our customers.”
Court to rule on Lafarge Syria appeal in January 2024
24 November 2023France/Syria: The French Court of Cassation will deliver its decision on the appeal filed in May 2022 by Lafarge, now part of Holcim, in the case relating to its activities in Syria in the 2010s, on 16 January 2024.
The body will rule on the indictments of Lafarge for complicity in crimes against humanity and endangering the lives of its employees in Syria, which were confirmed by the Paris Court of Appeal in 2022, and which the company is still contesting. The group is suspected of having paid in 2013 and 2014, via its Syria-based subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria several million euros to jihadist groups, including the Islamic State (IS) organisation, and to intermediaries, to maintain the activity of a cement factory in Jalabiya, even as the country plunged into war.
Kaziwe Kaulule appointed as Group Strategy and Commercial Growth Director at Aggregates Industries
22 November 2023UK: Aggregates Industries has appointed Kaziwe Kaulule as Group Strategy and Commercial Growth Director.
Kaulule previously worked as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Lafarge Industries South Africa from 2020 to July 2023. Prior to this he was the CEO of Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe from 2018 to 2020. He has worked for Holcim Group since the mid 2000s holding audit roles for Lafarge in France before moving on to management positions in Zamabia. He holds a master of business administration (MBA) from the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, a bachelor’s degree in commerce and a bachelor’s of science from the University of Cape Town.
Cemex Ventures invests in Vizcab
22 November 2023France: Cemex’s venture capital unit Cemex Ventures has invested in construction value chain CO2 emissions monitoring software developer Vizcab. Vizcab aims to help enable built environments to conform to stricter environmental regulations.
Head of Cemex Ventures Gonzalo Galindo said “Vizcab's exhaustive solution enables cooperation between different stakeholders to manage carbon strategies throughout a project's lifecycle, a critical challenge in our complex and interconnected industry. This solution also implements the use of building materials with sustainable attributes, such as Cemex's Vertua portfolio of products.”