Displaying items by tag: France

France: LafargeHolcim France has become the first cement manufacturer to offer tailor-made concrete solutions, with a range of concrete products for eight different applications. These include concretes made with specially adapted cement for thermal insulation, resilience to acid and seawater and optimised CO₂ balance.

France/Syria: Four Lafarge Cement Syria executives, including Bruno Lafont, CEO of Lafarge from 2006 until its 2015 merger with Holcim, have appeared in court in France to challenge their June 2017 indictments on charges of funding terrorism. This related alleged payments by Lafarge Cement Syria of Euro13m to IS to ensure the safe activity of its Syrian sites throughout the country’s civil war. A ruling will be handed down on 24 October 2019. Agence France Presse has reported that the Syrian-Canadian Amro Taleb, a former Lafarge Cement Syria intermediary whom executives have described as a ‘crook,’ has been indicted on the same charge.

Ireland: CRH’s revenue for the six months up to 30th June 2019 was Euro13.2bn, up 11% from Euro11.9bn over the same period in 2018, with a 36% increase in EBITDA to Euro1.54bn from Euro1.13bn in the first half of 2018.

In its interim results, CRH attributed increased cement volumes in the US to synergy delivery and strong price realisation in spite of adverse weather conditions in its key markets, noting ‘a strong contribution from our Ash Grove acquisition,’ obtained at the end of June 2018.

A general improvement in cement pricing in the EU28 saw operating profits ahead of the first half of 2018, with increased demand in the French market from non-residential and civil engineering sectors offsetting the effects of reduced residential demand. The UK market reversed this trend, with operating profit behind 2018 due to higher input costs and volume pressure.

In addition to operating profit improvements reported by subsidiary businesses in the Philippines, CRH group benefited from its share in profit after tax of China’s Yatai Building Materials and India’s My Home Industries Limited, both of which enjoyed improved operating profits compared to 2018.

France: Vicat’s sales rose by 4.6% year-on-year to Euro1.34bn in the first half of 2019 from Euro1.28bn in the same period in 2018. This was mainly due to its acquisition of Brazil’s Ciplan in late 2018. At constant scope and exchange rates its sales fell by 0.6% due to poor markets in Turkey, Switzerland, Indian and West Africa. Its earnings before interest and tax fell by 9.4% to Euro97m from Euro107m. Cement sales volumes dropped by 4.9% to 10.8Mt from 11.4Mt and concrete volumes decreased by 6.7% to 4.3Mm³ from 4.57Mm³.

“In the first half of 2019, solid performances in France, Asia and the US drove an increase in our sales and earnings before interest, taxation, deprecation and amortisation (EBITDA). These results reflect a marked improvement in the operational profitability given the on-going increase in consumed energy costs, the deteriorating macroeconomic situation in Turkey and the exceptional rainfalls in California that we experienced in the first half,” said Guy Sidos, the group’s chief executive officer (CEO).

By region, the group’s sales and earnings rose in France but fell in the rest of Europe. Sales grew in the Americas region, even without the Ciplan acquisition, but earnings fell due to a Euro10.6mn settlement payment booked in the US in the first half of 2018. The group’s sales fell in India but earnings rose due to price increases. Poor markets in Turkey and Egypt hit sales and caused a loss.

China: CNBM and France’s Fives have signed a cooperation agreement related to the Paris Agreement regarding climate change and the modernisation of CNBM’s plants. CNBM was represented by both Ma Mingliang, vice-president of China Building Materials Engineering Group and Wang Kedong, chief executive officer’s (CEO) assistant of Zhonglian Cement, and Fives was represented by Didier Bourbon, Sales Vice-President (Asia) of Fives FCB. This agreement includes the supply of the FCB Horomill grinding technology developed by Fives FCB for both CNBM’s overseas projects and domestic projects such as Zhonglian Cement and Southwest Cement projects. The signing ceremony took place at the 7th Sino-French Industrial Cooperation Forum held in Chongqing. The agreement follows a similar deal struck in April 2019 in Paris.

France: The Ministry of Culture has refused a sponsorship of Euro0.2m from Lafarge intended for the Musée de Cluny in Paris. The ministry said that the sponsorship was paid in 2015 and then returned in 2018, according to the Agence France Presse. However, the ministry did not say why the money has been rejected. In 2017 the Paris City Council ended a partnership with Lafarge for the supply of sand for an urban beach project due to allegations of the building material manufacturer’s conduct in Syria during the civil war. A legal case examining Lafarge’s conduct in Syria between 2011 and 2014 is on-going.

France: Lafarge France plans to launch a reusable cement pallet scheme in October 2019. The new single-size wooden pallets for bagged cement will be reinforced for use at least six times. They will be used at all of the company’s sites across its range of bagged cement products. The pallets will also include Lafarge branding. A saving of 7500t/yr of wood is anticipated. The scheme is part of the Lafarge 360 initiative.

France: Lafarge France has launched its Lafarge 360 initiative. The scheme aims to aid specifiers, contractors and builders make low-carbon structures through reducing CO₂ emissions, preserving natural resources and responsible innovation. It will start the initiative by proving a Lafarge 360 score on its associated digital platform to allow customers to assess the environmental impact of Lafarge’s products. By providing a rating of A to D the tool will offer information on the concrete types.

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies and Bouygues Construction have signed a 30-month initial technical and commercial collaboration agreement to develop and test concrete formulations using new cement made from Hoffmann’s H-EVA technology. Hoffmann Green Cement inaugurated its pilot plant at Bournezeau, Vendée in late 2018. The unit will manufacture cement products using flash-calcined metakaolin and blast-furnace slag. Bouygues Construction is a global construction company with a presence in over 60 countries.

France: HeidelbergCement France has finalised the acquisition of Cemex’s Centre region aggregates and ready-mixed concrete businesses. The acquisition includes seven aggregate quarries and 28 ready-mixed concrete plants. The acquired aggregates reserves and resources amount to about 25Mt. HeidelbergCement France will fully integrate the operations into its own network.

“With this acquisition, we strengthen our vertically integrated market position in central France,” said Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. “The operations fit very well into our existing network of aggregates and ready-mixed concrete plants in the Paris region, and we expect significant synergies.”