Displaying items by tag: Holcim Argentina

Argentina: Pampa Energía has signed an agreement with Holcim Argentina to supply it with wind power to its four cement plants. The supply will provide 25% of the cement producer’s electrical energy requirements, according to Grupo La Provincia. Previously Holcim Argentina signed a deal with YPF Luz to supply wind power to its plants in 2019. The current arrangement is expected to bring the company portion of renewable electrical energy to 65% or 220GWh. The electricity from the latest deal with Pampa Energía will be generated at the Pampa Energía III Wind Farm located in the Coronel Rosales district of Buenos Aires Province.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has appointed Gerardo Kemnitz as its Director of Operations. He will lead Holcim’s operations in the country, where it operates three integrated cement plants and one grinding unit.

Kemnitz started working for the group in 1988 and spent the next 20 years working in maintenance roles at different plants. He later became a Health and Safety consultant for the Americas, Europe and Asia before being appointed as the director of the Tecomán plant in Mexico in 2014. More recently he worked as the manager of the Malagueño plant in Argentina.

Argentina: ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete accounted for 50% of Holcim Argentina’s cement deliveries at the end of the first half of 2022, a higher share than in any other country apart from the UK. Holcim launched ECOPact concrete across its markets in June 2021. Holcim Argentina plans to execute new investments to further increase its distribution of the product.

The company’s head of concrete José Villacreses said “We have set ourselves even more challenging goals. We will be the undisputed ally for sustainable projects throughout Argentina. Whoever wants to measure their carbon footprint to offer sustainable construction will find in Holcim the necessary solution to be able to achieve the certifications that society demands today.”

Argentina: Holcim Argentina says that it will invest US$40m in capital expenditure in 2022. It plans to invest US$15m in its cement and concrete operations and US$15m in subsidiary Geocycle's three waste management plants, which supply alternative fuel for its cement production. Of the remainder, US$5m will go towards the construction of a new dry mortars plant in Córdoba, which the company plans to inaugurate in December 2022.

Argentina: A man has died in a concrete silo collapse at Holcim Argentina’s Malagueño cement plant in Córdoba Province. Pedro Rivero, 67, had been working on the site at 11am on 15 June 2022 when the disaster occurred. Local press has reported that the collapsing silo crushed the crane which Rivero had been operating.

An investigation by the Argentinian Judicial Police into the causes of the event is currently underway.

Argentina: The National Commission for the Defence of Competition (CNDC) has concluded an investigation into the cement industry with the finding that all four Argentinian cement producers colluded to maintain high prices between 2013 and 2018. Cementera Avellaneda, Holcim Argentina, Loma Negra and Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia (PCR) reportedly increased their sales by US$178m between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018 through cost overruns generated by their control of local markets.

The CNDC ordered the Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP) to refrain from distributing competitively sensitive information production, dispatches and imports information between its member companies.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has appointed Julio Asnal as its Director of Sales and Integral Solutions. He will lead the company’s sales strategy.

Asnal’s prior professional experience includes working as a regional director for Danone and as a commercial director for Coca-Cola FEMSA, where he also held marketing and strategic planning roles. Most recently he has worked in management positions for Promedon over the last decade. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the National University of Córdoba and a master's degree in Business Administration from IAE in Buenos Aires.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has published its 10th Sustainable Development Report, detailing its sustainability progress in 2021. That year, it reduced its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material by 4.2% compared to 2017, to 505kg/t from 527kg/t. It sourced 43% of all electricity used in its operations renewably and achieved 8.4% alternative fuel (AF) substitution in its cement production. During the year, Holcim implemented ECO-labels to designate products with at least 30% CO₂ emissions reduction.

Holcim Argentina’s CEO Christian Dedeu said “This decade of reports demonstrates our strong commitment to sustainability and governance that considers economic, social and environmental impacts. The conviction of the importance of reviewing performance and being accountable for our impacts made it possible.”

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has launched a hackathon for project proposals aimed at boosting gender inclusivity in the Argentinian construction sector. Projects may fall along one or more target axes: awareness, education and training, enterprise or public policy. Two winning projects will claim US$300,000 each in prize money, and the contest is open to anyone over 18. The company says that the hackathon is an invite to open a conversation about the presence and appreciation of women in cement and construction.

Argentina: Christian Dedeu, the chief executive officer of Holcim Argentina, has warned that there is no guarantee that there will be gas available for his company’s cement plants in the winter of 2022. In an interview with the El Cronista newspaper, Dedeu said that energy prices had risen due to the war in Ukraine and that importing liquefied gas by ship was becoming both harder and more expensive.

He also expressed concern about the government system of price controls on bagged cement, which had made it cheaper to buy bagged instead of bulk cement. Smaller companies are already reportedly buying large consignments of bagged cement and breaking it up to save money.