Displaying items by tag: Quinn Cement
Mannok outlines Brexit preparations
17 December 2020Ireland/UK: Mannok says that it has undertaken extensive preparatory measures to help its operations continue smoothly when the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020. While keeping operations unchanged, the group has formed new legal entities such as Mannok GB, which will deal with UK customers. The group acknowledged that prices would depend on the future tariff arrangement between the UK and the EU, but would remain in line with market pricing. It added that the same effects would impacts competitors, who import significant amounts of raw materials from Europe.
The group said that it has been working closely with suppliers for over 18 months to ensure the security of its supply chains. It sources almost all raw materials for cement production from its own reserves.
Chief financial officer Dara O’Reilly said, “A key priority for us in all of this was to ensure that the service we can provide to our customers in a post-Brexit environment is as seamless as possible. We’ve made the changes to our structures; we’ve made the changes to how we operate and as a result of that, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, we’re ready.”
Quinn Industrial Holdings to rebrand as Mannok
05 October 2020UK: Quinn Industrial Holdings has announced an upcoming rebranding, to take place in October 2020, to Mannok. The new branding will extend to its subsidiaries Quinn Building Products and Quinn Packaging, as well as to its Quinn brand cement. Chief executive officer (CEO) Liam McCaffrey said that the group’s 2019 results, the strongest since its acquisition from Seán Quinn in 2014, signalled the time for the change. The new name derives from the Gaelic name for Fermanagh, the UK county in which Quinn Industrial Holdings is based.
McCaffrey said, “We are extremely pleased to unveil Mannok as our new brand identity, which we believe better reflects the ownership, evolution and future focus of our business. It marks a major milestone for us following a five-year transformation programme that has empowered our staff and repositioned our businesses for continuing growth and innovation.” He added, “2019 marked our fifth successive year of earnings growth and a robust performance given Brexit uncertainty. Our targeted investment of recent years has established strong foundations for continuing growth across Ireland and the UK.”
Quinn Building Products reports on Covid-19 response
15 July 2020Ireland/UK: Quinn Building Products has said that rigid social distancing and sanitation practices introduced in response to the coronavirus in March 2020 have become the ‘new normal’ for its 800 employees across nine sites. The measures include: 22-person-capacity socially distanced team meeting areas, overflow break and lunch marquees; 24/7 cleaning services from AAA Pristine Clean; and socially distanced floor marking and directional signage.
The company said, “Our dedicated teams have done an outstanding job on designing and implementing these changes and their work has allowed us to reopen all of our production facilities in past weeks. We are also working with all our customers, contractors and suppliers to ensure we can safely service customer needs.”
World: Cement producers are mobilising human and material resources and implementing strategies to keep operations going with the minimum possible impact from the coronavirus. Germany-based HeidelbergCement subsidiary Lehigh Hanson has closed a minority of its facilities and prepared a contingency plan for further reduced operations ‘if conditions worsen.’ Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos has established a Special Coronavirus Crisis Management Commission to aid communications and emergency response implementation across its facilities. UK-based Quinn has suspended all non-essential travel for employees.
Ireland: The Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has won its case against Quinn Cement over the latter’s violation of emissions laws. The Impartial Reporter newspaper has reported that an EPA monitor recorded 36 breaches at Quinn Cement’s Ballyconnell plant between 5 October 2018 and 7 October 2018. The plant was also emitting four times the legal hydrogen chloride on 5 February 2019. Following its subsidiary company’s guilty plea, Quinn Industrial Holdings said via a spokesperson, “Though independent assessment confirmed there were no material environmental impacts arising, best practice environmental safety procedures were followed and production ceased on each occasion. Since then significant work and expenditure has been completed to prevent a recurrence.” The Cavan district court fined Quinn Cement Euro2000.
Ireland: Kevin Lunny, chief operating officer of Quinn Industrial Holdings, has suffered ‘very severe but non-life-threatening injuries,’ including facial injuries and broken leg, following his abduction from outside his home at 18:40pm on 17 September 2019. The UK-based company, whose Fermanagh/Cavan cement plant spans the UK-Irish border, has called on police on either side of the border to bring an end to the violence against its employees. In February 2019, a masked man attacked two Quinn Industrial Holdings executives at a Ballyconnell service station. Police have opened an investigation into the attack against Lunny.
Ireland/UK: Quinn Industrial Holdings has installed an automated weighbridge system supplied by Precia Molen at its limestone quarry at Crievehill near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The new weighbridge was completed in June 2019. It includes the company’s VS310CS pour on site surface weighbridge complete with driver operated control systems. Other upgrades at the site include a lorry wheel wash, a new access route and improved security, health and safety measures. Quinn purchased the quarry from Acheson and Glover in late 2018. It is using limestone from the mine to make cement.
Ireland: Quinn Industrial’s turnover rose by 15% year-on-year to Euro240m in 2018 from Euro209m in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 10% to Euro26.4m from Euro23.9m
“Our Building Products division is currently planning to enter the ready-mix concrete market in the greater Dublin area to meet rising demand from the expanding construction and housing markets,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Liam McCaffrey. He added that, despite Brexit, the business is focused on growing in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Quinn Building Products continued to benefit from the on-going building recovery in the Republic of Ireland as well continued strong exports to the UK where the introduction of its new plastic bagged cement product at the start of 2018 allowed it to expand its market presence.
Quinn Industrial is also considering investment options, including an initial public offering (IPC) or a cash injection from private equity, according to the Irish Independent newspaper. However, the company has not commented on the issue.
Quinn Cement extends supply agreement to NBG
24 January 2019Ireland/UK: Quinn Cement has extended its exclusive supply agreement for Master Grade Cement in the UK with National Buying Group (NBG). Quinn Cement’s Master Grade Cement product will continue to be solely available to merchants in the UK via NBG following a deal originally made in 2018.
“Our partnership with NBG has been very successful in 2018 with our Master Grade Cement sales in particular exceeding forecasts since we launched our new cement range. Feedback from NBG merchants has been very positive and demand continues to grow, so we’re delighted to agree an extension to our exclusivity deal with the Group,” said Quinn Cement’s GB Sales and Marketing Director Lee Gillman. He added that 2018 had been a ‘strong’ year for the cement producer.
Quinn Cement expands fleet for quarry
18 December 2018Ireland: Quinn Cement has ordered one 53t Hitachi Zx530LCH-6 Excavator supplied by TBF Thompson of Garvagh, and a 52t Cat 352LF Excavator, supplied by Finning Cat of Lisburn. Both excavators arrived at Quinn Quarries over the summer of 2018 and are being used to load the crusher for supply to Quinn Cement. They are fitted with quick hitch systems to operate a new EPIROC HB 4700 rock hammer for breaking over-sized stones. This piece of equipment has been supplied by WAC McCandless, Belfast.
Three loading shovels also arrived during the summer of 2018, supplied by Pat O’Donnell’s of Portadown. Two Volvo L220H are based in Quinn’s Swanlinbar Quarry loading crushed limestone for supply to Quinn Cement. A Volvo L180H Loading Shovel is based at Quinn’s Wash Plant for the loading of sandstone into crushers, mills or trucks, much of which is supplied to Quinn Lite and Quinn Rooftiles.