Displaying items by tag: Refractory
US: Refractory manufacturer HarbisonWalker International (HWI) has announced two new members of its senior leadership team. Ross Wilkin has joined as chief financial officer (CFO) and corporate treasurer, and Michael Werner has joined as senior vice president, Commercial and corporate officer.
Wilkin joins HWI from Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, where he served as CFO. Before his role at Universal Stainless, he was CFO at Dynamics. Much of Wilkin’s career has been spent with HJ Heinz Company where he eventually became the became the vice president and CFO for the company’s Australia and New Zealand organisation. He began his finance career at KPMG, serving both in Toronto, Canada and in Cleveland, Ohio. A graduate of Carlton University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Finance, Wilkin is a certified public accountant in both Canada and the US.
Werner previously led global commercial operations for Loparex. Prior to this he spent 20 years at GE Plastics and Sabic in numerous domestic and global roles, where he progressed to become Product General Manager. He began his career at Monsanto as an engineer in Technical Development and as a manager of Business Development in the thermoplastic elastomer business. Werner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Polymer Science from the Pennsylvania State University.
Akhangarancement opens refractory plant
21 September 2017Uzbekistan: Akhangarancement has launched a 3500t/yr refractory plant. The unit was built by China’s Henan Dufu Machinery Manufacturing as part of an agreement between the Uzbek company and Russia’s Eurocement group, according to Uz Daily. The Uzbekistan refractory market is 7000t/yr and the new plant is anticipated to cover half of this. The plant also plans to increase its production capacity to 10,000t/yr to cover the local market and start exporting materials.
Jon R Tabor appointed chairman of Allied Mineral Products
13 September 2017US: Jon R Tabor has been appointed as the chairman of Allied Mineral Products. He succeeds Jon K Tabor who becomes Chairman Emeritus of the refractory producer. Paul Jamieson, Corporate Vice President of Steel and Domestic Foundry, has been promoted to President.
In the role of chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Jon R Tabor will retain responsibility for international and affiliate operations, Research and Development, Strategy, Finance, and the global scope of all other departments. Jamieson will take over Columbus-based Domestic Sales, Domestic Operations and Human Resources and report to Tabor.
Allied Mineral Products acquired the monolithic refractory and precast shapes producer Pryor Giggey in early 2017. It also plans to open a production plant in Russia.
RHI and Magnesita make sales ahead of merger
11 September 2017Europe: RHI and Magnesita have announced divestment agreements ahead of their proposed merger. RHI has signed a contract with a European refractories supplier for an undisclosed sum regarding the sale of its dolomite business in the European Economic Area. The sale consists of the production sites at Marone in Italy and Lugones in Spain. Magnesita has entered into a definitive agreement with Intocast to divest its business related to the production and supply of magnesia carbon bricks produced at the company's Oberhausen plant in Germany for Euro20.3m. Both sales were required by the European Commission as part of the merger process.
“With the sale of the two sites, the combination of RHI with Magnesita is also still right on schedule,” said RHI’s chief executive officer Stefan Borgas with regards to his company’s divestments “We expect the confirmation by the European Commission in the near future.”
RHI signed a contract in August 2017 to sell its production sites at San Vito in Italy and Sherbinska in Russia that produce fused cast refractories for the glass industry. Production at the company’s plant at Aken in Germany was stopped in the first half of 2017 for an indefinite period. RHI plans to sell or close the plant to maintain its production utilisation rate across the business.
Plibrico opens new headquarters and research and development laboratory near Chicago
01 September 2017US: Plibrico Company has opened its new corporate headquarters and research and development laboratory in Northbrook, Illinois. Previously located in Chicago, Illinois, the new Northbrook location offers a larger, more user-friendly space for staff and visitors. The company is a manufacturer and installer of aluminosilicate and high alumina monolithic refractories that are used in a variety of industries including cement.
Belgium: The European Commission has cleared a proposed merger between Brazil’s Magnesita and Austria’s RHI Group subject to the divestment of a number of production sites in Europe. Magnesita is required to sell its plant in Oberhausen, Germany along with its Oberhausen business in the European Economic Area (EEA). RHI is required to sell its dolomite business in the EEA including plants in Maroni, Italy, and Lugones, Spain. Magnesita and RHI said they are speaking to potential buyers at present.
“With today’s milestone, we have come significantly closer to the planned merger with Magnesita – and thus a globally leading company in the refractory industry which optimally combines the strengths of both companies,” explains Stefan Borgas, chief executive officer (CEO) of RHI and designated CEO of the future RHI-Magnesita Group.
Outstanding approvals required to complete the merger include that from the Brazilian Antitrust Authorities and the approval of the cross-border merger, of RHI AG with its subsidiary RHI MAG NV in the Netherlands, by the RHI General Meeting.
US: HarbisonWalker International has broken ground on its new monolithic refractory plant at the Point Industrial Park in South Point, Lawrence County, Ohio. The US$30m plant was first announced in February 2017 and will be operational by early 2018. It will have a production capacity of 80,000t/yr.
France: Julien Soum has been appointed as the European business development manager at Anderman Ceramics. Soum has worked as a commercial engineer in Europe for the last five years with knowledge of the refractory markets for cement and steel working for Refractaria and Hepha. He was educated at the University of Montpellier and the Kedge Business School in Marseille.
Uzbekistan: Uzqurilishmateriallari, with the Government of Uzbekistan, and Eurocement Group have signed a memorandum of cooperation in connection to joint projects including the construction of a cement plant. Filaret Galchev, Eurocement’s chairman of the board of directors, and Elyor Ganiev, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade, signed the agreement, according to Uz Daily. The deal includes cooperation towards building a 2.4Mt/yr cement plant with Eurocement’s local subsidiary Akhangarancement and plans for refractory and insulation materials projects. Altogether the investment is around US$220m. The agreement also includes cooperation in producing new ‘export-orientated’ building materials.
US: HarbisonWalker International (HWI) plans to build a new monolithic refractories plant at the Point Industrial Park in South Point, Lawrence County, Ohio. The site is subject to completion of the company’s due diligence and finalisation of one additional grant application that is in process. HWI announced in February 2017 that it was spending US$30m on building a new 80,000t/yr refractory plant to start operation by early 2018.