Displaying items by tag: Spain

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has appointed Jorge González Mateu as its chief financial officer (CFO). He previously worked as the Head of Controlling and the Deputy CFO for Holcim Mexico. González Mateu has worked for Holcim group since 2013 with similar financial roles for Holcim Ecuador, as well as other related positions for the group in Spain and Switzerland. Prior to this he worked for Tarmac in Spain.

Mexico/Spain: Cemex has entered a partnership with energy transition investor White Summit Capital to develop projects that will contribute to its 2050 net-zero objectives. The partnership focuses on decarbonising operations and circularity, including reducing its cement’s clinker factor, optimising its fuel mix and transforming refuse into energy.

Sergio Menéndez, president of Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia, said “We are pleased to have entered this collaboration with White Summit Capital and are excited to explore how together we can develop innovative solutions to decarbonise Cemex Europe operations and further strengthen our circularity positioning.”

Spain: Cement consumption in Spain witnessed a 1.5% year-on-year decline in February 2024, marking nine consecutive months of decreases amid high interest rates, surging housing prices, and a stagnant outlook for the construction sector. According to Oficemen, February's consumption reached 1.1Mt, down from 1.2Mt in February 2023. The export sector experienced an even sharper fall, dropping 13.9% year-on-year in February 2024, continuing an eight-month decline, with a 9.8% decrease in exports from February 2023 to February 2024. Conversely, imports have risen by 11.3%.

Oficemen's general director, Aniceto Zaragoza, said “With nine months already in decline, the concern with which we observe the evolution of cement consumption and, of course, the construction sector, is accentuated.” Zaragoza called for increased collaboration between public and private institutions in public contracting processes to sustain infrastructure competitiveness. The slump in cement consumption, which has been ongoing since 2019, coincides with the European Central Bank's interest rate hikes, leading to higher mortgage costs and reduced demand in the housing market.

Spain: Cementos Molins has appointed Marcos Cela as its CEO. He will succeed Julio Rodríguez, who has spent nine years in the post, at the end of June 2024 after the shareholders annual general meeting,

Cela holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Barcelona, a master in business administration qualification from the ESADE Business School and a senior management programme qualification from the IESE Business School. He started his career in 1995 in the finances division of Decathlon Spain. Four years later, he assumed the role of Credit and Treasury Director at BIC Graphic Europe, before joining Cementos Molins in 2004 as chief financial officer, a position he held until early 2015. Since then, Cela has been a member of the executive committee, working as the Executive VP for Asia, Africa, and South America regions.

Spain: Cemex España plans to install a new tertiary mill in its Alicante cement plant’s refuse-derived fuel (RDF) line. The project, called Molentis, is scheduled for completion in early 2025 and will cost €6m. The Molentis upgrade will help the Alicante cement plant to raise its RDF substitution rate by 8%, according to the producer. This in turn will reduce its CO₂ emissions by 6700t/yr. The Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism granted €4.4m toward the project to Cemex España under its Innovation and Sustainability Plan.

Cemex España director of operations Benjamín Cabrera said "Molentis will enable us to advance towards climate neutrality and position the Alicante factory at the forefront of new technologies in the decarbonised industry."

Spain: FCC’s sales rose by 17% year-on-year to €9.03bn in 2023. Meanwhile, the company’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 17% to €1.53bn. The company reported a profit growth of 88% to €591m, following the stabilisation of its main business areas, particularly in cement. The cement business registered a 19% increase in turnover. The business includes Cementos Portland Valderrivas.

Spain: Cementos Molins’ revenues were €1.35bn in 2023, marking a 6% year-on-year rise, amid increased cement sales volumes. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 22% to €337m, while its net profit grew by 35% to €151m. The company noted its successes in the face of economic slowdown and supply chain disruptions across its markets.

CEO Julio Rodríguez said “We have achieved record sales and profits in an increasingly complex and uncertain global environment. Moreover, we have once again confirmed the strength of our business model by exceeding our targets.”

Spain: Cementos Molins has appointed Javier Sueiras Gil as its Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Rocco Lisi has joined the company as its Digital Manager. The appointments have been made as part of the cement producer’s digital strategy and its efforts to improve operational efficiency. Its digitalisation plan includes over 50 initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence applied to the industry and multi-channel approaches to improve customer relationships.

Javier Sueiras Gil has worked for Cementos Molins since the late 1990s. He first held the post of Operations Director before later becoming Vice President Information Technology and the company’s joint CIO and Chief Digital Officer in 2015. He is a graduate in industrial engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and has taken further business qualifications subsequently at the
IESE Business School and Esade/Georgetown University.

Rocco Lisi started work for Cementos Molins as its Digital Manager in mid-2023. Prior to this he spent 20 years working for Accenture, eventually becoming its Digital Transformation Director. He is a graduate of the University of Naples Federico II with business qualifications from the Sales Business School and the Valley Digital Business School.

Spain: India-based Nasequip Systems says that it has successfully commissioned a new dual fluid gas cooling system at Cosmos Cementos’ Toral De Los Vados cement plant. The supplier said that the upgrade will help to increase productivity and efficiency. It thanked Türkiye-based DAL Engineering for selecting its equipment.

Spain: Holcim España’s Viver quarries have received an Environmental Impact Declaration (EID) to expand from 13.5 to 37.5 hectares. This expansion will enable the company to extract 300,000t/yr of limestone to supply its Sagunto cement plant. The EID will allow the company to continue to operate the quarry until 2054.