Displaying items by tag: Spain

Argentina/Mexico/Spain: Holcim has appointed Pablo Bittar as the Country CEO of Argentina, Christian Dedeu as the Country CEO of Mexico and Ricardo de Pablos as the Country CEO of Spain. Dedeu succeeds Jaime Hill, who has become Region Head North America. Bittar succeeds Dedeu. De Pablos succeeds Carmen Díaz, who has been appointed as the Chief People Officer in Holcim Group.

Dedeu previously worked as the CEO for Holcim Argentina from 2020. Before this he was the Commercial Director for the company in the country. He originally started working for Holcim in Argentina in 2007 before moving to Holcim Costa Rica in 2016 where he eventually became Commercial Director (Central America). Earlier in his career he worked for ExxonMobil in Argentina from the late 1990s. He is a graduate from the University of El Salvador in Buenos Aires and holds a Master in Business Administration from the IAE Business School.

Bittar worked for Holcim Argentina from late 1990s until 2012, eventually becoming a Procurement Officer. He then worked for Holcim in Ecuador and Colombia becoming the Head of Supply Chain Latin America in 2023. Bittar is an qualified accountant from the National University of Córdoba with a master’s degree in business administration from the same institution.

De Pablos joined Holcim in 2005. He became Regional Director Aggregates in Spain in 2009, Director Mediterranean Area in Spain in 2012, Export Director in 2016 and Director of Business Development and Exports in 2022. Prior to working for Holcim he was a Senior Consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. De Pablos holds a degree in industrial engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and an executive degree in business administration from the IE Business School.

Global: Holcim has made three senior appointments in North America and at the group level.

Jaime Hill, the Country CEO of Mexico, has been appointed Region Head North America with immediate effect. He succeeds Toufic Tabbara, who is leaving the company. Hill joined Holcim in 1996 and has over 30 years of international experience, in finance, sales and marketing in the US and Latin America.

Carmen Diaz, the Country CEO of Spain, has been appointed as Chief People Officer with effect from 1 October 2024. She succeeds Feliciano González Muñoz, who is planning to retire at the end of 2024. Diaz joined Holcim in 2002 and has held commercial and general management roles in Madrid, Paris, Lyon and London.

Lukas Studer, General Counsel Corporate and M&A, has been appointed as Group General Counsel with effect from 1 November 2024. He succeeds Mathias Gaertner, who is leaving the group. Studer joined Holcim in 2008 and has been General Counsel Corporate and M&A since 2017, supporting corporate, finance and M&A.

Spain: Following more than two months of industrial action, unions at Cementos Rezola, part of the German conglomerate Heidelberg Materials, have agreed to conclude their strike. This decision comes after extensive negotiations regarding a redundancy plan introduced in June 2024, which initially proposed dismissing 56 out of 102 employees. The agreement includes provisions for no forced dismissals, leading the Basque nationalist union to call off the strike.

Under the terms of the settlement brokered by the other unions, several workers will enter early retirement and nine workers will be relocated to the company's Arrigorriaga plant. This plant transfer is part of a strategic move to concentrate clinker production at a facility that is better equipped to meet stringent environmental standards and deliver greater operational efficiency. The revised redundancy plan also converted four initially forced exits into voluntary or early retirements after further negotiations, with the remaining two being reintegrated into the company.

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos will construct a solid recovered fuel (SRF) production plant at its subsidiary Cementos Cosmos’ plant in Oural, aiming to produce up to 0.15Mt/yr of alternative fuel, reports Digital Economia newspaper. The facility, spanning 5800m², will utilise non-recyclable industrial byproducts and various discarded materials from the local community such as plastic, paper and wood, to partially fuel the combustion in its cement kilns. The plant, currently in the public exhibition phase, will start production at 60% capacity, producing 85,000t/yr of alternative fuel. Plans include ramping up to full capacity to produce roughly 0.15Mt/yr. The new plant will create 15 jobs.

Votorantim Cimentos has not detailed the investment in the new facility, although the budget presented to the local council amounts to €12m.

Spain: Molins has concluded the first half of 2024 with a profit of €105m, up by 31% year-on-year, and revenues of €692m. Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to €189m, marking a 5% increase from 2023.

CEO Marcos Cela said "In the first half of 2024 we have achieved very solid operational results, with relevant progress in our sustainability roadmap."

Spain: Cement consumption in Andalucía decreased by 7% in the first half of 2024 to 1.54Mt. In June 2024, consumption dropped 7.6% to 271,415t. This decline extends to exports of clinker and cement, which fell by 24% to 247,805t, as reported by the Andalusian Cement Manufacturers’ Association (AFCA).

Carmen Díaz, president of AFCA, said "The first half figures are negative due to a slowdown in planned infrastructure execution. Considering the daily consumption in June, having two fewer business days this year than in 2023, the monthly figure would be positive, indicating potential recovery in the construction sector in the second half of 2024."

Catalonia: Cement consumption in Catalonia decreased by 3% year-on-year to 1.1Mt in the first half of 2024. Cement production rose by 0.2% year-on-year to 3.21Mt. However, cement and clinker exports dropped by 25% to 1.5Mt.

The president of Ciment Català, Salvador Fernández Capo, said "The continued infrastructure deficit is hindering Catalonia's economic growth, affecting the well-being and quality of life of its citizens and diminishing the competitiveness of the country's economy.”

Spain: Cement consumption in Spain fell by 3.3% in the first half of 2024 to 7.27Mt, a decrease of 0.25Mt from the same period in 2023, according to Oficemen's latest statistics. June 2024 saw a year-on-year decline of 4.2%, with consumption dropping to 1.25Mt. Cement exports also decreased significantly in the first half of 2024, representing a decline of 20.2% year-on-year.

Oficemen's general manager, Aniceto Zaragoza, said "Our forecasts point to a change in trend towards more positive data in the second half of the year. In fact, the figures for average daily consumption, which only consider working days in the comparison, show growth of 5.3%."

Spain: Mondi has launched the 'SolmixBag', a sustainable packaging solution, in collaboration with Cemex in the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca. The single-layer paper bag is designed to store and transport dry mortar, dissolving in the mixing process and integrating with the cement to reduce waste. The Balearic Islands have strict legal requirements on landfilling, waste incineration and extended producer responsibility, which have reportedly initiated the partnership.

Commercial Director at Mondi, Fabio Barbieri, said "This is an exciting step in the trajectory of SolmixBag, which offers an easy and convenient solution to use on construction sites. The product launch brings our MAP2030 goals to life by effectively reducing waste, and also illustrates our collaborative approach.”

Spain: Domestic cement consumption in Catalonia fell by 8.5% year-on-year in the year to May 2024, reaching 2.1Mt, while production decreased by 6.6% to 3.14Mt. Exports also declined by 18% to 1.6Mt during this period.

According to Ciment Català, the statistics confirm the ‘sluggishness’ of the domestic market and the difficulties Catalan companies face in competing in other regions and countries. It warned that the situation could become worse due to the general economic situation in the region. Salvador Fernández Capo, president of Ciment Català, said that investment in infrastructure was likely to be further delayed.