Displaying items by tag: Switzerland

Germany: Holcim Deutschland has announced the successful development of Holcim EcoPact Zero, a net-zero carbon concrete. It says that it is in talks with customers in Germany and will make the first deliveries of EcoPact Zero in early 2020. Holcim Deutschland CEO Thorsten Hahn said, “The use of clinker-reduced cements and the optimisation of the binder content play a central role. The still unavoidable CO₂-footprint is fully offset at with the support of various certified environmental projects.”

Bangladesh: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s subsidiary LafargeHolcim Bangladesh announced its intended expansion from cement production into building materials solutions provision at an event marking one year since the completion of its merger with Holcim Cement (Bangladesh). LafargeHolcim Bangladesh CEO Rajesh Surana said, “We will build on strengths of these two most premium and globally reputed companies and provide customers with multiple products and solutions under one umbrella rather than being a mere cement producer.” The Financial Express has reported that the company has a total capacity of 4.2Mt/yr of Supercrete and Holcim brand cement.

Switzerland: Fuchs Group, which serves Swiss cement producers through its local trading partners, has established three additional intensified trading partnerships with Aseol Suisse AG, Laveba and S. Affolter for distribution of its industrial lubricants and lubricants for special applications in various regions. Aseol Suisse AG and Laveba are lubricant producers and distributors, while S. Affolter is a physical and chemical heat transfer specialist.

India: Emami Group has indicated that it will receive bids for its cement division Emami Cement from mid-January 2020. Business Standard newspaper has reported that Aditya Birla’s UltraTech Cement is likely to submit an offer in the region of US$0.94bn for the company – over 20% lower than Emami Group’s previously projected evaluation of US$1.18bn for Emami Cement. It also reported the possible involvement of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s Ambuja Cements in the upcoming auction.

US: The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), a joint initiative of CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and WWF, has described Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim’s CO₂ reduction targets as ‘adequate’ and ‘consistent with efforts agreed upon at the COP21 World Climate Conference in Paris.’ These are aimed at preventing global temperatures from rising by 2°C.

LafargeHolcim has committed to a 10% reduction in emissions from kiln and pre-heater fuel to 520kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement in 2030 compared to 576kg/t in 2018. Over the same period it will reduce its indirect emissions from electricity consumption by 65%.

Switzerland: Maerz has reported the successful installation of two Maerz PFR lime kilns with a capacity of 200t/day and 300t/day at Daesung MDI in South Korea, which was commissioned on 19 October 2019. The company also installed a 150t/day E2 two-shaft lime kiln at Easternbulk Lime Products Private Ltd in July 2019. Three further new plants with Maerz kilns are scheduled to enter operation in 2020 in China, Mexico and Russia and a second kiln will increase production of petcoke at Caleras’ San Juan plant in Argentina beginning in mid-2020.

Indonesia: Switzerland-based Sika has begun producing concrete admixtures and mortars at its Bekasi plant on the island of Java. “This new facility in Greater Jakarta will enable us to further expand our strong position relative to the rapidly growing demand for quality building materials in Indonesia,” said Sika Regional Manager Asia/Pacific Mike Campion. He noted a Euro293m infrastructure investment by the government of Indonesia, Asia’s fifth-largest construction market, which he predicted will grow at 7% for the next 10 years.

US: The construction company Cross River has partnered with Canada-based proprietary technology manufacturer Svante to deliver industrial carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. BusinessWire has reported that Svante has already supplied its CCS pipelines to the 1Mt/yr CO₂ment concrete plant in British Colombia, a joint operation between Swiss LafargeHolcim and French Total which uses captured CO₂ to aerate its concrete.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has developed the Ultraseries range of 11 concretes for various applications to be produced at its Malagueño plant in Cordoba. José Villacreses, Holcim Argentina general manager of concretes, said “We aim to facilitate a leap in productivity, aesthetics and costs, with comprehensive solutions,” according to La Voz.

The company has announced that its upgraded 3.1Mt/yr Malagueño cement plant will be inaugurated in February 2020.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim has recorded a fall in third-quarter net sales of 3.0% year-on-year to Euro6.46bn from Euro6.68bn in 2018 and a fall of 2.1% year-on-year in 2019 to Euro18.3bn in nine-month net sales to 30 September 2019 from Euro18.7bn in the corresponding period of a 2018. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 0.8% year-on-year to Euro1.71bn in the third quarter of 2019 from Euro1.69bn. EBITDA in the nine months to 30 September 2019 grew by 4.4% to Euro4.12bn from Euro3.95bn. The company said that it improved its margin in the Europe, North America and Asia Pacific regions, with localised profit growth in the Middle East Africa region in South Africa, Jordan and Iraq. Profitability in Latin America stabilised, with price management partially mitigating the challenges of several markets and a good performance in Colombia.

Based on the results, LafarageHolcim has reaffirmed its commitment to increase net sales by 3-5% year-on-year to between Euro25.6bn and Euro26.2bn in 2019 from Euro24.9bn in 2018, and to reduce the ratio of its net debt to recurring EBITDA to ‘well below’ two to one.