Displaying items by tag: US

US: The board of directors of Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) has announced that Enrique Escalante will become the CEO of its American division effective from 1 January 2015. The current CEO, Manual Milan, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2014.

"It's a privilege to be selected to lead GCC and I look forward to continuing to grow the organisation," said Escalante. "We remain committed to delivering high value and meeting our customers' needs through leading-edge technology."

Escalante has served as president of GCC of America since 2000. He joined the company in 1999 as president of its Mexican division. Prior to joining GCC, Escalante had more than 20 years experience in management and sales positions in heavy industry and construction materials.

With this change, Ron Henley, vice president of ready-mix and aggregates for GCC of America, will succeed Escalante as president of the company's US division. Henley started with GCC of America in 2012 as vice president of its logistics / supply chain department. In 2013, he assumed his current role. Prior to coming to GCC, Henley was president of Boral Construction Materials.

Under Milan's leadership GCC grew from six to 116 ready-mix concrete plants and from two to six cement plants, achieved an important expansion into the US market and developed a solid distribution network that transformed it into a major supplier in the cement and ready-mix markets it serves. After the 2008 completion of the new plant in Pueblo, Colorado, GCC has now reached an installed a cement capacity of 4.4Mt/yr of cement: 2.4Mt/yr output from the three plants in the US and 2Mt/yr from three plants in Mexico.

UK/US: Hanson Building Products Ltd, which is owned by HeidelbergCement AG, filed with US regulators for an initial public offering of ordinary shares. BofA Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank Securities are underwriting the IPO, Hanson told the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a preliminary prospectus on 15 September 2014.

HeidelbergCement agreed to buy Hanson plc, which includes Hanson Building, for Euro10Bn in 2007 to create the world's second-largest construction materials company. Hanson Building produces concrete gravity pipe, concrete and steel pressure pipe and clay bricks in the US, eastern Canada and the UK. However, HeidelbergCement has been aiming to offload its US and UK building products business in 2014 to have the best chance of buying cement assets that Lafarge and Holcim must sell when they merge, according to Reuters.

Hanson Building's filing included a nominal fundraising target of about Euro77.3m. The filing did not reveal how many shares the company planned to sell or their expected price. Hanson Building intends to list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange but did not specify the symbol. HeidelbergCement, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the German cement manufacturer, is selling all the shares in the offering and Hanson Building will not receive any of the proceeds.

Hanson Building reported net income of Euro11.5m for the first six months of 2014, compared with a loss of Euro195m during the same period of 2013. Net sales, however, dropped by 47% year-on-year to Euro462m.

US: Holcim (US) Inc has announced that four of its plants earned the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) prestigious Energy Star award.

"Holcim is grateful to, once again, be awarded for our commitment to sustainability," said Filiberto Ruiz, president and CEO of Holcim (US) and Aggregate Industries US. "We understand how important it is for our facilities to have corporate values in place that help protect the environment and we recognise that this should be a priority each and every day."

This marks the third time that Holcim's Midlothian plant in Midlothian, Texas has received the award, while the Devil's Slide plant in Morgan, Utah has been honoured for its seventh consecutive year. The Holly Hill plant in Holly Hill, South Carolina and the St Genevieve plant in Bloomsdale, Missouri have both received the award for the fifth time.

US: Arcadis, a natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, has announced that it will oversee the construction on a multi-million dollar modernisation project set to transform Lafarge North America's Ravena cement plant in New York State into one of the most advanced dry-kiln facilities in the country.
Arcadis will oversee the replacement of the existing 50-year old kiln, supporting Lafarge's commitment to quickly implement industry-leading mercury emissions caps. The improvements will further reduce SO₂ and mercury emissions by an additional 20% over the next three years.

Slated for completion in 2016, the construction will create hundreds of jobs and retain over 100 current positions. Arcadis will coordinate all aspects of construction, including locating and purchasing materials, oversight of up to eight contracting companies, overall schedule coordination, management of materials and security of the site.

US: Ash Grove Cement Company has appointed J Randall Vance as its new President and COO. Vance, who served three years as senior vice president of administration and CFO, assumes responsibility for manufacturing and sales of the company's cement operations, as well as continuing to lead its finance, accounting, risk management, information technology and human resources departments.

"Since joining Ash Grove, Vance has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills that fit well in the Ash Grove culture," said Charles T Sunderland, chairman and CEO. "Vance brings a breadth of business experience to Ash Grove, which gives us confidence that he will be a catalyst in guiding the company's performance." Sunderland will remain in his position.

"It is a privilege to be selected to lead such a talented and dedicated team," said Vance. "Our focus on safety, quality and customer service is exceptional in the cement industry. I am eager to continue to grow our business as a supplier of choice."

Before joining Ash Grove, Vance served as senior vice president, CFO and treasurer of Interstate Bakeries Corporation. Prior to Interstate Bakeries, Vance served in a number of corporate finance roles at Farmland Industries. Ash Grove Cement has launched a search for a new CFO.

US: Cemex USA is pleased to announce that six of its cement plants have earned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star certification. The recognition of Cemex USA's plants in Brooksville (Florida), Miami (Florida), Clinchfield (Georgia), Fairborn (Ohio), Louisville (Kentucky) and Victorville (California), demonstrates that these plants perform among the top 25% of similar US plants for energy conservation.

2014 marks the eighth consecutive year of certification for the Clinchfield plant, an achievement realised by only one other cement plant in the US. It is also the fourth consecutive certification for the Miami plant, the third for Brooksville, Victorville and Fairborn plants and the sixth year for the Louisville plant.

Throughout the year, all of the recognised plants put into practice the energy-efficiency principles established by the Energy Star guidelines for energy management that were developed by the EPA. These plants implemented energy conservation and monitoring technologies, promoted energy-efficiency awareness among employees and completed energy-reduction projects.

"Cemex is committed to sustainable practices throughout our operations, including energy-efficiency," said Karl Watson Jr., president of Cemex USA. "We are honoured to again be recognised by the EPA and Energy Star for our commitment to sustainable practices."

US: Titan America has appointed Bill Zarkalis as CEO for Titan America. Zarkalis joins from parent organisation Titan Cement SA, where he has served as CFO since 2010. Prior to that, Zarkalis was Titan Cement SA's executive director of business development and strategic planning.

"It was a great learning opportunity and a privilege to take a detour from a long career in business management roles and serve Titan as CFO and I'm now thrilled to be with Titan America," said Zarkalis. "The building materials and construction industry has faced a deep and prolonged crisis. Our company has successfully weathered economic storms on both sides of the Atlantic and I'm grateful for our dedicated employees and the character and leadership that it took to get through this difficult period. We'll continue to focus our efforts on restoring financial fitness while we build a healthier, more profitable Titan America. Our future looks strong and I'm confident about our continued growth and success."

Before joining Titan, Zarkalis served in a variety of executive positions with Dow Chemical, including global vice president of Dow Automotive, global business director of specialty plastics and elastomers and global business director of synthetic latex. He has represented Titan in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the European Round Table (ERT) and the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).

USA/Canada: US Senator Sherrod Brown has urged the Obama Administration to protect the cement industry in Paulding County, Ohio and the thousands of local jobs that it supports.

In a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman, Brown called for the administration to crack down on Canada's attempt to 'illegally' subsidise the McInnis Cement plant in Quebec, which would specifically target the US market, hurting the ability of local manufacturers to compete. US cement companies would be affected, he claims, including Lafarge North America, which has a plant in Paulding County.

"Paulding County workers can compete with anyone when given a level playing field," said Brown. "But if countries like Canada illegally subsidise their industries and target the US market, it gives their products an unfair advantage. I urge the administration to investigate the nearly US$500m subsidy package proposed for the Quebec plant, which will directly compete with Lafarge North America's facility in Paulding. Actions must be taken in order to protect Paulding jobs and the economy of north-west Ohio."

The Canadian federal government and Quebec are seeking to offer almost US$500m to McInnis Cement to help its start-up in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec. It is claimed that the size and nature of these subsidies could violate Canada's World Trade Organisation (WTO) obligations and give its cement industry an unfair advantage in the US market.

"Lafarge North America appreciates the inquiry to the United States Trade Representative to address a serious threat to US cement producers and their workers," said John Stull, president and CEO of Lafarge North America. "Given the excess cement capacity in Quebec, the McInnis Cement plant makes no economic sense. Lafarge believes that the plant would not be built without enormous support from the federal and provincial government. Lafarge joins Senator Brown in urging the US government to engage with the Canadian government regarding the provision of subsidies that appear to be prohibited by WTO rules and threaten material harm to the US cement industry."

US: Anglo American plc has reported 48% growth in its first half of 2014 pre-tax profit. Its underlying operating profit declined as revenues were hurt by lower commodity prices, despite increased production. Anglo American has also signed a binding agreement for the sale of its 50% stake in the Lafarge Tarmac Holdings Ltd joint venture in the UK for at least US$1.50bn.

During the first half of 2014, Anglo American's pre-tax profit climbed to US$2.95bn from US$1.99bn in the same period of 2013. Special items and re-measurements, including the attributable share of associates and joint ventures and after tax and non-controlling interests, amounted to a gain of US$180m, compared to a loss of US$847m in 2013. Underlying earnings were US$1.28bn, some 3% higher than the US$1.25bn that was reported in the same period of 2013.

Underlying operating profit fell by 10% to US$2.93bn from US$3.26bn in 2013. Lower realised prices of commodities resulted in a reduction of US$1bn in underlying operating profit. Group revenue, including associates and joint ventures, declined slightly to US$16.1bn from US$16.2bn in 2013, which was attributed to a drop in many commodity prices, continuing weak global economic growth and increases in seaborne commodity supply.

"As we look at the global economic outlook, uncertainty is likely to persist for the balance of 2014, though there are some encouraging signs that activity is strengthening in our key markets," said Anglo American's CEO Mark Cutifani said. "Over the long term, we expect new supply to be constrained and to see tightening market fundamentals and a recovery in price performance."

US: Vecoplan, a provider of processing technologies and comprehensive systems for the production of alternative fuel from waste and biomass and fuels feeding systems, has appointed Uwe Eschenhorst as vice president of its cement business. Eschenhorst joined Vecoplan in 2012 as vice president of its alternative fuels and energy competency centre. Prior to that he was the environmental services manager at Polysius Corp USA, working with the cement and minerals industries. Eschenhorst brings more than 14 years of practical experience to his new position at Vecoplan.

"Uwe's impressive credentials and vast experience in this sector make him the perfect choice to head-up our Cement Business Unit here at Vecoplan," said Len Beusse, COO of Vecoplan. In his new position, Eschenhorst will be responsible for sales in the North American cement industry. He will also supervise all strategic aspects of large projects in this sector.