Displaying items by tag: readymixed concrete

UK: Cemex has agreed to sell its Cardenden, Dundee, Greenock and Perth ready-mix concrete plants to Tillicoultry Quarries. The company thanked its employees at the sites for their commitment. It said that the asset sale is part of a portfolio rebalancing strategy aimed at high growth metropolitan markets.

Chile: Unacem has completed its acquisition of Spain-based Cementos La Unión’s Chilean cement business. The value of the asset, including assumed debts, was US$23m. The business consists of the 0.3t/yr San Antonio grinding plant and two ready-mix concrete plants with a total capacity of 336,000m² /yr.

Canada: Habitats for Humanity has again partnered with Lafarge Canada for its annual affordable housing fundraiser in Kingston, Ontario. This year, the partners will attempt to raise US$21,700 over 27 days to support the construction of sustainable housing in Eastern Canada. Lafarge Canada has pledged 80m3 of its ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete to the project.

Eastern Canada regional head of environment and sustainability Rob Cumming said "Our sustainability goals overlap safe housing with reduced climate impact.” He added "We are excited about this first milestone and are looking forward to the future supply of our ECOPlanet solutions.”

Azerbaijan: Cement companies increased the total volume of cement produced in the first eight months of 2021 by 1.5% year-on-year to 2.2Mt from 2.17Mt in the corresponding period of 2020. Meanwhile, ready-mix concrete production increased sharply, by 39% to 1.7Mt from 1.3Mt.

On-going large-scale state construction projects the new territories East of Zangazur and Karabakh are anticipated to increase full-year cement production in 2021 and into subsequent years.

Spain: Hanson Spain has agreed to sell its Madrid quarry and three ready-mix concrete plants in the Balearics to Cemex España. The buyer said that the investments promise a high return and are part of the strategic global strengthening of its vertically integrated positions near high-growth urban centres. It expects the deal to close in early 2022.

Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “This acquisition will allow us to better serve our clients by integrating and complementing our portfolio to provide a comprehensive and sustainable offering in Cemex’s high-growth regions of Madrid and the Balearic Islands.” He added “This is another example of the efforts we make to optimise our portfolio and drive earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growth through high-yield complementary investments."

Hanson has also sold its aggregates and ready-mix concrete assets in Asturias, Catalonia and Madrid to different buyers. Parent company HeidelbergCement had announced a review of its Spanish assets on 22 February 2021. Their total value was Euro300m.

US: The Texas Commission on Environment Quality has discarded legal limits on crystalline silica in ready-mix concrete plants’ dust emissions. Commissioner Bobby Janecka said "I am pretty comfortable moving forward and finalising the proposed revision of the standard permit to bring us back to the point we departed from in 2012." He added that the commission had confirmed the decision with analysis from before the previous rule change, which he attributed to a ‘clerical error.’

Canada: Lafarge Canada has supplied the first EcoPact Zero near-zero net CO2 ready-mix concrete in Canada. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim supplied the concrete to a Habitat for Humanity housing development site in Kingston, Ontario.

US: Cemex USA has announced plans for an upcoming 600,000t/yr aggregates plant in Brierfield, Alabama. The Birmingham Business Journal newspaper has reported that, when operational, the plant will supply the company’s ready-mix concrete operations in the state. The subsidiary of Mexico-based Cemex operates 30 batching plants in Alabaster, Tuscaloosa and Vance.

Mid-South regional president Marc Tyson said “The Brierfield plant gives us a new opportunity to support our existing customers and earn the business of new ones by leveraging the wealth of experience of our team and providing them materials sourced from all parts of Cemex USA's supply chain.”

UK: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said that Breedon Group’s acquisition of a minority of Cemex UK’s ready-mix and aggregates operations “may lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the supply of ready-mixed concrete, non-specialist aggregates or asphalt in 15 local markets across the UK” in a letter to the group. The Herald newspaper has reported that the potentially affected markets are in localities where Breedon Group is already dominant, such as eastern Scotland and the East Midlands.

CMA senior director Colin Rafferty said, “As consumers source the majority of these materials locally, it’s vital to ensure that enough competition will remain at the local level so there’s enough choice and prices remain fair.” If it fails to respond to the CMA’s concerns by 2 September 2020, Breedon Group will face an in-depth Phase 2 investigation into the deal.

Germany: Schwenk Zement’s 1.2Mt/yr Karlstadt cement plant in Bavaria, 1.0Mt/yr Allmendingen and Mergelstetten cement plants in Baden Württemberg and 0.86Mt/yr Bernburg cement plant in Saxony-Anhalt have all achieved the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC)’s gold certification, enabling the use of their cements in concrete for CSC certified sustainable buildings. Schwenk building consultancy head Werner Rothenbacher said, “Schwenk is committed to sustainable cement production at all locations. More works will follow soon.” In addition to its cement plants, Schwenk operates numerous ready-mix concrete production facilities in Germany.

In 2019 20% of German new-builds were CSC certified.