Egypt: Suez Cement subsidiary Ready Mix Beton says that it has secured a contract for the supply of concrete for the construction of two new monorail lines projects. Due to begin in late-2020, the contract covers the construction of a monorail line between Cairo and the New Administrative Capital and another between 6 October City and Giza. The company says that it will use Suez Cement’s CEM III/A ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) cement to produce concrete for the 96km monorail network.

Suez Cement said, “CEM III/A cement is highly recommended when building thick concrete supports and massive structures because its hydration temperature of less than 210kJ/kg reduces cracking compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) when the applied concrete is subjected to dual exposure to sulphates and chloride ions, as happens in coastal areas.”

Azerbaijan: Germany-based Sustained Visions has announced the commissioning of Akkord Cement subsidiary Qazax Sement Zavodu’s 1.3Mt/yr-capacity integrated Gazakh cement plant in Ganja-Gazakh region following a phase-two upgrade completed in collaboration with the owner and DAL Holding subsidiary DAL Teknik Makina. The plant, built in 2013, had an original capacity of 0.9Mt/yr.

Sustained Visions praised the collaborative effort, which has resulted in a “significant reduction in specific energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions” for the plant, and “shows very stable performance.” Managing director Ralf Slomski noted that, in spite of the coronavirus outbreak, the company was able to maintain a project management team of five staff on the site at peak periods.

US: Mississippi Lime has announced its acquisition of the Transload Terminal in Edwardsville, Kansas from LG Everist. President and chief executive officer (CEO) William Ayers said, “We are pleased with this acquisition and looking forward to further integrating this operation into our business. Mississippi Lime has been a long-term supplier of calcium-based products in this region, serving construction projects as well as many other industries. This acquisition serves to strengthen that commitment.”

Canada: Public pensions and insurance fund Caisse de depot et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has bought the debt from “all present and future accounts receivable arising from contracts” of McInnis Cement. The Journal de Québec newspaper has reported that the move is intended to benefit the company’s liquidity position. CDPQ first vice-president Michel Nadeau said, “It’s a solution to find cash quickly.”

CDPQ injected US$152m into McInnis Cement on 2 July 2019 as part of a total US$380m private capital refinancing.