Global Cement News

Australia: Southern Cross Cement, a joint venture between Brickworks, Neilsen Group and Neumann Group, is planning to open a 0.2Mt/yr terminal by October 2019. The US$60m unit will import cement from south east Asia, according to the CourierMail newspaper. It is anticipated to supply 10% of Queensland market. A 12,000t/day mechanical ship unloader will be installed at the site.

Ireland: Local environmental activists have accused the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of ignoring European Union (EU) NO_x emission limits by granting an exemption to Irish Cement’s Limerick integrated plant. Limerick Against Pollution group alleges that the plant has been allowed a limit of 800mg/m3 despite a EU directive reducing the limit to 500mg/m³, according to the Limerick Post newspaper.

Romania: LafargeHolcim has signed an agreement with Oresa to buy Somaco, precast concrete producers. The transaction will allow LafargeHolcim to develop its position on the Romanian building materials market, where the company is already present in the cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates segments. No value for the transaction has been disclosed. It is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in late 2019.

“This is our sixth bolt-on acquisition this year and we are delivering on our commitment to further develop our Solutions & Products business segment as part of Strategy 2022 – ‘Building for Growth.’ The acquisition enables LafargeHolcim to enter Romania’s fast growing precast concrete market and to become an integrated solutions provider for our local customers,” said Jan Jenisch, chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.

Somaco operates five precast concrete plants and one plant for aerated blocks in Romania. The company reported net sales of Euro56m in 2018 and has 750 employees. It has a portfolio of precast products for bridges, tunnels, subways and logistics platforms and supplies products for the residential sector.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has completed the upgrade to its integrated cement plant at Davao. The expansion involved the activation of a finish mill and installation of a new pipe for loading cement to the silos from the pier, eco-hoppers to improve dust emissions and an overhead crane. Cold commissioning started in April 2019 while full production began in late June 2019. The improvements add 0.7Mt/yr to the cement production of the plant.

The expansion of the Davao plant is part of the company’s on-going program to improve operations to better support the positive growth of Mindanao. In March 2019, the company launched in a new blended cement product, Solido. It also opened its first construction laboratory outside Metro Manila at Davao in 2018. Holcim Philippines will hold a ceremony in August 2019 to inaugurate the facilities with partners from the public and private sector.

Philippines: The Philippine Competition Commission says that its investigation on alleged violations of competitive practice by the cement industry will be kept separate from a review of the acquisition of Holcim Philippines by San Miguel Corporation. The commission made the statement in a reply to questions raised by consumer group Laban ng Konsyumer, according to the Manila Bulletin newspaper. However, the commission’s Mergers and Acquisitions Office said that, although both cases are being considered independently, this would not preclude them from considering the pre-merger activities of the companies.