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CCI examining fresh complaint against India’s cement makers 18 December 2015
India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is examining a fresh complaint of alleged unfair business practices made against cement makers, according to CCI chairman Ashok Chawala. The development comes against the backdrop of the quashing of a US$949m fine imposed on them by the regulator in a previous case.
Chawla said that the CCI is looking into a fresh complaint filed against cement companies. The Confederation of Real Estate Developer's Associations of India (CREDAI), which has about 10,000 members, approached the CCI against the Cement Manufacturers' Association (CMA) in September 2015. In October 2015, the CREDAI said that the association had filed a complaint against the CMA as prices have risen sharply despite low demand for cement.
"To control the cost of construction and make home prices work for the common man, the CREDAI has moved the CCI against cement manufacturers who have been unduly increasing the cost of cement," said the CREDAI. Despite low demand, the association had said that the prices of cement have jumped by 20 – 40% in major cities across India since October 2015.
Nigeria: Dangote Cement has rolled out over 150 new trucks to ease the distribution and availability of cement across the country. The move also aims to help distributors service their customers, deliver products in a timely manner and also take distributors and businesses 'to the next level.'
The Group Chief Marketing Officer, Oare Ojeikere, explained that the trucks would be at no cost to distributors and that all that was required was for the distributors to reach a certain volume of sales in three years.
"This scheme is about empowering our partners and ensuring they have what they require to get their products to their customers. Currently, the exchange rate has more or less ballooned out of proportion, making it increasingly difficult for people to invest in new trucks. Our business is powered by the ability to get cement to the retailers and the end-users," said Ojeikere.
He pointed out that in the past nine months, the group has embarked on different initiatives to improve the profitability of its partners, noting that its partners who drove growth, bought more and were also very aggressive in distribution, were rewarded for their diligence. "We want to assure our partners that those who continue to drive growth will continuously get rewarded for their efforts. We have also made cement more affordable because our per capita cement consumption and the huge housing deficit of over 18 million, we believe that if we are able to bring down the price of cement, we can drive much greater velocity in the amount of cement consumed in the country," said Ojeikere.
CEMENCO’s wastes endanger residents according to local residents 18 December 2015
Liberia: Chemical wastes being disposed off by the Liberian Cement Corporation or CEMENCO in the demolition of its former cement plant are allegedly posing a serious threat to human lives, residents of adjacent communities have complained.
CEMENCO, which is a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, was established in Liberia in 1968 and was the only cement plant in the country.
The company's General Services Manager, James D Gibson, Jr., said that CEMENCO is primarily a grinding plant and not an integrated plant. He said that cement from its old plant was caked or baked cement, which has no asbestos and therefore, the current exercise possesses no health risk to communities and residents as being claimed.
One man dead after accident at Continenial Cement in Buffalo 18 December 2015
US: One person is dead following an accident on 15 December 2015 at Continental Cement in Buffalo, New York.
Buffalo police and fire departments along with a Medic ambulance responded to the quarry for a report of a male with head trauma after being struck by a boom on a tow truck. The man was reported as in stable condition at the scene and was transported to a local hospital. The victim later died at the hospital from his injuries.
The incident is being investigated by the Mine, Safety and Health Administration, the Scott County Medical Examiners Officer and the Buffalo Police Department.
LafargeHolcim and CDC Group to scale-up an affordable low-carbon construction solution 18 December 2015
Malawi: LafargeHolcim and CDC Group, the UK's development finance institution, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up a company to produce and promote an affordable low-carbon construction solution for developing countries.
The new company aims to scale up production of earth-cement bricks, a simple, reliable, affordable and environmentally-friendly building material that was launched by LafargeHolcim in Malawi in 2013.
Deforestation and forest degradation account for the majority of Malawi's greenhouse gas emissions. The manufacture of burnt bricks, the main building material in Malawi, is a significant contributor as a result of the wood-fired clamp kilns used in the production process.
LafargeHolcim has developed an alternative solution to burnt bricks. Durabric, designed by the Group's research and development centre, is produced from a mixture of earth and cement compressed in a mould and left naturally to cure in the sun without firing. Durabric contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the deforestation associated with wood fuel consumption. The bricks are also more resistant than fired bricks and reduce construction costs.
"Durabric offers many benefits compared to the traditional bricks used for construction in the developing world. It is easy to manufacture, has a smaller environmental footprint, offers more resistance, all at a lower cost," said Gérard Kuperfarb, Member of LafargeHolcim's Executive Committee in charge of Growth and Innovation. "Through the new company we are setting up with CDC, we will accelerate the development of this affordable, low-carbon solution in developing markets where traditional bricks are commonly used."
More than three million of these bricks have already been produced in Malawi and have been used in around 500 buildings. A brick production plant is being built to increase availability of Durabric in Malawi.