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DGKC and VHMEL both hope to buy Lafarge Pakistan 02 May 2014
Pakistan: The attempts for an ultimate buyout of Lafarge Pakistan Cement Limited (LPCL) intensified on 30 April 2014 as interested parties made public announcements of their intention to acquire shares. That was to comply with the requirements of Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002. Currently, Lafarge SA has a 73% stake in LPCL.
William Gordon Rodgers, authorised representative of Vision Holding Middle East Limited (VHMEL), made a public announcement of VHMEL's intention to acquire 75.86% of LPCL. He said, "The total number of issued shares of LPCL is 1.45bn. VHMEL intends to buy 1.10bn shares, constituting 75.86% of the total." Rodgers added that if VHMEL proceeds to buy the shares, it would make a public announcement of offer to acquire further ordinary shares of LPCL in accordance with the requirements of the Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002.
DG Khan Cement Company Limited (DGKC) also disclosed its interest in Lafarge. The company expressed its intention to acquire the 100% stake of Lafarge in LPCL. DGKC's company secretary, Khalid Mahmood Chohan, said, "The proposed transaction will be subject to the relevant approvals and legal formalities, including formalities under the Listed Companies (Substantial Acquisition of Voting shares and Takeovers) Ordinance 2002."
LPCL has an installed capacity of 2.4Mt/yr with its plant located in Chakwal, Chakwal District.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development extends loan to US$65m for Senj Sant cement plant 01 May 2014
Mongolia: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a US$65m loan to Senj Sant to build a cement plant as part of a financing package dating from May 2013, which included a US$20m equity investment. Construction at the 1Mt/yr plant situated in southern Mongolia began in April 2013
"The EBRD's long-term finance, including equity, not only helps us build the first cement plant in Mongolia using the environmentally-friendly dry process, but also supports the company in raising business standards to international levels," said
CEO of Monpolymet Group, Munkhnasan Narmandakh. Senj Sant is a subsidiary of Monpolymet Group.
Siam Cement to build US$370m plant in Laos 01 May 2014
Laos: Siam Cement Group plan to build a US$370m cement plant in Laos. The 1.8Mt/yr plant is expected to start production in the second quarter of 2017.
"This plant is meant to serve the greater Mekong region," said President and CEO of Siam Cement, Kan Trakulhoo. Siam Cement intends to continue investing within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which is set to introduce a common market at the end of 2015.
Siam Cement's revenue for the first quarter of 2014 increased by 11% year-on-year to US$3.74bn. Kan added that political tension in Thailand has affected demand for cement in that country. Subsequently, the company is shifting its emphasis to exports.
Spain: Grupo Alfonso Gallardo has signed an agreement to sell its cement subsidiary, Cementos Balboa, and its paper subsidiaries to venture capital firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). Under the terms of the deal, KKR will refinance a Euro500m loan to Grupo Alfonso Gallardo, which will concentrate on its core steel production activities.
The transaction led to the completion of the restructuring project launched by Grupo Alfonso Gallardo in 2012, destined to reinforce its financial position and refinance a debt worth Euro1.5bn.
Cementos Balboa runs a 1.6Mt/yr cement plant in Alconera, Badajoz. The plant started production in 2005.
Lafarge-Holcim merger - any impact on Africa?
Written by Global Cement staff & Andy Gboka, Exotix LLP
30 April 2014
Holcim released its first quarter results for 2014 this week and benefits of a merger seemed clear: both sales and profit were down. Net sales fell by 5.4% to Euro3.35bn and net income fell by 57.5% to Euro65.6m. However, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Aebischer was upbeat on meeting the regulatory requirements of any merger and the prospect of divestment opportunities.
This week we have a guest contributor - Andy Gboka, an analyst at Exotix LLP, a London-based broker specialised in Frontier markets – writing about the impact in Africa from the Lafarge-Holcim merger:
No change in Sub-Saharan Africa cement markets
Looking at (1) the location and size of the assets that both groups operate across the region but also (2) the expansion projects recently announced, we do not anticipate any upheaval in the competitive landscape, at least in the medium term.
Potential reshuffle of African assets
We identify Nigeria and Morocco as the main countries where the two companies are likely to reorganise their operations post-deal.
After the market excitement Lafarge / Holcim's price gains have averaged 9% since the announcement versus +8% the same day (04/04/14). We think it timely to discuss, from a competition angle, the likely impact on sector dynamics in Africa.
Starting with Sub-Saharan Africa where Lafarge and Holcim have been present for decades, the two groups have grown their output capability over time to reach a combined ~20.7Mt/yr. Holcim is a much smaller cement producer through its ~2.6Mt/yr in Ivory Coast, Guinea and Nigeria, whereas the French manufacturer is a regional leader with ~18.1Mt/yr capacity across 10 different countries. North African exposure paints a similar picture, as the Swiss company's installed capacity is ~9.6Mt/yr versus ~21.6Mt/yr for Lafarge (including their respective shareholdings in Lafarge Cement Egypt).
Although we do not believe the proposed merger will significantly alter Africa's competitive environment, business reorganisation is likely in:
(1) Nigeria. LafargeHolcim would control more than ~70% of the United Cement Company of Nigeria Ltd (UNICEM, 2.5Mt/yr in Calabar) which, in our view, is a suitable context for minorities' buyout.
(2) Morocco. More than ~50% of the industry's production capacity is controlled by the two players, a situation that may lead to asset disposals after review by the local competition commission.
Beyond the corporate implications, this announcement also puts into perspective the multiples investors are willing to pay for companies operating in Africa. Indeed, for 2014/2015 financial year the enterprise multiple (enterprise value / earnings before depreciation and amortisation) and price-to-book ratio for the main stocks listed in Nigeria and Kenya average 10.3x and 2.9x respectively, vs. 8.4x and 1.3x for LafargeHolcim (Bloomberg). While demand growth prospects in the teen digits or margins above ~25% (especially in Nigeria) would support a premium for the former names, we think the extent of that premium is questionable.
The best illustration is Dangote Cement, whose market capitalisation stands at ~US$25bn for total capacity estimated at 50 – 55Mt/yr by the 2016 financial year, relatively high when compared to the expected ~US$55bn market capitalisation for LafargeHolcim with (1) 427Mt/yr cement capacity globally and (2) ~60% of its revenue from emerging markets. This underpins our cautious stance on the sector.
Source: Andy Gboka, analyst at Exotix LLP (London-Based broker specialised in Frontier markets).
Andy Gboka will be speaking at the forthcoming Global CemTrader Conference, taking place in London on 2 -3 June 2014.