Global Cement News

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials has successfully restored Plant No. 3 in Hama province to operation, following comprehensive maintenance of its machinery and equipment. The maintenance, which began last January, was completed by the company’s engineering and technical teams.

General Manager Engineer Issam Al-Abdullah noted that the company is focused on developing its production processes to meet local cement demands. Upcoming maintenance work on Plant No. 2 is planned to enhance its production capacity to around 1000t/day.

Germany: The Supervisory Board of Heidelberg Materials has extended the mandate of Dr Dominik von Achten as chair of the Managing Board for an additional three years, until 31 January 2028. Dr von Achten has been leading the company since February 2020 and according to Heidelberg Materials, he has been instrumental in its global growth and the digitalisation and decarbonisation of the building materials industry, complemented by strong financial performance.

Dr Bernd Scheifele, chair of the Supervisory Board said “With Dr von Achten, we have an experienced manager at the helm of the company who has excellently positioned Heidelberg Materials on a global scale and set the course for the future with great commitment.” He continued "We look forward to continuing the trustful work with him. We are convinced that he will keep driving the transformation into a sustainable and digital future with verve and continue to successfully lead the company in the coming years.”

Dr von Achten has been part of Heidelberg Materials' Managing Board since 2007, serving as deputy chair since 2015 and as chair since 2020.

India: Shree Cement has launched Bangur Concrete, inaugurating its first Greenfield Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plant in Hyderabad. The new plant has a production capacity of 90m³/hr.

Earlier in March, Shree Cement acquired five operational plants from StarCrete in Mumbai, raising its combined RMC capacity to 512m³/hr. This move marks a significant step in the company's diversification and growth in the concrete segment.

Australia: Boral's independent directors have dismissed Seven Group's takeover bid, which valued the company at US$6.9bn. The directors argue the deal does not fairly or reasonably reflect Boral's value, especially considering its billion-dollar surplus property portfolio. Seven Group's offer of US$6.05 per share could potentially rise to US$6.25, but an independent expert from Grant Samuel has assessed Boral's fair value between US$4.24 and US$4.65 per share.

Seven Group's CEO, Ryan Stokes, said “We obviously disagree with their assessment strongly.”

Currently, Seven Group holds 71.6% of Boral and is offering a mix of cash and shares for the remaining stake, with potential incremental increases based on share acquisition levels and board recommendations.

Anthony Aboud, deputy head of equities at Perpetual, said "Our view is that Boral owns a unique and hard to replicate set of assets with an excellent management team led by Vik Bansal which is early on in its turnaround strategy."

A spokesperson for Boral said "We have carefully evaluated the Seven offer and recommend that shareholders should reject the Seven offer as it undervalues Boral. The independent expert has concluded that the Seven offer is neither fair nor reasonable, supporting the bid response committee's view. We encourage shareholders to remain with Boral and fully participate in the future value available through continued direct ownership of Boral."

Peru: Grupo Gloria subsidiary Yura plans to build a solar power plant in Yura, Arequipa. The plant will have a peak power of 31MWp and a nominal power of 27MW. The installation involves a 1.3km-long, 30kV transmission line. Gestión News has reported that the project is intended to reduce the costs associated with the company’s cement production.