UK: Breedon Southern, part of Breedon Group, plans to form a joint venture in London trading as Capital Concrete with Robert Brett and the Capital Concrete senior management. Three of Breedon’s existing ready-mixed concrete assets will be combined with those of Capital Concrete, Brett’s established ready-mixed concrete operation in London.

Capital Concrete currently operates seven ready-mixed concrete plants in Bow, Croydon, Romford, Rainham, Wembley, Silvertown and Staines. Breedon will contribute its plants in Cricklewood, Feltham and Enfield, together with Euro3.6m in cash, in return for a 43% interest in the joint venture. The remainder will be owned by Brett (43%) and management (14%).

“We have had a longstanding ambition to expand our footprint in the UK’s largest construction materials market. This joint venture enables us to secure immediate critical mass in Greater London, in collaboration with an experienced local partner, with the potential to develop a business of significant scale in the capital over the next few years,” said Pat Ward, group chief executive of Breedon.

Completion of the transaction is expected to take place on 1 December 2019.

Turkmenistan: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has instructed the Türkmensenagat State Agency to build three new plants using foreign investment. During a working meeting with the management of industrial and communication sectors he said that the new plants were required to satisfy local demand and increases exports, according to the Central Asian News Service.

Egypt: Wikov hosted its Wikov Gear Technology Conference in Cairo in late October 2019 to promote its products to cement producers in the Middle East. The focus was on the historical presence of Wikov in the market under the former brand Škoda, and later the product highlights and innovations like Side Drive gearboxes with Separate Lubrication System and shock-load-resistant planetary gearboxes Orbi-fleX with flexible pin. The conference also included a demonstration of Wikov’s new online gearbox configurator. This platform enables users to configure and select a planetary gearbox, generate technical data, a 3D model and send a request for quotation. Around 70 industry delegates attended the event.

Nepal: Construction of the Huaxin Cement Narayani plant being built at Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality in Dhading has resumed following a flood in July 2019. The deluge damaged worker dormitories, plant structures being built and an access road to the site, according to the Republica newspaper. 400 Chinese workers and 300 local workers are working on the site. Another 600 Chinese workers will be added soon. The company aims to start production at the unit from June 2020.