US: Cemex has announced that it is supplying concrete, including a specialised self-consolidating mix, along with thousands of tonnes of aggregates for the replacement of the Sixth Street Viaduct Bridge in Los Angeles, California. The original 915m-long bridge, which has served as a backdrop in numerous films, was built in 1932 and is in need of replacement.

Cemex will supply 34,400m3 of ready-mix concrete. This will include 4800m³ of Evolution, Cemex’s range of self-consolidating concrete product that, in this instance, was tailored to fit the bridge’s design and the requirements of the client, CalTrans. Cemex will also supply a fibre-reinforced concrete solution for the bridge deck and structure itself. The US$482m structure, funded by a mixture of state and Federal funds, is expected to open in late 2020.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Cement’s revenue for the first quarter of 2019 rose 18% higher year-on-year to US$103.9m, driven by higher export sales volume of cement and clinker. It said that its prices had risen, but that the price rise was not as great as that achieved by some other producers. Its profit for the quarter was US$35.2m, a 7% fall year-on-year. However its profit was 6% higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2018.

Saudi Cement’s cement export volumes increased to 0.25Mt for the quarter, while clinker sales volumes (mainly exports) jumped to 0.41Mt. In contrast, local cement sales volumes declined by 16.5% year-on-year to 1.19Mt. Going forward, the company says it will continue to focus on exports in light of weak domestic demand.

Malaysia: YTL Cement has increased its shareholding in Lafarge Malaysia to 76.98% following the conclusion of a mandatory general offer (MGO). In a bourse filing, Maybank Investment Bank said the MGO had been concluded at the close of business on 14 June 2019, with YTL Cement acquiring an additional 220.72 million shares, or 25.98% of Lafarge Malaysia, for US$198m.

On 6 May 2019 YTL concluded its purchase of 51% of Lafarge Malaysia from Associated International Cement Ltd (AICL). It paid US$390m on that occasion.

Turkey: Batıçim Çimento, part of Bati Anadolu Group, is considering selling up to a 75% stake in its subsidiary Batısöke Çimento. A source quoted by Reuters says that financial services group Unlu&Co has been hired to handle the sale. A document seen by Reuters indicates that due diligence for any potential offers is scheduled to be completed by September 2019. Batisöke Çimento operates one integrated and one grinding plant in Turkey.

In 2018 Turkish conglomerate Sabancı Group mandated Unlu&Co to sell cement producers Kayseri Çimento, Nigde Çimento and Ladik Çimento.