Philippines: The 30-day inquiry by the Mergers and Acquisitions Office (MAO) of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) into First Stronghold Cement’s takeover of Holcim Philippines has concluded that the deal may affect market concentration in the cement sector. The Philippine Star reports that this finding clears the way for a phase-two review. The MAO will seek to ascertain whether the deal might result in lessened competition or increase the likelihood of cartel-like activities. This ties in with the Commission’s general investigation into anti-competitiveness in the cement industry.

First Stronghold Cement, a subsidiary of San Miguel, has a stake in Northern Cement and its president and chief operating officer, Ramón Ang, is also the majority owner and chairman of Eagle Cement. In May 2019 it acquired 85.7% of Holcim Philippines for US$2.15bn.

Spain: The residents’ association of San Diego, Galicia, has filed a complaint to the Port of A Coruña over a discharge of cement dust from Cementos Cosmos’ 0.7Mt/yr Niebla plant. La Voz de Galicia has reported that the emission was the result of a broken pipe. Cementos Cosmos, a subsidiary of Votorantim, says that it detected the malfunction instantly, and resolved it within three minutes.

Russia: Buzzi Unicem has formed its total 8.1Mt/yr Russian operations into a limited liability company called SLK Cement. The name combines the first letters of the names of cities where its plants are located, namely Sukhoi Log and Korkino. Andrey Immoreev, chief executive officer (CEO) of Dyckerhoff Cement in Russia, said that the rebranding ‘emphasises the importance of the Russian market in the company’s plans.’ Buzzi Unicem continues to trade as Dyckerhoff in its Central and Eastern European production areas.

Germany: Berthold Technologies, the innovator of measurement and detection software and electronics, has released a white paper on radiometric measurement processes relevant to the cement industry. The technologies under investigation are non-contact moisture, density and liquid/bulk solid level measurers, which can also be used as non-contact limit switches. The white paper details the accurate and reproducible use of the technologies, and their application in minimising error sources.