Fresh from taking over the Civil and Marine in March this year (with this UK-based company noted as the UK’s largest supplier of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)), Hanson is now reportedly close to acquiring Orcem in the Netherlands and Ecocem in Ireland.

Both these company are privately owned, by Donal O’Riain and other independent backers, and both have been relatively successful selling their independently-sourced GGBS downstream to the concrete and ready-mix sectors in Belgium, Holland and Ireland. Both operate import, processing and distribution facilities which will have cost around Euro 30m to fully develop since their inauguration some three years ago.

This latest consolidation, if it goes ahead, would again tightens the screw for alternative means of GGBS supply, a valuable by-product, especially as an excellent cementitious additive, and a useful means of reducing CO2 emission levels.