Holcim France to close Dannes kiln

As western Europe is faced with overcapacity in cement capacity, Holcim France has announced the closure of its wet-process kiln at Dannes.

Citing a 20 per cent decline in the demand for cement since 2008, the management of the cement major said it would close down its clinker production in September 2013. The step would remove 0.3Mta of capacity and is expected to be followed by a further cut in capacity of 0.35Mt at some stage.

Only 15 of 84 employees will remain onsite to produce asphalt binders. The remainder will be given the opportunity to transfer to other sites such as the nearby Lumbres site where Holcim runs a dry-process clinker line.

Apart from Dannes, Holcim France also operates cement plants in Lumbres (Pas-de-Calais), Altkirch (Haut-Rhin), Heming (Moselle) and Rochefort sur Nenon (Jura).