Cement News tagged under: Holcim

RSS feed

Holcim to sell Siam City Cement stake, Thailand

24 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Siam City Cement PCL (SCCC), Thailand's second-largest cement maker, said on Monday Holcim has decided to sell its 27.5 per cent stake in the company. SCCC said in a statement that Thai Roc-Cem Ltd, Holcim's indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, will sell 63.29 million shares of SCCC, but Holcim gave no details about the divestment or when the sale would be finalised. At the end of 2012, Holcim reduced its stake in SCCC from 36.8 to 27.5 per cent. The shares were purchased by Bangkok Broadcast...

Holcim sees 3% improvement in like-for-like net sales

23 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Holcim increased net sales by three per cent on a like-for-like basis in 2014. Growth mostly resulted from price improvements in many regions, particularly in North America against a favourable market environment as well as a response to cost inflation in Latin America. An unfavourable currency effect of 5.2 per cent and negative changes in consolidation structure impacted the consolidated net sales performance in 2014 which was down 3.1 percent to CHF19,110m (US$ 17.8 bn). Like-for...

CCI clears LH merger on condition

23 February 2015, Published under Cement News

The Competition Commission of India has reportedly given the green light to the Lafarge and Holcim merger on condition it divests divests some of its units, including limestone reserves, to prevent a monopoly in eastern India, top sources said. After prima facie investigations by CCI revealed the combination will likely have an appreciable adverse effect on competition, especially in eastern India, the CCI launched ‘phase II investigations’. It put the merger proposal in public scrutiny u...

LH: potential merger of Indian operations on the cards?

20 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Lafarge and Holcim may bring together their local Indian interests as part of the merger process between the two global cement majors, according to local press. The Economic Times reported yesterday that Holcim and Lafarge plan to merge Holcim’s local companies ACC and Ambuja Cements together with Lafarge India, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter. According to the report, the plan is still at an early stage and the cement producers have mandated investment bank Lazard to adv...

Mexico: LH merger green light

18 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Mexico’s Federal Commission for Economic Competition (Cofece) has granted approval for the merger of Lafarge and Holcim (LH). Lafarge is a market player in Mexico through an indirect stake in ELC Tenedora de Cementos, which produces white and grey cement in its plants in Hidalgo state. “On 16 December 2014, Lafarge sold its stake in ELC to Elementia and as such does no longer have any stake in the Mexican cement industry and therefore, the operation does not have any effect on the str...

Holcim Obourg reduces job losses

18 February 2015, Published under Cement News

The management of Holcim’s Obourg plant in Belgium and the unions have signed an agreement regarding the restructuring of the works. The majority of the 38 staff that will be laid off will leave the company on early retirement packages and only four will be dismissed. This lowers the initial reduction in staff by 10 after lengthy negotiations took place. The plant will now be operated by around 200 people.

Holcim (Switzerland) to extend Gabenchopf quarry

09 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Holcim plans to expand the Gabenchopf quarry in Villigen, Switzerland, to the west to yield around 12Mt of rock. The step is designed to maintain operations for the next 10 years at the company’s Siggenthal works. The cement works has drawn upon Gabenchopf for its supply of limestone and marl since 1955. The raw materials are transported to the plant via a 3.7km-long conveyor belt. The current mining permit, which includes a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme, dates from 1998. Initia...

CRH: climbing the building materials ladder

06 February 2015, Published under Cement News

News that CRH has beaten off competition to acquire a package of assets from Lafarge and Holcim ahead of their planned merger has been welcomed by the market, but not everyone is convinced by the rationale and apparent shift in strategy. CRH confirmed on Monday that it had “entered into a binding agreement to acquire certain assets currently owned by either Lafarge and Holcim that the companies must sell for their proposed merger to receive regulatory approval across various juris...

Cemex

02 February 2015, Published under Cement News

Cemex completed the purchase Holcim’s activities in the Czech Republic and two of Holcim’s Spanish cement works and its sale of its cement, concrete and aggregates assets in western Germany along with 59 batching plants in Germany and six in The Netherlands.

CRH strikes deal to acquire €6.5bn Holcim and Lafarge assets

02 February 2015, Published under Cement News

CRH has reached a deal to acquire €6.5bn in the assets of Lafarge and Holcim who are restructuring to win regulatory approval for their planned merger. The deal will significantly expand CRH’s globally footprint in the cement industry by acquiring new facilities in the Philippines, Canada, Brazil and several countries in Europe. Commenting on the acquisitions, CRH chief executive Albert Manifold said: “This transaction represents a significant value creation opportunity for CRH. We are acqu...