Lafarge buys US concrete company

Lafarge Building Materials Inc a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lafarge which holds the former cement and ready-mix assets of Blue Circle in the United States, has completed the acquisition of the assets of the Ready-Mix Concrete and Cement divisions of The Concrete Company of Columbus, Georgia. The Concrete Company is a major cement importer and producer of ready-mix concrete, precast concrete and concrete pipe, and construction aggregates in the southeastern United States.

The purchased assets include a cement import terminal with an annual capacity of 0.9Mt, two distribution terminals, 46 ready-mix plants with annual sales of approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of concrete, and related equipment.

"This acquisition provides considerable synergies with our existing operations in the region, and is consistent with Lafarge’s long-term business strategy in the southeastern US," said Bernard Kasriel, CEO of Lafarge. "These assets complement Lafarge’s cement and ready-mix concrete facilities and networks in the region, and will allow us to serve a broader
base of customers. This acquisition also positions us well for future growth in the Georgia, Alabama and Gulf Coast markets."

The acquired assets will be integrated with the operations of Lafarge Building Materials Inc and will be managed by Lafarge North America under the existing management agreement.