FTC approves divestment of Martinsburg plant and related assets

Following a public comment period, the US' Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved an application from HeidelbergCement AG and Italcementi SpA to sell the Essroc cement plant in Martinsburg (WV), eight cement terminals in the mid-Atlantic and related assets to Argos USA LLC, a subsidiary of Cementos Argos SA.

The divestiture is required by the FTC's August 2016 final order settling charges that the merger of Heidelberg and Italcementi would likely harm competition in five regional markets for cement
in the United States. The Commission vote to approve the divestiture was 3-0.