Cement News tagged under: Lafarge

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Cementos Argos

23 December 2014, Published under Cement News

Cementos Argos has pulled out of the running for any Brazilian assets being sold off following the Lafarge/Holcim merger. According to Cementos Argos, any potential purchase would not “generate the value its investments would expect”. UltraTech Cement has reportedly also followed suit with the Brazilian economy being blamed by many for the u-turn. Brazil has seen its economy shrink by 0.9 per cent in 2Q14 and a further 0.25 per cent in the third quarter. Growth of around 1.4 per cent is p...

CRH increases investment war chest

19 December 2014, Published under Cement News

CRH’s recent disposal announced this week is being viewed as positive for further development as it keeps in line with the company's efforts to streamline its portfolio and provides additional financial flexibility for acquisitions. On Tuesday CRH announced it had reached an agreement to dispose of its clay and concrete businesses in the UK and its clay business in the US. The move had been expected for a while with CRH said to be dissatisfied with the structural returns in the brick bu...

UltraTech re-evaluating Brazil asset bid

11 December 2014, Published under Cement News

Indian cement major UltraTech Cement is reportedly re-evaluating its decision to bid for the Brazilian assets put on the block by Holcim and Lafarge ahead of their planned merger. According to local press reports, the Aditya Birla company had submitted non-binding bids for the cement assets in October, after which binding bids are due in January. The company is now said to be “rethinking about the bids” and UltraTech Cement may “pull back at the binding stage,” sources familiar with the m...

Argos to not bid for Lafarge/Holcim Brazilian assets

10 December 2014, Published under Cement News

Cementos Argos has decided not to not bid for the Brazilian assets that Lafarge and Holcim have put up for sale ahead of their planned merger. Colombia’s largest cement producer has informed the Superintendencia Financiera that it does not see such a purchase as being likely to generate the value its investments would expect. Argos had been in consultation with Itau Unibanco concerning a possible bid.

UNACEM completes Ecuador acquisition

03 December 2014, Published under Cement News

Peruvian cement producer Union Andina de Cementos SAA (UNACEM) confirmed that it has completed the purchase of Lafarge’s cement operations in Ecuador. "We are pleased with the closing of the transaction, which represents an important step in our growth strategy,” Carlos Ugás, managing director of Unacem. The company closed the acquisition, initially announced in May this year, for approximately US$517m, according to local press reports. The deal involves the purchase of a 1.4Mta cement w...

Tanzania likely to start exporting cement soon

26 November 2014, Published under Cement News

Tanzania expects to double its cement production in the next few years as new factories come on-stream to satisfy growing demand from the construction sector, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Tanzania's cement output rose 18.9 per cent last year to slightly above 3Mt on the back of higher demand. Janet Mbene, deputy trade minister,  said the rise in output would see Tanzania  produce a surplus to be exported. Annual cement production in east Africa's second-largest economy wil...

Holcim expects to select buyers for assets by end-Jan

19 November 2014, Published under Cement News

Holcim said it expects to have found buyers for the cement plants and other operations linked to its tie-up with Lafarge by the end of January, and that the merger is on course to be completed by the middle of next year as planned. "We expect the final bids somewhere in January 2015,"  Bernard Fontana, chief executive of Holcim said at the company's investor day on Tuesday, adding that Holcim also hoped to select buyers for the assets the same month. "All this is consistent with an over...

Oyak Group eyeing Lafarge and Holcim assets

14 November 2014, Published under Cement News

Oyak Group, Turkey’s largest cement producer, has US$2bn in cash for acquisitions and may spend some of it on assets Holcim and Lafarge are looking to shed ahead of their planned merger. The head of the Ankara-based company told Bloomberg in an emailed statement that the group is interested in Holcim and Lafarge businesses in the eastern European countries of Romania, Serbia and Hugary. “We are interested in bidding as Oyak or together with a European group” for assets, Caglar said. Oyak ...

Lafarge’s nine-month attributable profit falls 25.8 per cent

05 November 2014, Published under Cement News

In the first nine months of the year, Lafarge's turnover, including its share of joint ventures, declined by 1.3 per cent to €11,332m while the EBITDA edged ahead by 0.5 per cent to €2320m. The trading profit improved by 2.8 per cent to €1589m, while excluding associates there was a 1.2 per cent reduction to €1431m.  Net financial charges declined by 6.7 per cent to €701m and the pre-tax profit was three per cent lower at €636m. Following a 33.3 per cent higher tax charge, the net attribu...

HeidelbergCement won't bid for Lafarge and Holcim assets

03 November 2014, Published under Cement News

HeidelbergCement has said it will not bid for any of the assets up for sale by rivals Lafarge and Holcim as part of their planned merger. “After a thorough analysis, HeidelbergCement has decided to refrain from the ongoing bidding process for the assets offered for sale of Lafarge and Holcim in the frame of its merger proceedings, “ the German cement major said in a statement. There had been speculation that HeidelbergCement would use the anticipated proceeds from the announced sale of its...