Cement News tagged under: Lafarge
Argos considers acquiring Holcim and Lafarge Latin America divestments15 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsColombia's Cementos Argos is currently looking into acquiring the assets Lafarge and Holcim are planning to sell in Latin America, particularly Mexico and Brazil. However, it has not yet finalised any negotiations. "We are firstly interested in looking at Mexico and Brazil," said José Alberto Vélez, president of the Argos Group, in the local newspaper La República. "We have been watching with interest and enthusiasm, but have nothing concrete yet." Earlier this month, Holcim and Lafarge... |
CVC in talks over Holcim Lafarge assets13 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsPrivate equity firm CVC is in talks with Singapore's Government Investment Corporation over possible joint bids for Holcim and Lafarge assets ahead of their planned merger, Sky News reported on Tuesday. The companies have reportedly received over 100 expressions of interest for assets they must dispose of to facilitate rapid progress of the merger, which has a deadline for completion by 1H15. A disposal committee has identified shared assets, including 23 plants in eight countries amounting... |
Nigeria: Ashaka trebles profit in 1H1411 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsNigerian Lafarge subsidiary Ashaka Cement has reported a 1H14 profit after tax of NGN3.51bn (US$21.5m), a 201 per cent increase than its 1H13 figure of NGN1.15bn. Pretax profits at the company surged 166 per cent YoY from NGN1.65bn to NGN4.39bn in 1H14. The stellar rise in profit figures has been attributed partly to Ashaka's switch to coal from the Maiganga Coal Mine in Gombe State, a significantly cheaper alternative in its power generation. This resulted in a reduction of production co... |
Bamburi posts first-half pretax profit drop08 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsBamburi Cement posted a 28 per cent drop in first-half pretax profit to KES2.3bn (US$26.2m) from KES3.2bn a year earlier. The Lafarge group company attributed the decline to rising power costs, increased use of imported clinker and the introduction of a mining levy in Kenya. Operating profit fell 27 per cent to KES2.2bn compared KES3bn in the comparative period of 2013. However, turnover rose 9.5 per cent as a result of higher sales volumes in the first half of the year both to domestic ma... |
Mauritius opens LafargeHolcim merger inquiry06 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsThe Competition Commission of Mauritius (CCM) has opened an inquiry to determine whether the merger of Holcim and Lafarge will have a negative impact on the competition in the island's cement market. If the merger is completed successfully, Lafarge and Holcim have said they will both sell their holdings in Holcim (Mauritius) Ltd to a third party. "We appreciate that the merger parties have informed the CCM of their actions and are reactive with respect to measures that restore competiti... |
Lafarge & Holcim propose Brazilian divestments05 August 2014, Published under Cement NewsLafarge and Holcim have published a list of proposed asset disposals to Brazilian Competition authority CADE, as part of efforts to help win regulatory approval for their planned merger. The joint Divestment Committee has agreed to propose a package of assets from both Holcim and Lafarge which include three integrated cement plants and two grinding units (with a total cement capacity of 3.6Mta) as well as one ready-mix plant, all located in the southeastern region of Brazil. The proposed... |
Egypt cement volumes hold firm28 July 2014, Published under Cement NewsEgypt’s cement volumes demonstrated resilience over the Jan-May 2014 period with the pricing environment also positive. During the first five months of the year, volumes totalled 21.7Mt – an increase of 1.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2013 which was impacted by interruptions in energy supplies and exceptional political events, writes CM-CIC Securities. Lafarge posted a particularly strong performance, with volumes up by 18.9 per cent (2.5Mt) in the Jan-May period, and by 19... |
STC eyes Holcim Mauritius acquisition28 July 2014, Published under Cement NewsIn the latest step towards to completing the LafargeHolcim merger, Holcim Mauritius could become a public-private partnership (PPP) while the State Trading Corporation (STC) could re-enter the island's cement market at the same time. STC would be willing to buy the 51 per cent stake in Holcim Mauritius put up for sale, according to Defimedia.The balance of shares is owned by Gamma-Civic. The presence of STC in the market would offer a greater price control as it will control the entire... |
Lafarge reiterates 2014 demand growth rate25 July 2014, Published under Cement NewsLafarge has confirmed its 2014 sales volumes target for the year with an improving US outlook and signs of recovery in Europe, although emerging markets continue to be the main driver of growth. First half turnover came off by 3.8 per cent to EUR6000m and the EBITDA was one per cent lower at EUR1155m, while the trading profit eased by just 0.3 per cent to EUR609m. The net attributable profit did improve by three per cent to EUR205m. Net debt at the end of June was 15 per cent lower at... |
Lafarge sells Pakistan cement operations24 July 2014, Published under Cement NewsLafarge announced the sale of its cement operations in Pakistan for an enterprise value of US$329m to local producer Bestway Cement. Lafarge Pakistan Cement Ltd, in which Lafarge owns a 75.86 per cent stake, operates an integrated cement plant located close to Islamabad in the north of the country. The divestment contributes to Lafarge’s net debt reduction goals, the company said in a statement. Completion of the deal is subject to regulatory approval. |