Cement News tagged under: europe

Lafarge sees improved operational trends in fourth quarter19 February 2014, Published under Cement NewsLafarge saw a continued improvement in fourth quarter volumes, supported by ongoing growth in most emerging markets, the recovery in the US and stabilising conditions in Europe. Adverse exchange rates continued to weigh on sales which were down two per cent in the final three months of 2013 to EUR3714m, but up five per cent on a like-for-like basis. 4Q EBITDA was down six per cent to EUR793m but up 14 per cent like-for-like as the group reported increases in all regions driven by highe... |
Lacklustre start to year for Spain19 February 2014, Published under Cement NewsSpanish cement producers can only hope for a better 2014 as demand figures for January 2014 show a 13.6 per cent fall to 764,011t, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen. However, the rate of market contraction appears to be slowing somewhat. Over the past 12 months, consumption fell by 18.7 per cent. But recovery seems some time away as the result is worse than predicted. Oficemen had indicated in December that it expects a 7-8 per cent decrease for 2014. |
Buzzi sees advances in Russia and US10 February 2014, Published under Cement NewsItalian cement major Buzzi Unicem saw turnover decline by 2.1 per cent last year to EUR2754m as the company saw another fall in its domestic market of Italy, but Russia and the US were its best performers. Net debt at the end of December was 5.3 per cent below the level seen a year earlier at EUR1066m. Group cement deliveries in 2013 increased by 0.3 per cent to 27.4Mt, but ready-mixed concrete deliveries declined by 5.1 per cent to 12.9Mm³. The underlying EBITDA, which will be announced ... |
HeidelbergCement's results hit by currency effects06 February 2014, Published under Cement NewsThe preliminary full-year 2013 figures from HeidelbergCement show turnover easing by 0.6 per cent to €13,936m, though on an underlying basis there was a 3.4 per cent increase. EBITDA eased by 2.1 per cent to EUR2424m, but improved by two per cent on a comparative basis, and the trading profit edged ahead by 0.2 per cent to €1607m. The number of employees rose by 1.1 per cent to 52,560, as a reduction of around people 750 in North America and Europe was more than offset by the increased sph... |
CBR to close Harmignies cement plant, Belgium23 January 2014, Published under Cement NewsCBR, part of HeidelbergCement, announced Wednesday to staff representatives that the company plans to close the Harmignies 0.22Mta white cement plant in Belgium, a move which is expected to affect 97 jobs. "This announcement can be explained by the structural difficulties faced by the plant as well as the deterioration of the white cement market. If it is confirmed, this could generate for the collective dismissal of 97 workers at the site," said the works’ management, stressing that a the... |
Cemex to export 100,000t white cement from Sagunto22 January 2014, Published under Cement NewsMexico-based cement producer Cemex anticipates it will export 100,000t of white cement through the port of Sagunto, Spain. A first shipment is expected to leave the port for Greece, carrying 4500t of cement. A second dispatch will deliver a similar volume in big bags. White cement demand has experienced a surge in north African countries as the material is enjoying growing popularity in the construction of both public and private buildings, according Carlos Moreno, Cemex Levante’s directo... |
Swiss shipments advance 3.8% YoY08 January 2014, Published under Cement NewsSwiss cement shipments in 2013 rose by 3.8 per cent YoY, latest data from local association cemsuisse reveals. Fourth quarter sales proved to be particularly strong, rising 7.2 per cent YoY due to favourable weather conditions. Total deliveries for the year reached 4.564Mt last year compared to 4.395Mt during the year before. CEM II represented the lion’s share of sales at 85 per cent, while CEM I accounted for 13.3 per cent. A significant change was seen in distribution methods... |
CRH full-year development spend07 January 2014, Published under Cement NewsCRH announced a total of seven acquisitions and investment initiatives in the second half of 2013, taking full-year development activity to EUR0.69bn. The company invested EUR0.22bn in the six months to the end of December last year, including one transaction in Asia, three under its American Materials division and a further three in its Distribution segment. Commenting on the these developments, CRH’s new chief executive Albert Manifold said: “Development spend of almost EUR0.7bn in 2013... |
EC rejects request by Germany to review deal07 January 2014, Published under Cement NewsThe European Commission (EC) has rejected a request from Germany to refer the planned acquisition of Cemex West by Holcim to the German competition authority for assessment under national competition law. The EC concluded that the geographic scope of the affected cement markets is wider than national and that therefore the Commission cannot refer the assessment of the transaction to Germany. The commission has until 31 March 2014 to take a final decision. In the proposed transaction Holc... |
Catalonian monthly sales tumble23 December 2013, Published under Cement NewsCement sales in Spain's autonomous region of Catalonia during November 2013 fell by 21.8 per cent YoY to 110,140t. The decline was more than double the 9.3 per cent fall overall in Spain. Sales for the accumulated January to November period in Catalonia were also down 20.7 per cent to 1.43Mt. (Source: Expansión) |