PAKISTAN: Billionaire Mansha Plans $300 Million Cement Plant

Billionaire Mian Muhammad Mansha’s D.G. Khan Cement Ltd., Pakistan’s third-largest maker of the construction material, plans to build an $300 million plant near Karachi as economic growth boosts demand.

“There will be a shortage domestically in three years if there is 10 percent growth in demand each year,” Chief Financial Officer Inayat Ullah Niazi said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Lahore on Thursday. The company’s two cement plants have operated near full capacity in the past two years.

The company is building its first plant since 2007 to tap economic growth that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government forecasts will be the fastest in seven years, even as the nation grapples with an electricity supply crisis and terrorism. Pakistan’s output is projected to expand 4.3 percent in the year ending June 30 and 4.75 percent in the following fiscal year by the International Monetary Fund.

The new plant near Hub, a city west of Karachi, will produce about 2 to 2.5 million tons of cement a year, Niazi said. Construction is targeted for completion late in 2018. The plant will be financed 40 percent through internal cash and the rest through debt, Niazi said.

“Expansion means the company will enter the southern region of the country,” Tahir Abbas, an analyst at brokerage Arif Habib Ltd. said by phone in Karachi. “This will impact the entire industry and could start a price war.”

Earnings Forecast

D.G Khan shares rose 2.9 percent to 128.63 rupees in Karachi Thursday. The stock has gained 48 percent over the last year, compared with a 32 percent gain in the benchmark KSE100 Index.

Cement sales in Pakistan rose to a record 34.3 million tons in the year ended June 30, 2014, according to the cement manufacturers’ association. Sales are on track for another record this year.

D.G. Khan is spending $30 million to generate electricity from coal to run its plant in Punjab province to decrease reliance on natural gas. South Asia’s second-biggest economy is struggling to meet gas demand and plans to import liquified natural gas.

The company forecasts net income will rise 25 percent to 7.5 billion rupees ($74 million) in the year ending June 30, Niazi said. Domestic sales with higher margins than exports will contribute to the projected gain. Net income was a record 5.99 billion rupees in the last fiscal year.

CANADA: Quebec to approve $1.1-billion cement plant without environmental review

Opposition parties and environmentalists slammed the Couillard government on Thursday for green-lighting a $1.1-billion cement works project without a review by Quebec’s environmental bureau.

The McInnis Cement plant in Port-Daniel—Gascons, in Gaspésie, could top the list of industrial polluters in the province.

The provincial government plans to exempt the project from an assessment by the Bureau des audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE), Quebec’s advisory office of environmental hearings. The company has said the project shouldn’t be subject to an environmental review because it was submitted in May 1995, a month before the law requiring such an assessment came into effect.

In the National Assembly, Economy, Innovation and Exports Minister Jacques Daoust said the project “isn’t an environmental dossier, it’s an economic dossier.” The opposition greeted the remark with jeers.

Coalition Avenir Québec environment critic, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said the government’s plan will encourage other companies to try to bypass an environmental review.

“From now on, lobbyists are going to line up outside the premier’s office to ask that other projects not be submitted to the BAPE,” he said in the National Assembly.

Last year, the Marois government announced that Quebec would invest $350 million in the project. The cement works on the shores of Baie-des-Chaleurs in Port-Daniel—Gascons would initially produce 2.2 million metric tonnes of cement annually.

Québec solidaire joined the CAQ in an unlikely pairing against the project.

Québec solidaire MNA Manon Massé accused the Couillard government of trying to “short circuit” the process.

“We know it’s extremely polluting because of the materials it will use. But we don’t have all the facts, so citizens can’t make an informed decision on the issue,” she said.

The plant would release 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) per year, according to an evaluation by a Canadian engineering consultant firm. That greenhouse gas output would make it the No. 1 industrial polluter in Quebec.

Yet in a statement on Thursday, McInnis said its plant “will become a model in North America for its environmental performance.” The company has said it will reduce global GHG emissions by replacing production of older, less efficient cement plants.

McInnis said the plant would create 400 jobs in a region plagued by chronic unemployment. The jobless rate in Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madelaine was 16.4 per cent in 2014, more than twice the provincial average of 7.7 per cent.

Last summer, two environmental groups joined one of McInnis’ competitors, Lafarge, in a legal challenge against McInnis to make sure it would undergo an environmental assessment.

The environmental groups dropped out after McInnis agreed to mediated talks and to form a committee in charge of monitoring GHG. Proceedings are nevertheless expected to go ahead in Quebec City in two weeks.

Michel Goudreau of Environnement Vert Plus, one of the two environmental groups that backed out of the challenge, said the Couillard government’s stance on the project shows its disregard for the environment.

“We’re reverting back to the old ways of reckless development we experienced in the 1950s and 1960s, when big projects were done without consultation or looking at the impacts on the environment,” he said.

Patrick Bonin, a spokesperson for Greenpeace in Montreal, agreed. “Quebec is doing all in its power to prevent the project from being submitted to the BAPE because the government knows it’s an extremely polluting project that would be indefensible from our current point of view on climate change,” he said.

PERU: Indecopi confirma multa de casi S/. 6 millones a Unacem

La Unión Andina de Cementos S.A.A. Unacem, y sus distribuidores: La Viga S.A., A Berio y Cia. S.A.C. y Manufacturas de Acero Comercial e Industrial S.A., fueron sancionados por la Sala Especializada en Defensa de la Competencia del Indecopi, por restringir la competencia y afectar el bienestar de los consumidores.

La resolución confirma las multas por un total S/. 5 973 687, a las empresas Unacem con 1 488,20 UIT; La Viga S.A. con 33,52 UIT; A. Berio y Cia. S.A.C. con 13,25 UIT; Manufacturas de Acero Comercial e Industrial S.A. con 17,04 UIT y a los directivos investigados con multas entre 2,5 y 5 UIT.

Entre agosto de 2007 y noviembre de 2008, Unacem y sus distribuidoras faltaron a la libre competencia en el mercado de cementos en la zona centro del país. Es decir, se negaron concertada e injustificadamente a vender cemento “Sol” de Unacem a aquellas ferreterías que compraran cemento “Quisqueya” de Cemex Perú S.A.

Con esta práctica Unacem mantenía su posición de dominio en la comercialización del producto. Asimismo, la práctica colusoria impedía que se desarrollen las condiciones de competencia en el mercado de cementos, evitando que los precios puedan disminuir en beneficio del consumidor.

Esta política tenía la capacidad de excluir a Cemex Perú S.A. del mercado, debido a la importancia del cemento “Sol” para las ferreterías, las cuales representan el principal canal de distribución en este mercado.

PERU: Consumo de cemento cerraría el año con una expansión de 3%

Tras cerrar el 2014 con una expansión casi plana –1,7%–, el consumo de cemento avanzaría hasta fines de este año un 3%, según la proyección de la Asociación de Productores de Cemento (Asocem). 

Según el gremio, tal resultado obedecería al incremento de la inversión pública –especialmente, desde fines del primer trimestre–, así como a la recuperación de la inversión privada.

Cabe precisar que el mercado cementero es el principal termómetro del sector construcción, pues aporta el 73,95% del ponderado del PBI sectorial. Este a su vez equivale al 5,1% del PBI nacional. Así, por ejemplo, la construcción aportó 0,12 puntos porcentuales al PBI del 2014 (2,35%).

Entonces, proyectar un crecimiento de 3%, si bien implicaría una mejora frente al año pasado, no es del todo optimista si tenemos en cuenta que este debe ser el año del inicio de construcción de megaproyectos de infraestructura como la línea 2 del metro, el gasoducto del sur, el aeropuerto de Chinchero y la modernización de la refinería de Talara. Todos consumidores intensivos de cemento.

La explicación a la cifra vendría por el impacto que podría tener en el sector construcción el que el 2015 es el año de inicio de gestión de los gobiernos locales y regionales. Tampoco ayudan el exceso de ‘tramitología’ y que este también sea el año en que empezará la campaña electoral hacia el 2016.

Aun así, el 3% bien podría ser el inicio de una nueva ‘cresta’ en el crecimiento del mercado cementero, ya que hacia el 2017 comenzaría un cambio cualitativo en los motores de la economía, en el cual la inversión en infraestructura reemplazará paulatinamente en importancia a la minera, según Apoyo Consultoría.

A SUS MARCAS

El resultado de enero está en línea con la proyección del gremio, pues el despacho total de cemento –consumo local más exportación– en el primer mes del año se expandió 0,9%.

El resultado es bueno para el mercado cementero si se toma en cuenta que históricamente el primer trimestre es el más bajo para el sector construcción por las lluvias en la sierra y selva. Sin embargo, el consolidado del sector no estaría en azul, pues al magro 0,9% se habría sumado una caída de 26,9% de la inversión pública (que representa el 23,29% del PBI sectorial).

CONSUMO INDIVIDUAL

Con el 1,7% de crecimiento del año pasado, el consumo per cápita del 2014 cerró en 368 kg/hab, variable que se duplicó desde el 2006 (168kg/hab). Así, el Perú es el tercer mercado con mayor consumo per cápita de cemento en Sudamérica, solo por detrás de Brasil y Ecuador.

Curioso dato el último si consideramos que tras la racha de inversiones –por más de US$1.000 millones– para ampliar todas las plantas de cemento locales; las dos cementeras más grandes del país –Unacem y Yura– han anunciado inversiones por US$747 en el mercado cementero ecuatoriano.

QATAR: Qatar National Cement Co. signs contract with Fcb Ciment for US$219.71 mn plant

Qatar National Cement Company has signed an agreement with Fcb Ciment of France for the construction of a QR 800 million (US$ 219.71 million) plant with a production capacity of 5,000 tonnes of clinker per day, media reports.

The new plant, the forth for the company, will allow Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) to increase its output to 11,900 tonnes of clinker per day and 15,500 tonnes of cement per day, according to news reports in Gulf News.com.

Salem Butti Al Nuaimi, Chairman and Managing Director, QNCC, and Alain Cordonier, CEO, for Fcb Ciment, signed the deal on Sunday. QNCC also signed a consulting agreement for the project with Basse Sambre-ERI from Belgium, which is also the consulting firm for plant 3.

Al Nuaimi told reporters that once the plants reach their projected capacity, QNCC will be able to fully meet the cement requirement of the local market with prospects for export of the surplus to neighbouring countries. He said that the new plant will be established in two stages with one of the cement grinders to be commissioned in 17 months and the other in 22 months.

SENEGAL: Le bras de fer continue entre Dangote et Vicat

La guerre fait toujours rage entre deux cimentiers présents au Sénégal : le géant nigérian Dangote et son rival français Vicat. Alors que Dangote a démarré ses activités au Sénégal depuis décembre dernier, son concurrent français accuse l’Etat sénégalais d’avoir favorisé le nigérian.

Le Français Vicat est bien décidé à faire condamner l’Etat sénégalais qu’il accuse d’avoir favorisé le géant milliardaire nigerian Dangote, alors même que la cimenterie de ce dernier a démarré en décembre 2014. Ce qui provoque la colère du cimentier qui n’a pas dit son dernier mot. Selon Boubacar Camara, président du Conseil d’administration de la Sococim, la filiale locale du cimentier Vicat au Sénégal, les autorités sénégalaises ont permis à Dangoté d’outrepasser toutes les réglementations sociales et environnementales que nécessitent les activités liées à la cimenterie.

Dans une interview accordée à AFRIK.COM en mars 2014, Boubacar Camara affirme que depuis qu’il a implanté son usine de ciment au Sénégal, Dangote n’a respecté aucune réglementation : ni minière, ni foncière ou environnementale ». Pour le responsable de Sococim, « il ne fait pas de doute que Dangote a été favorisé. L’Etat du Sénégal l’a laissé faire. Mais la conséquence, c’est le traitement inégal des investisseurs du pays, alors que le code des investissements, le code de l’UEMOA et le code minier garantissent une égalité entre investisseurs ». Selon le dirigeant de Sococim, « les arbitres des deux parties sont désormais désignés, la procédure suit son cours au Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements (CIRDI), à Washington. Le lancement de l’usine rend l’évaluation du préjudice plus facile ».

« Il n’y avait pas de problème dans le secteur du ciment au Sénégal avant l’arrivée de Dangote », estime Boubacar Camara. Le groupe français a été jusqu’à même déposer, le 6 novembre dernier, une demande d’arbitrage à la Cour commune de justice et d’arbitrage (CCJA) à Abidjan pour « distorsion de concurrence ». De son côté Dangote a toujours refusé de commenter ce litige dans la presse. Néanmoins, le géant nigérian accuse Vicat « de propager des informations mensongères à son encontre », affirmant que le groupe français n’a pas hésité à adresser de faux rapports aux autorités sur les tests environnementaux réalisés par Dangote Cement ».

Le litige entre les deux parties qui date de la présidence de l’ancien chef d’Etat Abdoulaye Wade n’est visiblement pas prêt d’être résolu.

PERU: Despachos locales de cemento caen 1.7% en enero por clima desfavorable para la construcción

La Asociación de Productores de Cemento (Asocem) reportó hoy que el despacho nacional de cemento decreció 1.7% en enero del 2015 con respecto al mismo mes del año pasado, debido principalmente a dos factores, que son el clima desfavorable para la construcción y el cambio de autoridades en gobiernos locales y regionales.

En el primer mes del 2015 se despacharon 816 mil toneladas (MT) de cemento, lo que significó 14 MT menos que en enero 2014.

“En este último mes se han presenciado fuertes lluvias en la sierra y selva. El efecto de las lluvias sobre la construcción es contractivo por lo que es de esperarse que se reduzca el consumo de cemento”, anotó el gremio cementero.

A esto se suma la época post electoral de los gobiernos locales y regionales, en la que suele haber una menor intensidad de obras en los primeros meses, lo que reduce el consumo de cemento.

La Asocem recordó que adicionalmente se debe tomar en cuenta que el consumo de cemento en enero es menor por “factores estacionales”.

Por su parte, la producción de cemento creció 3% en enero con respecto a similar período del año pasado. Mientras que la exportación de cemento creció 126% en el primer mes del 2015, lo que generó una expansión de 0.9% del despacho total de cemento en el Perú.

“Se espera que una mayor cantidad de obras públicas inicien a finales del primer trimestre del 2015. Hasta el momento se cuenta con una cartera de 3,367 obras públicas aún no ejecutadas, que representarían un gasto aproximado de S/. 16,000 millones”, dijo la Asocem.

Añadió que la inversión privada juega un rol muy importante en el mercado de cemento y por eso el ministro de Economía y Finanzas, Alonso Segura, anunció que se realizarían proyectos privados por más de S/. 20,000 millones entre el primer y tercer trimestre del 2015.

“La mayor cantidad de obras públicas y privadas permitirían un crecimiento sostenible del mercado de cemento, durante el 2015”, mencionó el gremio.

GHANA: Ban importation of cement, govt told

Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director, has called on government to immediately ban the importation of cement into the country.

He said the importation of bagged cement was crippling the cement industry in Ghana.

Dr. Dawson-Ahmoah made the appeal when the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah paid a working visit to Takoradi factory of GHACEM.

He said, “It is worthy to note that with a current surplus capacity of over two million tons per annum, local manufacturing companies have the installed capacity to meet the local demand for cement.

“There is no basis for the continued importation of bagged cement into the country.”

Dr. Dawson-Ahmoah also bemoaned unfair trade practices in the country’s cement industry and the unreliable power supply and charged the Minister to take action to address the problems.

He commended the Minister for taking keen interest in the Western Region as an industrial hub to move the economy forward.

Mr Spio-Garbrah, in his remark, noted that Western Region has many resources available and industrial free zones, adding that the time has come for entrepreneurs to take advantage of the situation.

He commended GHACEM for continuously expanding its operation in the wake of numerous challenges.

“GHACEM’s compliance with tax laws, Corporate Social Responsibility and the use of local limestone for cement production is an example of a good corporate citizen and needs to be emulated by corporate entities for the growth of the industry,” Mr Spio-Garbrah said.

He gave the assurance that government would continue to support local industries to develop the country’s economy.

CANADA: Lafarge lawsuit against McInnis Cement continues despite environmental truce

McInnis Cement has reaching a truce with environmental groups opposed to a $1.1 billion plant being built in the Gaspe region of Quebec, but the company continues to face a lawsuit by rival Lafarge.

Legal proceedings are expected to begin in two weeks in Quebec City as Lafarge attempts to quash the Quebec government’s authorization of the project at Port-Daniel-Gascons, Que., without an environmental assessment hearing.

Two environmental groups joined Lafarge’s challenge last summer but have now agreed to withdraw from the legal action in exchange for entering into mediated talks with McInnis. The two sides have agreed to form a committee that will address long-term emissions of greenhouse gases and other contaminants as well as protections for marine animals.

“The mediation process that McInnis has committed to will make larger environmental gains than what could be hoped for from a legal judgment at this late stage of the project,” said Michel Belanger, a lawyer for the environmentalists.

Lafarge Canada has said the new cement plant threatens jobs at its plant near Montreal and at other plants across the province. McInnis CEO Christian Gagnon has said Lafarge’s true aim is to slow the arrival of a new competitor.

“The withdrawal of the environmental groups is leaving Lafarge alone in the legal proceedings and highlight its non-competitive purpose,” Gagnon said in a statement announcing the truce with the environmental non-profits.

McInnis says the new plant will generate 20 per cent less greenhouse gas per tonne of cement than the North American average. The plant’s capacity will start at 2.2 million tonnes of cement and could reach more than 2.5 million tonnes. It is slated to open in the fall of 2016.

Although it could also produce two per cent of Quebec’s greenhouse gas emissions at full production, and about six per cent of its industrial emissions, the company says those numbers would gradually be reduced as biomass replaces up to half of the fuel burned.

McInnis Cement was formed by members of the family that founded Bombardier Inc. and its spinoff, Ski-Doo maker BRP Inc. It has received financial support from successive Parti Quebecois and Liberal provincial governments as well as the Caisse de depot pension fund manager.

Former premier Pauline Marois agreed to provide a guaranteed loan worth about $250 million. The province’s investment arm will invest $100 million and the Caisse will also invest $100 million as equity partner in the Beaudier Group, the investment arm of the Beaudoin family.

McInnis said last fall that the project would be at risk if it was forced to suspend work to conduct what it called unnecessary environmental hearings. Supporters claim the project is subject to old environmental rules in place when it was first proposed more than 20 years ago, even though the plant’s capacity has more than doubled.

BRAZIL: Construtores visitam fábrica que diminuirá déficit de cimento no MA

Empresários dos sindicatos ligados à FIEMA conheceram a planta industrial, que tem capacidade para produzir 500 mil toneladas do produto por ano. A indústria foi inaugurada há um mês.

Uma comitiva de aproximadamente 20 empresários ligados à Federação das Indústrias do Estado do Maranhão (FIEMA) e liderada pelo presidente da entidade, Edilson Baldez das Neves, visitou a unidade fabril da Cimar – Cimentos do Maranhão S/A. Inaugurada há um mês na BR-135, em São Luís, a fábrica da marca Cimento Bravo tem capacidade e tecnologia para produzir 3.600 sacos de cimento por hora, totalizando 500 mil toneladas do produto por ano.

A unidade fabril pertence à Cimento Portland Participações – CPP, holding da Queiroz Galvão e Cornélio Brennand, e é a primeira de uma série de quatro empreendimentos previstos para serem construídos no Brasil nos próximos dez anos.

Da visita, participaram empresários maranhenses do setor da construção, tanto os filiados ao Sindicato das Indústrias da Construção Civil do Estado do Maranhão (Sinduscon-MA) como ao Sindicato das Indústrias da Construção Pesada do Estado do Maranhão (Sincopem).

“Estamos conhecendo esta nova fábrica inaugurada em nosso estado, inclusive, acompanhados do empresariado da construção civil, que é quem consome esse produto, e ratificando o nosso apoio à empresa, de quem o Sistema FIEMA é parceiro desde o início da instalação, com a qualificação da mão de obra pelo SENAI”, afirmou Baldez.

O grupo foi recebido pelo diretor-presidente da Cimento Bravo, Rogerio Notare, acompanhado do gerente de Operações, Marcio Paolucci, e do gerente Comercial, Gileno de Oliveira.

Segundo informou o diretor-presidente da empresa, a Cimar comercializa cimento do tipo CPII-E-32, da marca Cimento Bravo desde sua inauguração em São Luís, em dezembro de 2014. Sua planta industrial está localizada em uma área de 18 hectares, às margens da BR-135 e próximo à Ferrovia Transnordestina e ao Porto do Itaqui, o que facilita a obtenção de matérias-primas e a distribuição. Atualmente a produção é direcionada ao pronto atendimento do mercado de São Luís e das demais cidades do Maranhão e chega também ao Piauí e ao Pará.

No processo de fabricação, a empresa reaproveita a escória proveniente da indústria siderúrgica de Açailândia, no sul do Maranhão. Este subproduto da fabricação de ferro-gusa é considerado um insumo estratégico fundamental para a competitividade do cimento e sua utilização tem efeitos positivos na preservação do meio ambiente. Além da escória, também são utilizados na fabricação do cimento, calcário, gesso (adquirido também do sul do Maranhão) e clínquer, que a empresa importa pelo Porto do Itaqui.

Para fazer a descarga do clínquer dos navios no porto do Itaqui, a Cimar é pioneira no Maranhão na utilização de moegas ecológicas, um equipamento desenvolvido aqui no Estado, que maximiza a eficiência nas operações, evitando desperdícios e reduzindo a emissão de particulados.

“A Cimento Bravo é uma indústria limpa e nossos custos operacionais estão em conformidade com rigorosos sistemas de qualidade e controle de emissão de particulados”, comentou Notare.

Para armazenagem do produto, a fábrica possui quatro silos com capacidade para 1500 toneladas cada um, totalizando 6 mil toneladas. A produção é entre 50 e 60 mil toneladas de cimento por mês e 3.600 sacos de cimento por dia.

Mercado

Segundo dados do Sindicato Nacional da Indústria da Construção (SNIC), o Maranhão consumiu, somente em 2013, cerca de 1,5 milhão de toneladas de cimento no ano, mas a produção dentro do estado chegou próximo a 800 mil toneladas.

“Sabemos que o mercado do Maranhão vem sofrendo, sistematicamente, com a falta de cimento e com a implantação desta fábrica contribuímos positivamente para sanar esse déficit”, afirmou o diretor-presidente da empresa.

Atualmente, a Cimar gera 80 empregos diretos e mais de 300 indiretos, sendo 90% desses trabalhadores maranhenses, todos qualificados pelo Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial (SENAI) para atuarem na unidade fabril.

OMAN: Oman Cement 2014 net profit declines 13% on weaker sales

Oman Cement Co’s net profit for the year 2014 declined by 12.8 per cent to RO13.15mn from RO15.08mn in the previous year. The decline was mainly due to lower volume of cement sales, lower clinker production and higher volumes of imported clinker, the company said in report released on Monday. 

Oman Cement imported higher volumes of clinker to bridge the temporary shortfall due to one of its kilns being closed for capacity enhancement.

The company said it would consider a joint venture (JV) for setting up a new cement plant after detailed studies.

It said the US$39mn project for installing an additional cement mill of 150TPH (tonnes per hour) capacity with supporting infrastructure of cement silos and bulk despatches is in progress and is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2015.

Oman Cement achieved sales of 2,078,937MT of cement during 2014 against 2,101,631MT in the previous year, a decrease of 1.1 per cent. In value terms, total sales dropped 2.05 per cent last year to RO51.35mn from RO52.42mn in 2013.

“Market demand for cement in Oman remains good due to continued emphasis on infrastructure development. With the company's well-structured pricing policy, we hope that in spite of stiff competition with other cement manufacturers, particularly from neighbouring countries, the company will continue to do well to retain its market share,” the report said.The cement producer said that government's decision to double the price of natural gas, effective January 1, is bound to have a major impact on its performance in the coming years. “Similarly restrictions on carrying capacity for road transport of materials will also increase the cost of operations. However, we are committed to meet the challenge by directing our efforts towards better cost management.”

While the demand for cement is expected to remain good, the company will make efforts to increase it market share with the availability of higher quantity of cement after commissioning a new mill, which is expected to commence production during the last quarter of 2015, Oman Cement added.

USA: Holcim to sell Trident cement plant

Some of the 80 employees at the Trident cement plant near Three Forks thought the facility was safe from the antitrust hatchets that started swinging after the plant’s owner announced a merger with its primary competitor last year. But anyone who bet Trident would remain in the stable of assets owned by Holcim US Inc., has lost the wager.

The Trident plant will be sold to an Irish multinational, according to a joint statement issued Feb. 2 by Holcim and Lafarge, the companies whose $43 billion merger is expected to be final in the first half of this year. 

According to the statement, the assets to be divested include cement plants and other facilities in Europe, Canada, Brazil and the Philippines. The only U.S. holdings on the list are the Trident plant and some distribution facilities in the Great Lakes area. 

Holcim and Lafarge confirmed in the statement that the Irish building materials giant CRH had tendered a $7.4 billion offer (6.5 billion euros) to acquire the assets. If the deal is approved by regulators and CRH shareholders, it is expected to close by the end of June.

At No. 129 on the Fortune 500, CRH operates in 35 countries, employs 76,000 people worldwide and enjoys annual sales exceeding $20.3 billion. It is a leading producer of cement, aggregates and other building materials in Europe and other parts of the world, including China and India. 

CRH's North American arm is called Oldcastle. Based in Atlanta, Ga., Oldcastle was founded in 1977 and bills itself as "North America's largest manufacturer of building products and materials." 

Oldcastle leads the industry in the production of asphalt, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, precast products and other construction materials. The company's growth strategy has been to acquire small- and medium-sized companies which keep their names and local focus. In Montana, it owns Helena Sand and Gravel in Helena and L.S. Jensen Construction & Ready Mix in Missoula. 

But Oldcastle doesn't manufacture cement; Trident would be CRH's only cement plant in North America, and whether it plans to operate the plant, sell it off or shut it down remains to be seen. The media relations office at CRH did not respond to our requests for comments for this story, but its chief executive told reporters during a Feb. 2 news conference that CRH likely will divest some of the assets it acquires from Holcim and Lafarge.

"Not all of these assets are going to remain long term in our group, that's for sure," CEO Albert Manifold said (as reported by Reuters for a Feb. 2 story. "Some of these assets, we will be required to take partners on."

Now more than 105 years old, the Trident plant has been owned by Holcim since the late 1980s. A significant economic force locally—employing more than six dozen people at relatively high wages for this area and kicking in six figures into the local tax base each year—Trident is the smallest of ten cement plants Holcim operates in the U.S., producing about 350,000 metric tons of product each year. By contrast, Holcim's Ste. Genevieve plant in Missouri, which opened in 2009 and is one of the largest cement plants in the world, produces more than 4 million metric tons.

Employees at Trident referred all calls about the merger to the company's Waltham, Mass., headquarters. Our efforts to reach a spokesperson, however, have been unsuccessful. 

While no Trident employees would speak on the record for this story because Holcim rigidly controls corporate communications, some employees anonymously told us that Holcim's decision to sell Trident was a surprise and “has everyone pretty stirred up.”

Another worker said local employees received no indication of sale plans from the corporate offices and were confused about the decision. 

“We thought we were okay—that we weren’t going to be affected” by the merger, the employee said. “This was a big shock. People are kind of stunned around here.”

SERBIA: CRH buying Serbian cement factories

The Swiss giant in the field of production of building materials Holcim connects its activity with the French Lafarge, jointly selling plants to the Irish group CRH specialized in building materials. At issue is the production of cement and other materials in Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Germany, UK, and France. More in our regular feature ECONOMIC REVIEW prepared by Ranka Pavlovic.

The plants, being sold to the Irish include several Holcim’s factories in Serbia, the cement plant in Popovac, and two concrete plants in Belgrade. Holcim bought a 70% stake in the company in Popovac in 2002 for slightly over 52 million dollars, and since then it has invested about 135 million euros in it. Concrete factories in Belgrade, located in the settlements Krnjaca and Dobanovci, were built in 2007 and 2013, and "Holcim" invested 2 million euros in them. The Swiss also own the Holcim Aggregates company for exploitation and sale of sand, gravel and crushed stone. These plants employ a total of 380 people, who, based on the collective agreement, cannot lose their jobs prior to 2016.

As published on the Holcim’s official website, the Irish company will buy 24 plants owned by the Swiss and the French which annually produce 23 million tons of cement while having a capacity of 36 million tons. They will employ more than 15,000 workers. As announced, Holcim will sell all its assets except its Altkirch cement factory and the plant for production of cement and ready-mix in the French department of Haut-Rhin, and Lafarge’s plant in the French town of Saint-Nazaire. As for Lafarge, the sale of the facility in Romania has been announced in order to reduce the market share of 33%, before merging with Holcim.

Total sales of Lafarge and Holcim includes primarily the business activities of these companies in Europe, Canada, Brazil and the Philippines, and their assets enabled the turnover estimated at 5.2 billion euros in 2014, with a profit of around 744 million euros. Lafarge and Holcim plan to complete the merger in the first half of this year.

CRH has confirmed that it accepted to pay 6.5 billion euros for the property of Holcim and Lafarge, whereby they will finance the transaction with 2 billion euros of its own funds and need a loan to cover the remainder. After this purchase, the Irish company will become the third cement producer in the world. CRH produces building materials in 35 countries, at 3,400 locations, and has 76,000 employees.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Cemex aumentará su participación en TCL

Después de que el pasado lunes el Consejo de Administración de la cementera de Trinidad y Tobago, Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL), eliminaron el candado que impedía que un accionista tuviera una participación mayor al 20 por ciento en la compañía, quedó el camino libre para que Cemex incremente su propiedad sobre la compañía

Mientras que por un lado la firma regiomontana Cemex inició en Europa su estrategia de desinversión de activos por hasta mil 500 millones de dólares anunciada hace unos días, por el otro, una de sus subsidiarias en Trinidad y Tobago busca incrementar hasta un 40 por ciento su participación en la cementera Trinidad Cement Limited (TLC).

Durante la conferencia telefónica que sostuvo con analistas para explicar los resultados del cuarto trimestre del año pasado, Fernando González Olivieri, director general de Cemex, señaló que como parte de sus acciones para recuperar el grado de inversión estaría la desinversión en activos por hasta mil 500 millones de dólares.

La semana pasada, el directivo dijo que Cemex podría vender parte de sus activos en el norte de Europa, el Mediterráneo y Asia, y la mitad de los recursos que obtenga los destinará al pago de deuda.

Además, González Olivieri dijo que podrían vender entre un 5 y 10 por ciento más de la subsidiaria Cemex Latam Holdings para levantar recursos.

Pero por otro lado, Cemex ha llegado a un acuerdo con el Consejo de Trinidad Cement Limited (TLC) que permitirá a la empresa mexicana aumentar su participación en esta empresa a por lo menos 35 por ciento, con la opción de añadir otro cinco por ciento, publicó el sitio jamaica-gleaner.com.

El pasado lunes, TCL señaló que obtuvo la aprobación para eliminar una restricción que limitaba la participación de accionistas a un 20 por ciento como máximo, por lo que firmó un acuerdo de suscripción con Sierra Trading, filial de Cemex, para que ésta aumente su porcentaje accionario, señaló el sitio guardian.co.tt.

La cementera regiomontana posee actualmente el 20 por ciento de TCL a través de Sierra Trading y se ha comprometido a no buscar una participación más allá del 40 por ciento de la empresa en virtud de un acuerdo establecido

Bajo el acuerdo alcanzado con el Consejo de TCL de 10 miembros, en la que Cemex tiene ahora al menos tres representantes, la empresa mexicana suscribirá hasta 45 millones de dólares de la ampliación de capital, que tiene contempla la cementera trinitaria por hasta 57 millones de dólares

TCL ha acordado conceder un derecho exclusivo a Sierra de suscribir y comprar las acciones en el tema de derechos que no sean asumidas por los accionistas. Sin embargo, con la cantidad adquirida Sierra no debe detentar más del 40 por ciento de la cementera.

Si después de lo anterior Sierra no ha logrado al menos el 35 por ciento de participación en TCL, la empresa hará una colocación privada de acciones.

La empresa cementera se está embarcando en un plan integral de reestructuración destinado a preservar sus operaciones y asegurar su viabilidad a largo plazo.

A finales del año pasado, la compañía detuvo todos los pagos de sus compromisos financieros en virtud de un acuerdo sobre la deuda alcanzado con grandes acreedores al no poder hacer frente a los mil 700 millones de dólares en deuda a corto plazo.

Keith Rowley, líder de la oposición, hizo un llamado al gobierno para mantener a TCL en manos nacionales.

BRAZIL: Nova fábrica de cimento da Semapa no Brasil deve ficar pronta até final de março

A fábrica de R$ 700 milhões que a Supremo Cimentos tem em construção no Paraná irá ficar operacional ainda este trimestre, informou a Semapa. A companhia portuguesa, que detém 50% da Supremo, viu o seu negócio no Brasil crescer em 2014.

A Semapa, um dos maiores grupos industriais portugueses, espera ter a sua nova fábrica de cimento no Brasil pronta até ao final de março, revelou a companhia portuguesa no comunicado de resultados de 2014, divulgado através da Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM).

O empreendimento, que chegou a ter abertura prevista para o último trimestre de 2014, está a ser construído pela Supremo Cimentos, empresa brasileira na qual a Semapa detém uma participação de 50%.

"A nova fábrica de cimento, em construção pela Supremo Cimentos, S.A. no Brasil, tem a sua conclusão prevista para o primeiro trimestre deste ano. Com o início de atividade desta unidade produtiva, a totalidade da capacidade de cimento instalada da Supremo atingirá os dois milhões de toneladas", informou a Semana no seu comunicado ao mercado.

A fábrica ficará situada em Adrianópolis, no Paraná, e tem um investimento estimado em R$ 700 milhões.

Segundo a Semapa, em 2014 a Supremo alcançou um volume de negócios equivalente a 54,4 milhões de euros, com um crescimento de 5,7% relativamente a 2013.

No ano passado a participada brasileira da Semapa teve um EBITDA (lucro antes de juros, impostos, depreciações e amortizações) correspondente a 6,5 milhões de euros, com um aumento de 34,2% em comparação com 2013.

"Este bom desempenho deveu-se à melhoria da performance operacional, quer na unidade de cimento, através do aumento da produção e da redução da incorporação de clínquer no cimento, quer na unidade de betão pronto, onde se verificou um aumento da produção, permitindo desta forma uma maior diluição de custos fixos e consequente aumento das margens operacionais em ambas as unidades", explica a Semapa.

O grupo português fechou 2014 com 1.998 milhões de euros, mais 1,5% do que no ano anterior. Já o EBITDA recuou 2,6%, para 410 milhões de euros. O lucro da Semapa em 2014 caiu 22,8%, para 112,8 milhões de euros.