“With the acquisition of Cementir Italia we significantly improve our nationwide presence in Italy,” explains Dr. Bernd Scheifele, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement. “For Italcementi, the acquisition is a unique opportunity to grow and consolidate its position in the Italian market. We see strong recovery potential in Southern Europe and especially in Italy over the coming years. With this acquisition we are very well positioned to create value through synergies, efficient processes, and the offer of high-quality and innovative products. The acquisition is part of our strategy of disciplined growth and increasing shareholder returns.”
The Italian competition authority gave clearance to the acquisition in November subject to certain conditions, including the divestment of some plants. Italcementi’s decision on this topic will be defined in the next 5 months.
On 19 September 2017, Italcementi and Cementir Holding entered into an agreement to buy Cementir Italia, including the fully controlled subsidiaries Cementir Sacci and Betontir. Cementir Italia’s business includes 5 integrated cement plants and 2 cement grinding units with a total cement capacity of 5.5 million tonnes per year, as well as a network of terminals and concrete plants, all operating in Italy. Minimum annual run-rate cost synergies of €25 million are expected to be achieved by 2020. The transaction has an enterprise value of € 315 million.
