Quarry Products

India-based Reliance Infrastructure is currently in an advanced stage of talks to have its cement operations sold in a deal worth around INR 50 billion (€684.36 million/US$747.50 million). Reliance Cement has an annual capacity of 5.5 million tonnes.

It has plants in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Birla is said to be among the top three potential buyers. According to people familiar with the development, private equity firms Baring and Blackstone are the other top contenders.

UltraTech Cement of India is believed to be in talks with Kenya-listed ARM Cement for the controlling stake in the latter.

The Indian cement manufacturer could acquire convertible preference shares of up to US$125 million (€114.44 million) in ARM Cement.

Earlier, ARM Cement announced the impending transaction, but did not disclose the identity of the potential investor.

The transaction is likely to be completed by March 2016.

The Ivorian subsidiary of Moroccan group Cimenteries d'Afrique (CIMAF) aims to set up a new production unit in San Pedro, Côte d'Ivoire, which will require a XOF 35 billion (€53.36 million US$58.28 million) investment.

The CIMAF subsidiary thus aims to strengthen its activities in the country so as to beef up its positions on the local market, before aiming to establish itself on the regional market.

It is reported that Ireland-based building materials company CRH will join the race to acquire Lafarge's cement business in India with annual capacity of 11 million tonnes with 7.8 million tonnes of the capacity is located in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

JSW Cement, Birla Corporation as well as Blackstone might also submit bids for Lafarge's assets in India.

Lafarge has been told by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to sell its 5.15 million tonnes of cement capacity in eastern Indi

Thierry Loison, the regional director of Cemex Bétons Nord-Ouest, is to replace Thierry Flandre as president of the Ready-made Concrete College in Normandy, which is part of the French National Union of Construction Materials and Quarry Industries (Unicem). His term will last three years.

Pre-cast concrete products maker Sarawak Consolidated Industries (SCIB) will build a new factory by spending MYR 6 million (€1.24 million/US$1.36 million). The new factory will make concrete products for the Pan Borneo Highway project.

The company has secured deals valued at MYR 10 million to supply the products so far. Supply of the products started since October 2015.

Adhi Karya, a state-owned engineering and construction company based in Indonesia, has set a capital spending of IDR 1.10 trillion (€72.67 million/US$79.4 million) for its operations in 2016, with the allocation going to various investment projects (IDR 750 billion) and fixed asset investments (IDR 404.5 billion).

In the meantime, the company aims to achieve a net profit of IDR 750 billion in 2016, while its revenue target is set at IDR 20 trillion that will come from LRT projects (21.6%); pre-cast concr

By the end of 2016, Egypt-based Suez Cement intends to complete the conversion of coal usage for cement production. According to its chairman, Omar Mehanna, the cement producer targets to produce 11 million tonnes using the alternative energy source. In 2015, the conversion to coal usage at two plants out of five had been concluded by the Italcementi company, which is is investing about US$110 million (€100.71 million) for the conversion.

Saudi Arabia-based Qassim Cement reported that its net earnings for 2015 reached SAR 586 million (€142.95 million/US$ 156.14 million), a 4% improvement from SAR 564 million in 2014.

The cement company posted an increase of 4.6% in net earnings year on year from SAR 134 million to SAR 141 million in the fourth-quarter of 2015.