HeidelbergCement has ushered in a new era with the opening of its revamped headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany after three years of construction. Designed by Frankfurt-based Albert Speer + Partner, the building is considered a sample project for sustainability that demonstrates the versatility of concrete.
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A $10 million funding round positions Blue Planet Systems Corp. to advance a carbon capture and utilization system netting fine to coarse, concrete-grade synthetic limestone. The Los Gatos, Calif., company is approaching commercialization of a process that converts diluted carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-powered electricity generating stations, cement or steel mills, and petroleum refineries to carbonate for mineralization into calcium…
Read MorePointed exchanges between Eagle Materials management and a major shareholder culminated late last month with a proposed split of the Dallas producer’s Light and Heavy Materials businesses. The latter encompasses Fairborn Cement Co., Illinois Cement Co., Central Plains Cement Co., Mountain Cement Co., Nevada Cement Co., and Texas-Lehigh Cement; GGBF slag cement processor and supplier Skyway Cement; plus, integrated concrete and aggregates operations in Texas, Kansas City and northern California.
Read MoreSources: HeidelbergCement AG, Germany; Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico; Cementir S.p.A., CP staff
Lehigh Hanson parent company HeidelbergCement will sell its 51 percent stake in Lehigh White Cement Co. to minority shareholders in a deal valued at about $140 million and scheduled for first quarter closing. Ownership of Lehigh White Cement, which has 280,000 tons’ capacity in York, Pa., and Waco, Texas, plants, will be split between Aalborg Cement Co. (63.25 percent), a North American business of Denmark-based Aalborg Portland Holding A/S, and Cemex Inc. (36.75 percent).
Read MoreJudging by the positive effect he and cabinet members have had on business beyond stock market metrics, President Donald Trump had cause to march toward his 100th day in office confident and content. Consider “Back to Basics,” a proclamation Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt outlined last month for a group of coal miners unaccustomed to friendly visits from White House representatives; or, House Joint Resolution 37, whereby President Trump and Capitol Hill allies have kneecapped aspects of Barack Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which stymies competition in federal project contracting.
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Sources: HeidelbergCement AG, Heidelberg, Germany; CP staff
Advancing a proposed merger with mid-year target, HeidelbergCement Chairman Dr. Bernd Scheifele announced plans to restructure Italcementi S.p.A. operations, principally at its Bergamo, Italy, headquarters and affecting upward of 400 employees through 2020; consolidate global technical activities at Italcementi’s i.Lab Research & Innovation Centre, a Bergamo facility opened in 2013; and, maintain the Italcementi brand plus homebased plants and industrial network.
Read MoreSources: Lehigh Hanson Inc., Irving, Texas; CP staff
Jon Morrish has transitioned to Lehigh Hanson president and chief executive officer from his post as South Region president. He succeeds the retiring Daniel Harrington, who during five years at the helm is credited with managing the business through one of the worst economic downturns in recent history, capitalizing on market recovery, and positioning the company for future growth.
Read MoreSources: Cement Association of Canada (CAC), Ottawa; CP staff
Members of CAC and peers from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) are convening October 1-3 in British Columbia to exchange ideas on best production, environmental management and market development practices. CAC is a partner with CSI in the Vancouver gathering, themed “Sustainable Construction: Building Tomorrow’s World” and hosted by the operators of the province’s two cement mills, Heidelberg Cement and Lafarge Canada.
Read MoreSources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva; CP staff
The WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative’s Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) database indicates producers reduced specific net carbon dioxide emissions per ton of cementitious product to 1,261 lb. (629 kg/tonne) in 2011 from 1,515 lb. (756 kg/tonne) in 1990.
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