5
NEWS
CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
OCTOBER 2013
■
EUROPEAN
RESHUFFLE
Holcim and Cemex
have agreed a series of
deals that will see both
companies reorganise
their European
businesses. Holcim
will take over Cemex
assets in Western
Germany in exchange
for its operations in the
Czech Republic and
€70 million in cash.
The two companies
will also combine their
operations in Spain,
with 25% owned by
Holcim and 75% by
Cemex. Cemex said
it expected to see
a US$20 million to
US$30 million (€15
million to €23 million)
improvement in pre-
tax profits from 2014
onwards. Holcim said
its synergies would be
around €20 million per
year.
■
DREDGING
TAKEOVER
Ackermans & van
Haaren (AvH) and
Vinci have reached
an agreement for
AvH to become the
majority shareholder
in Compagnie
d’Entreprises CFE (CFE),
while also enabling CFE
to acquire full control
over dredging and
marine engineering
firm DEME. CFE, in
which Vinci owns a
46.84% stake, currently
shares joint control of
DEME with AvH. The
new agreement will
see AvH contributing
its 50% shareholding
in DEME to CFE for 12.2
million newly issued
CFE shares, valued at
more than €550 million.
At the same time, Vinci
will sell half of its stake
in CFE (23.42%) to
AvH. As a result of both
of these transactions,
CFE will become the
sole shareholder
of DEME, with AvH
acquiring a 60.39%
share in CFE.
■
COMPACT
PARTNERS
JCB has announced
a partnership with
Kohler, which will see
the manufacturer of
small diesel engines
supply three- and four-
cylinder engines from
31kW to 55kW for the
company’s range of
compact construction
equipment. The water-
cooled Kohler Direct
Injection (KDI) engines,
which will be branded
JCB Diesel by Kohler,
meet the forthcoming
Tier 4 Final emissions
regulations without
the need for a diesel
particulate filter.
■
SALES UP
Spanish contractor
ACS reported first half
sales of €19.1 billion,
which was up 1.5%
compared to last
year, largely thanks to
growth in international
activity. The company
– which owns
contractor Hochtief
– said international
business represented
84.6% of its sales,
with 39% generated
in Asia Pacific, 34% in
the Americas, 26% in
Europe (of which 15%
was generated in Spain).
Net profit totalled €357
million for the first six
months of the year.
■
BANKRUPTCY
CONFIRMED
Danish contractor E
Pihl & Søn has filed for
bankruptcy, claiming
that attempts to find
a financial solution to
secure the continued
operation of the
company had been in
vain. One of Denmark’s
oldest contracting
companies, it was
founded in 1887 and
has a presence in 15
countries. It blamed
aggressive expansion,
substantial claims
against third parties and
higher costs on projects
for the decision.
BUSINESS NEWS
EIB gives approval
to new investments
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a string of new investments
for construction projects around Europe. Loans totalling €450 million were
signed to support Italian motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia, €250 million
of which will finance the upgrading of the 17km Firenze Nord-Barberino del
Mugello Appenine stretch of the A1.
The remaining €200 million will support the operator’s 2011 to 2016 network
safety improvement programme of Italy’s main motorway operator.
Meanwhile, the EIB approved a separate €300 million loan to support the
modernisation of the metro operator Lille Métropole in France. The funds will
help increase capacity on Lille’s metro system, including the purchase of trains
and the modification of the platforms at 18 stations on line 1.
In Poland, the upgrading of 92.5km of an existing electrified railway line from
Warsaw to Radom is being supported by an EIB loan of €235 million to PKP
Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PLK). The modernised line will allow for the introduction
of trains running at a maximum speed of 160km/h for passenger trains and
120km/h for freight trains.
And a further loan of €230 million was approved to support the construction
of new buildings at the VU University Campus in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Existing buildings will be replaced, with new teaching and research faculties built
alongside redevelopment of the main campus building.
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Putzmeister names new CEO
Dr Gerald Karch has
been named CEO
of German concrete
equipment manufacturer
Putzmeister.
He will also sit on the
board of parent Sany,
which is based in China.
Karch succeeds Norbert
Scheuch, who has left
the company by mutual
agreement after four
years as CEO. Karch
joined Putzmeister at
the end of 2008 and
was appointed to the
management board in
early 2010. He previously
held a series of
management positions
during a 14-year
career at component
manufacturer ZF.
Dietmar Feder,
chairman of Putzmeister’s
supervisory board said,
“I welcome Gerald Karch
as the new CEO of our
company.
"He has already been
part of the management
team during the last
period of fundamental
change at Putzmeister
and I am convinced that
he will continue the
company’s strategy of
international strength as
a strong leader.”
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Dr Gerald Karch joined
Putzmeister at the end
of 2008
Dates and new venue
for Plantworx 2015
The next Plantworx
construction equipment
exhibition will be held
from 2 to 4 June, 2015,
at Bruntingthorpe
Aerodrome in
Leicestershire, UK.
The inaugural event
took place at Stoneleigh
Park in May and attracted
11,000 visitors.
The area to be used
for exhibits comprises
a 1,450m runway
with a grass area for
live demonstrations
and digging between
them. The gross area
available is 333,500m
2
– about 45% of which
is grass and 55% is hard
standing.
According to
Bruntingthorpe’s
management, the site
also offers parking
for more than 10,000
vehicles.
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