Cement companies vie for Lafarge’s Indian assets

According to a variety of sources, a group of overseas cement companies are competing with each other to secure India’s Lafarge cement assets sale.

The probable applicants list includes Votorantim, HeidelbergCement, CRH plc, and the Indian conglomerate JSW.

The Competition Commission of India directed Lafarge to dispose some of its assets last year. This directive came over trust issues that the company had with the Swiss major cement group Holcim, in April 2014. The concern of the CCI rose from the fact that Lafarge and Holcim would dominate the Indian market as each company produces a capacity of 68 metric tpy.

While Lafarge had its dominance over eastern India, Holcim through its subsidiaries, ACC and Ambuja dominated over the remaining Indian states.

Heidelberg and CRH are in the process of ramping up their capacities in India.

Edited from sources by Joseph Green. Sources: IB Times, The Dollar Business, Deal Street Asia

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/indian-subcontinent/09032016/cement-companies-lafarge-indian-assets-658/