Australia: CRH has concluded a deal to acquire the remaining 57% of stake in Adbri not owned by Barro Group for US$1.4bn.

CRH CEO Albert Manifold said “We are pleased to reach this important milestone in the potential acquisition of Adbri in partnership with the Barro family. Adbri is an attractive business with high-quality assets and leading market positions that complement our core competencies in cement, concrete and aggregates, while creating additional opportunities for growth and development for our existing Australian business. We look forward to working with the Barro family over the coming years to enhance the long-term growth and performance of Adbri.”

Austria: Rohrdorfer’s proposed acquisition of a 49% stake in building materials producer Asamer has entered an extended review phase. The parties registered the deal with the Austrian Federal Competition Authority (BWB) on 10 January 2024. Due to competition concerns, the BWB applied to a court for an in-depth investigation on 21 February 2024.

Australia: France-based Saint-Gobain has submitted a non-binding indicative offer of US$5.44bn for building materials producer and land banking entity CSR. CSR’s businesses include insulation producer Bradford, fibre cement systems producer Cemintel, wallboard producer Gyprock, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block producer Hebel and roofing producer Monier. Together, CSR’s building materials units accounted for 72% of its sales in 2023.

India: Nuvoco Vistas has inaugurated its second ready-mix concrete plant, at Ranipur Milki Chak in Bihar’s Patna District. The producer said that the plant, called Patna-II, is strategically positioned for access both to local cement plants and the urban concrete market of Patna. The plant commands 60m³/hr of capacity and is equipped with a twin shaft mixer capable of producing all grades of concrete. Its products include Nuvoco Vistas’ XCON, CONCRETO, Light Weight Concrete, Fibre Enriched Concrete, High Strength Concrete, Water and Crack Resistant Concrete, Foundation Expert Concrete, ECODURE Green Concrete, ARTISTE Decorative Concrete Floors, and INSTAMIX Ready-to-Use Bagged Concrete.

Chief of the ready-mix concrete and modern building materials Prashant Jha said "The launch of the Patna-II plant underscores Nuvoco's dedication to providing innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the construction industry in Bihar. This new facility will not only strengthen our presence in the region but also enable us to serve our customers more efficiently."