Greece: Switzerland-based Holcim has acquired waste management company W.A.T.T. Recycling. W.A.T.T. Recycling commands 150,000t/yr of municipal solid waste (MSW) processing capacity and is a growing supplier of alternative fuels (AF) to the local market. The completion coincides with two other bolt-on acquisitions by Holcim in the building materials sectors of Spain and the UK.

Holcim’s Europe regional head Miljan Gutovic said “We are off to a strong start in 2024 with three strategic acquisitions. Fully in line with our strategy, they expand our range of innovative and sustainable solutions in high-growth markets. I warmly welcome employees of all three companies into the Holcim family to open our next chapter of green growth together.”

US: AMSCO Wear Products has announced its acquisition of wear parts supplier Global Partners Alliance. Following the deal, AMSCO Wear Products will also become the exclusive sales agent for Germany-based Stahlwerke Bochum, which supplies equipment including heat-treated alloy hammers, in North America.

AMSCO Wear Products vice president Sharon Morris said "We've always been committed to offering our customers the best wear-resistant castings for metals recycling, surface mining and waste-to-energy industries. When the opportunity to purchase Global Wear Products and partner directly with Stahlwerke Bochum came up, we were eager to work together. Knowing they had a great product and seeing how our values aligned, it was an easy decision.”

UK: WKE has despatched its first shipment of WKE fuel pellets to an overseas customer. The shipment consisted of 7000t of fuel pellets, and embarked from the Port of Middlesborough in North Yorkshire earlier in December 2023. The shipment is a first trial, with a view to potentially increasing exports to 50,000t/yr.

CEO Ian Jones said “This is a huge milestone for us as it represents the completion of commissioning, from the waste arriving at our plant to the product being shipped out. We’re ideally located for bulk shipments and we can do anything from 3000t to 10,000t in a single shipment. It’s an exciting time for WKE, as we have multiple trans-frontier shipments being put in place for new customer trials across a range of industries in 2024, including cement plants in the UK, Europe and further afield.” He added “Countries who are currently not allowed to take waste from the UK are also actively seeking approval from their own governments to import our product.”

France: Vicat aims to process 100% alternative fuels (AF) in its fuel mix across all cement plants in France by 2025. The L'Est Républicain newspaper has reported that the producer recorded a substitution rate of 66% in France in 2022, and of 95% at its Xeuilley cement plant in Meurthe-et-Moselle in the same year.