September 2002
Lhoist acquires plants in Poland
On August 30th, 2002 the Lhoist Group acquired the lime and dolomite operations of the Heidelberg Cement Group in Poland, including Gorazdze-Wapno Sp. z o.o. and PPHU Wapno-Sabinow Sp. z o.o. Heildelberg's decision to sell the lime business in Poland is consistent with their strategy to concentrate on core business, ie., the production and sale of cement as well as other construction materials and services for the construction industry.
The incentive for Lhoist to acquire the business comes from the significant synergy potential due to the proximity of the GORAZDZE plant with our existing facility in Opolwap. In addition, it will strengthen our position in Poland which is an important market especially in view of the forthcoming accession of Poland into the European Union.
Gorazdze-Wapno and Wapno-Sabinow respectively produced 200 Kt of lime and 40 Kt of dolime in 2001. Gorazdze-Wapno sources the limestone from the adjacent deposits of Gorazdze Cement S.A. based on a long-term supply and quarry management contract. The deposit complements the stone qualities already available to Lhoist in the Opole region. Wapno-Sabinow produces burnt Dolomite for the steel industry in Poland.
Gorazdze-Wapno and Wapno-Sabinow will be integrated into the lime and limestone activities of the Business Unit Central Europe in Poland.
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