Aggregated business changes hands

Cement producer Lafarge’s Aggregates & Readymix business has acquired the Mpumalanga aggregates quarry and readymix operations of White River Crushers, the company said last week.

The operations will ultimately be held by Lafarge Mining, the unit under which the new aggregate business will operate, and which will be 26% black empowered under a R1,1-billion empowerment deal Lafarge announced earlier this year.

Lafarge Aggregates & Readymix business MD Ulrich Aumuller said that Lafarge had been active in the Nelspruit and White River areas for many years.

“This acquisition will enable us to increase service levels and also generate sizeable operational synergies between our existing operations and the newly acquired quarry,” he commented.

The acquisition would also help fulfil the objectives of increasing market share and capacity in the region.

The business unit operates 60 concrete plants and 20 aggregate quarries that covered most regions of South Africa, Aumuller said.