Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved an application from Holcim Ltd. and Lafarge S.A. to sell various Holcim cement assets to an affiliate of the international cement company CRH International.
The divestiture was required under the FTC’s June 2015 final order settling charges that the $25 billion merger of Holcim and Lafarge would create the world’s largest cement manufacturer and likely harm competition for portland cement and slag cement—ingredients in making concrete—in 14 geographic markets in the United States. The divested assets include cement plants, quarries, and terminals.
The Commission vote to approve the divestiture was 4-1, with Commissioner Joshua D. Wright voting no. (FTC File No. 141 0129, the staff contact is Daniel P. Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526)
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