Votorantim Cimentos and McInnis Cement to combine operations in North America
by CM Staff
Joint venture between St. Marys Cement (Canada) and McInnis Cement to focus on expanding operations
TORONTO and QUEBEC and SÃO PAULO — St. Marys Cement Inc. (Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos, and McInnis Cement Inc. announced on Dec. 10 that they will combine their assets to create a combined entity to manufacture, distribute and sell cement in Canada and the United States. The joint venture will be owned by Votorantim Cimentos International (VCI), the international investments platform and wholly owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos S.A., the sixth largest cement producer in the world, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a long-term institutional investor, through its investment in McInnis Holding Limited Partnership (McInnis Holding).
The business combination is expected to significantly strengthen the strategic positioning of the combined operations through increased cement production capacity, operational efficiencies and an enhanced distribution network.
Votorantim Cimentos International will hold 83% and CDPQ will hold 17% of the shares in the joint venture. Both parties will transfer North American assets to the combined entity. The Votorantim Cimentos assets are primarily cement plants located in Bowmanville and St. Marys, in Canada, and in Detroit and Charlevoix, Michigan, and Dixon, Illinois, in the United States, along with its extensive distribution network concentrated in the Great Lakes region. The McInnis Cement assets include the Port-Daniel–Gascons plant with all of its terminals located in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Northeastern region of the United States, as well as its maritime operations.
“The creation of this combined entity allows us to partner with a world-class player with an established presence – and strong track record of profitability – in North America to operate the McInnis Cement plant in Port-Daniel–Gascons, one of the most modern and efficient facilities in the region.” said Kim Thomassin, CDPQ’s Executive Vice-President and Head of Investments in Quebec and Stewardship Investing.
McInnis Cement’s 2.2-million-tonne annual capacity plant in Port-Daniel–Gascons, Canada is the first new plant built to serve Eastern Canada, the Northeastern U.S. and the Great Lakes region in more than 50 years. McInnis Cement has constructed a deep-water marine terminal, adjacent to the plant, and operates three marine vessels and a distribution network consisting of 10 terminals (marine, rail and truck) located in the U.S. and Canada.
