PPC and Afrisam have had a go at creating a union before, but failed to consummate it. Now they say poor economic conditions and its effect on the cement industry make it worth reviewing a match-up. Rest assured, though, any conjoining of the two groups will be an arranged affair, not one driven by love for one another. Actually, it will be more a marriage of convenience than anything else.Afrisam says it would be "beneficial to conduct an assessment of a potential merger between the parties". And PPC CEO Darryll Castle says the groups have independently concluded that market circumstances warrant formal talks. But such highfalutin language belies an intense underlying economic need. The general idea of such a corporate conjugation is to create a financially stronger, operationally more efficient, African cement producer. The two companies have already invested heavily in their continental ambitions. Indeed, cement markets in SA are not enough to sustain the horde. Since Nigerian-ba...
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