FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Pursuant to Rule 13a
- 16 or 15d - 16 of
The Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
For the Month of March, 2006
HANSON PLC
1 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7JH, England
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40F.]
Form 20-F X Form 40-F
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.]
Yes No X
March 2, 2006
Hanson acquires Civil and Marine for £245 million
Hanson PLC, the international building materials company, announced today that
it has acquired Civil and Marine (Holdings) Ltd ("C&M") for a net cash
consideration of £245 million.
C&M is the UK market leading producer of ground granulated blast furnace slag
("GGBS"). In addition, it has established a significant grinding facility in
Florida, USA. It also has a controlling interest in a calumite joint venture
which has operations in the UK and in the Czech Republic. C&M employs over 250
people.
GGBS is a high quality, environmentally friendly material which is increasingly
specified as a substitute for conventional Portland cement content in concrete.
In the UK, C&M sold over 2 million tonnes of GGBS in 2005 from a national
network of five grinding plants and four distribution depots. C&M established
the GGBS grinding facility in Florida in March 2005 and the initial results from
this operation are very promising.
For the year ended December 31, 2005, C&M's unaudited sales revenue was
approximately £100 million and underlying EBITDA was approximately £26 million,
including the first nine months of the US facility.
This acquisition will enhance Hanson's UK and US operations. In the UK, Hanson
purchases nearly 2 million tonnes of cementitious products (cement and GGBS)
each year. In the US, Hanson buys GGBS from C&M through operations such as
PaverModule and the combined entities will provide a strong platform for growth.
Patrick O'Shea, Managing Director of Hanson Aggregates UK, commented: "This is a
rare opportunity to add acquisition growth to our UK Aggregates business,
following a strong year of organic earnings improvement in 2005. We have worked
closely with C&M for a number of years and understand the increasingly valuable
nature of its operations. This transaction provides us with an excellent balance
in aggregates, cement related products and ready-mixed concrete."
Alan Murray, Chief Executive of Hanson PLC, added: "C&M is a great business in
its own right, as well as being a good fit with Hanson. In particular, this
acquisition strengthens our UK business and adds to our growth opportunities in
the US."
Inquiries: Nick Swift / Hilary Reid Evans
Hanson PLC
Tel: +44 (0)20 7245 1245
Notes about C&M and GGBS:
1. The vendors are the JM Uren Trust Corporation Limited (as trustee of
The Uren 1988 Family Trust) and JML Uren, CA Hill and JM Trust Corporation Ltd
(as trustees of the Michael Uren 1997 Settlement).
2. GGBS is produced in an environmentally friendly manner by grinding
granulated blast furnace slag, a by-product from iron blast furnaces. Production
consumes significantly less energy and emits lower levels of carbon dioxide than
competing products.
3. GGBS can replace over 50% of the conventional Portland cement used in
ready-mixed concrete, and in other forms of concrete such as pre-cast. GGBS
provides concrete with a high compressive strength, increased protection against
chemical erosion and an enhanced look and feel through a lighter colour and
finer texture.
4. The five plants in the UK are located at Purfleet, Llanwern, Port
Talbot, Scunthorpe and Teesside. The four depots are based in Teignmouth,
Belfast (JV with Lafarge), Runcorn and Glasgow.
5. Calumite is used in the manufacture of glass.
6. Further details are available from www.civilandmarine.com
Notes about Hanson:
1. Hanson is one of the world's leading heavy building materials companies. It
is the largest producer of aggregates - crushed rock, sand and gravel - and one
of the largest producers of concrete products, clay bricks and ready-mixed
concrete in the world. Its other principal products include asphalt and
concrete roof tiles and its operations are in North America, the UK, Australia,
Asia Pacific and Continental Europe.
2. Hanson operates through six divisions: Hanson Aggregates North America,
Hanson Building Products North America, Hanson Aggregates UK, Hanson Building
Products UK, Hanson Australia & Asia Pacific and Hanson Continental Europe.
3. Register for Hanson's e-mail distribution service for press releases and
notification of the publication of corporate reports via www.hanson.biz.
4. High-resolution Hanson images for editorial use are available from
www.hanson.biz and from www.pixmedia.co.uk/30/company.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorised.
HANSON PLC
By:
/s/ Graham Dransfield
Date: March 02, 2006