Just2clicks.com PLC
20 July 2000
Italcementi joins Blue Circle Industries and Just2Clicks in e-
cement.com.
e-cement.com, the business to business (B2B) procurement and
cement trading exchange, today announces that Italcementi has
bought a 37.5% stake for Euro 4.8 million (£3million) in the company.
This will make Italcementi, Italy's largest cement manufacturer
and owner of France's second largest cement producer, Ciments
Francais, an equal partner with Blue Circle Industries PLC in e-
cement.com. Just2Clicks will now hold 25%.
Italcementi has just completed the sector's first ?6 million
supply, services and plant online auction through e-cement.com.
This auction involved five suppliers bidding to provide the
supply, installation and servicing of equipment used to store,
preserve and conserve raw materials at the Calusco cement complex
in Italy.
Carlo Pesenti, Managing Director, Italcementi, said:
'Using e-cement.com enabled us to get the best possible equipment
and services at the best possible price; it saved us more time
and more money than we thought possible by traditional methods.
'We were impressed by the fact that you can carry out complex
transactions at high speed via the e-cement trading platform.
B2B is not just about simple auctioning of commodities: this deal
points the way to a fundamental change in the way that cement and
associated industries will operate. Italcementi has a policy of
always being at the cutting edge of developments and we are
delighted to be taking a significant stake in e-cement.com.'
Chris Shelley, Managing Director, e-cement.com, said:
'The first turnkey auction for Italcementi has proved the value
of our B2B services, which will be particularly useful in the
fast moving emerging markets. Our collaboration with Blue Circle
and Just2Clicks is now delivering tangible value at an
accelerated pace and we are delighted that Italcementi has also
decided to take a stake in e-cement.com.
'e-cement.com is aimed at supporting capital intensive,
traditional old economy stocks, helping to increase efficiency
and competitiveness. We will continue to target
e-cement.com at the cement sector. We will also be broadening
our services and targeting those sectors that are linked closely
with our own, such as mining and quarrying, as well as the wider
heavy building materials industry. The processes we have and
will continue to develop can be used for many other sectors and
not just the cement industry.'
Notes to Editors:
e-cement.com, was launched on 9th March 2000 as a joint venture
between Blue Circle Industries PLC and Just2Clicks.com PLC. e-
cement.com is a business to business (B2B), independent based
procurement and cement trading exchange. It provides the first
truly global and transparent marketplace for the procurement and
sales of plant, parts, bulk materials and related products for
the cement industry.
e-cement.com's aim is to deliver:
* Reduced procurement process and transaction costs for
customers and suppliers
* Increased buying power for independent purchasers by
grouping orders
* Release of working capital through inventory reductions of
all procured material
* High value services, such as shipping and logistical support
Enquiries:
e-cement.com Blue Circle
Chris Shelley Rick Haythornthwaite
020 8938 6772 Jacqueline Sinclair-Brown
m:0772 006 8259 020 7828 3456
Windmill Partners (for e-cement) Brunswick (for BCI)
Neil Huband Sophie Fitton
020 7290 0285 020 7404 5959
Just2Clicks College Hill (for Just2Clicks)
Karl Watkin Archie Berens
07808 690069 020 7457 2020