The boards of UK-based Hanson PLC and Australia's Pioneer International have agreed to recommend an offer by Hanson to acquire Pioneer for about US$2.54 billion.

The combination of these two companies will create one of the world's leading heavy building materials groups involved in the production of cement, aggregates, ready mix concrete, concrete products, and clay bricks in four continents across the world. The combined group will be the world's leading supplier of aggregates and the world's second largest supplier of ready mix concrete. The two companies estimate that the synergies to be derived from the combination of the two groups will be US$40.6 million by 2001.

Pioneer, through its subsidiary PCA Investments Inc., owns 50% of North Texas Cement Co.'s Midlothian, Texas plant and Houston terminal. Ash Grove owns the other half of North Texas Cement. No mention has been made as to whether Hanson will sell off North Texas Cement or attempt to purchase a majority interest in the company from Ash Grove.

International Cement 2000, the 36th annual cement seminar (sponsored by Cement Americas) will be held Dec. 3-6, 2000 at the Charleston Area Convention Center, Charleston, S.C.

We invite anyone wishing to present a paper at this year's event to contact us. We're looking for presentations on the following topics:

* Innovations in cement processing;

* Equipment recently installed in a cement plant that has helped to improve production and reduce costs;

* The Latin American cement industry;

* Utilizing waste products in cement kilns;

* Marketing ideas that work for the cement industry;

* Innovative material-handling techniques at the cement plant or at terminals; and

* The impact that Asian cement may have on the markets of the Americas