Mexican company Cemex, one of the largest cement firms in the world, obtained a majority stake of 50.34 per cent of the Australian company Rinker, in an operation valued at 15.3 billion dollars, Cemex said Thursday, according to dpa. "We are pleased with the support that we have received from the majority of Rinker's shareholders who have accepted our offer, and we anticipate the integration of Rinker, which will generate one of the largest building materials companies in the world," Cemex chairman and CEO Lorenzo Zambrano said in a statement. Cemex - which seeks to obtain a 90 per cent stake in Rinker - asked the remaining shareholders of the Australian company to accept its final offer of 15.85 dollars per share before June 22. "Shareholders who decide not to accept the offer will become minority stakeholders in Rinker," the statement added. Cemex, with headquarters in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, said all Rinker managers are expected to give up their posts in favour of replacements nominated by the North American company. Cementos Mexicanos (Cemex) suggested that the takeover start on June 18, and said the resulting firm would have combined annual sales of 23.2 billion dollars and 67,000 employees in 50 countries.
