Cement News tagged: International
Belgium: appeal court overturns competition watchdog fines
Holcim, CBR, CCB and Febelcem, the Belgian cement association, have seen the competition watchdog’s judgment to pay a EUR14.7m fine overturned by the Belgian Court of Appeal. The competition authority fined the cement majors and the association for the alleged formation of a cartel to reduce competition in the domestic market, but the Court of Appeal found that such illegal practices did not...
Brazil: Votorantim takes protective measures
Prompted by the unfavourable environment in Brazil and the decline in cement sales in the country, Votorantim Cimentos has adopted new measures in an attempt to maintain its competitiveness. The company will focus on innovation, productivity and performance in strategic markets in the second half of 2016. According to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC), cement sales fell 13.9 per cen...
Peru: Inka to start Pisco cement plant construction
Cementos Inka will begin construction of a second cement plant in Pisco, Peru, in the next few months. This second unit will be situated on a 20ha plot and should begin production in the 4Q17. The US$30m project's environmental impact study has been approved already. Cementos Inka is also evaluating plans for a third production unit capable of 0.5Mta in Piura. This facility is expected to...
Rwanda: PPC revenues boosted by Cimerwa
Cimerwa Ltd’s contribution to Pretoria Portland Cement’s (PPC) revenues helped cushion the company’s turnover in the six months ending 31 March 2016. According to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, PPC holds a 51 per cent stake in the Rwandan cement company. While PPC’s results show bases in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe were depressed due to a shrinking market and falling prices, a rec...
Lebanon cement deliveries rose by 19.6% in 1Q16
Figures released by the Central Bank of Lebanon show that cement deliveries rose by a yearly 19.6 per cent in the first four months of 2016. Cement deliveries actually reached circa 1,575,308t in the first four months of 2016, up from 1,317,325t in the corresponding period of 2015. It is worth recalling that cement deliveries reached 5,042,873t in 2015, down from 5,516,827t in 2014.
Egypt: new licences may threaten Misr Cement
The Egyptian government will announce the results of the license 8 tender on 30 July, which will see the addition of new production capacity to compete with current companies in the market. Beltone Financial said that the future of Misr Cement-Qena’s market share is under threat, as the company currently occupies the second position in the market, following Cemex. Beltone has predicted that...
Pakistan: cement dispatches grow 10% in fiscal year 2015-16
Pakistan's cement industry saw a growth of 9.82 per cent in total dispatches to 38.87Mt during fiscal year 2015-16 (July-June) from 35.34Mt in July 2014 to June 2015. The breakdown shows local and export dispatches stood at 33Mt and 5.87Mt, respectively during this period. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) remarked this growth positive for industry except the levy of...
Spain: cement consumption falls
Cement consumption in Spain fell by 7.5 per cent in May, reaching 965,465t, 78,535t less than a year ago and the lowest comparable figure since May 1965, according to the latest figures of Oficemen, the Spanish cement association. During the first five months of the year cement consumption declined by 2.7 per cent YoY to 4.478Mt, 122,792t less than in the same period of 2015. Accordin...
Bangladesh seeks duty-free export to Nepal
In an attempt to boost bilateral trade, the Bangladeshi government is discussing the possibility of duty-free export of cement and other commodities with the Nepalese government. In total, Bangladesh has demanded duty-free access of 56 items and commodities to Nepal, including cement, construction materials, plastic goods and certain food items. In return Nepal demanded duty-free import of ...
What does the Brexit crisis mean for Europe?
On 23 June the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. For most, this was a totally unexpected result and there is no question it will have deep political and economic consequences, not just for the UK but for the whole of Europe. The UK is now navigating uncharted territory, where the country’s integrity is now under threat and its relationship with the EU undefin...
Russia: demand set to fall by up to 12% in 2016
Demand for cement in Russia may drop 10-12 per cent in 2016, according to a representative of Moscow-based Eurocement Group. "As concerns the cement demand forecast in Russia, we assume that the decline may remain in the same range as in 2015: in the vicinity of 10-12 per cent for 2016," the representative told the Interfax news agency. "Eurocement Group plans to sell about 20Mt of cemen...
Pakistani exports record YoY fall but MoM rise
Pakistan's cement exports have recorded a marked fall in the first 11 months of FY15-16 as overseas demand has dropped and competition has intensified, according to data of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The domestic cement industry exported 5.58Mt of cement with a total value of US$301.33 during July 2015-May 2016, compared to 7.184Mt and US$413.38 in the corresponding FY14-15 perio...
India: ICRA forecasts cement demand to rise 6% in FY17
Indian-based ratings agency ICRA has forecast that domestic cement demand will rise by six per cent in the 2016-17 financial year, the Economic Times reports. It’s assessment for FY18 is for even more rapid growth of seven per cent. Senior Vice President Sabyasachi Majumdar said: "Cement demand growth will pick up to six per cent in 2016-17 and further to seven per cent in 2017-18... during...
UK: Hillhead 2016
The busy three-day Hillhead quarry exhibition (28-30 June) has attracted large numbers of visitors to its newly expanded showground near Derbyshire. The newest plant equipment and services were on offer from 472 exhibitors, including Sandvik, Bell, Volvo and first-time exhibitors Striker Australia. Throughout the show, visitors were given the chance to see many of the newest machines being ...
India: Dalmia in Bengal
Dalmia Bharat is planning to further increase its presence in Bengal, India. The company has been present in the region for the last two years through its cement unit near Salboni. The unit was set up through OCL India Ltd, an associate company. Director and CEO of OCL India, Amandeep Gupta, said Dalmia may look for a second plant in the state. The group has already taken on a lease on a gr...
Pakistan: cement bag price rises
Following the government’s decision to change the Federal Excise Duty (FED) mechanism from variable five per cent of Marginal Retail Price (MRP) to a fixed rate of PKR1/kg, PKR50/bag (US$0.48/bag), cement prices have increased by approximately PKR35 (US$0.33).