Cement News tagged: International
Turkish investors apply to build Sinai cement plant, Egypt
Turkish investors have applied to build a cement plant in the Sinai region of Egypt, after Egyptian authorities issued legislation on developing the peninsula, according to reports by Bloomberg citing local newspaper Al Masry Al Youm. The Turkish companies are reported to have filed a land request for the project, the daily reported citing General Ismail Al Nagdy who heads Egypt’s General A...
ANH Refractories revamps cement division
ANH Refractories is launching a revamped range of products for the cement manufacturing sector following a period of intensive testing and research. The American owned company says its subsidiary, ANH Refractories Europe now manufactures and distributes its comprehensive range of refractory products for cement kilns from its Bromborough UK plant to customers worldwide.? ANH Europe manag...
Holcim’s Indian interests report August declines
Holcim’s Indian group companies, ACC and Ambuja Cements, have reported marginal declines in cement production and dispatches for August 2012. ACC, India’s second largest cement producer, posted a decline of 6.9 per cent in cement production as well as cement dispatches to 1.75Mt last month, compared to 1.88Mt in August 2011. Total cement production between January-August 2012 saw growth ...
FLSmidth strengthens customer services footprint in Australia
FLSmidth signed an agreement to acquire the two Australian service companies MIE Enterprises Pty Ltd. and Mayer Bulk Pty Ltd. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the transactions. The two acquisitions will complement FLSmidth's regional Customer Services set-up with a highly skilled workforce and full-service capabilities. The key markets of the two companies are currently t...
Lafarge Malayan Cement expects robust 2H12 demand
At Lafarge Malayan Cement’s analysts 2Q12 briefing held on Monday, the company said it expects the robust cement demand seen in the first half to continue in the second half. The company expects the healthy demand scenario to be driven by the implementation of large infrastructure projects such as the new LCCT terminal and coal power plants. Group utilisation rates remain high at 85-90 p...
S&P lowers West China Cement corporate rating, China
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on West China Cement Ltd. (WCC) to 'B+' from 'BB-'. The outlook is negative. The research house also lowered the issue rating on the China-based cement manufacturer's senior unsecured notes to 'B+' from 'BB-'. S&P said in a statement: “We lowered the rating to reflect our view of WCC's weakened liquidity positio...
Mining company looks to restart Kandos operations, Australia
Mining company Kingsgate Consolidated has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the owners of the former Kandos cement works in an attempt to revive production. About 100 people lost their jobs when the cement works owned by Cement Australia (part of the Holcim group) stopped production last September. The New Projects Manager Simon McDonald says it is one of a few sites that will be...
Taiwan producers invest further in China
Despite recording a decline in first-half net profits Taiwain-based cement producers Taiwan Cement and Asia Cement, have underlined their confidence in the Chinese market by planning to invest over TWD1.8bn (US$60m) in their respective operations. Asia Cement reported 1H net profit of TWD4.088bn (US$136.27m) in net profits in the first half, with earning per share falling 30 per cent YoY to ...
Indian cement capacity seen reaching 349.6Mt in FY13
Indian cement production capacity is expected to rise to 349.6Mt in the current fiscal year (FY13) from 336.1Mt reached in the last fiscal. "The projected demand and capacity to be created during 2012-13 are 265.4Mt and 349.6Mt, respectively," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a written reply to Parliament According to the report of the working grou...
Teresa cement works renewable energy efforts, Philippines
As part of the Lafarge group’s worldwide strategy to lower its CO2 emissions, its Philippine subsidiary Lafarge Republic Inc.'s (LRI) has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability at its Teresa Plant in Rizal by increasing energy efficiency and using more renewable energy. In search of more environment friendly solutions, the Manila Bulletin reports that LRI invested in a waste heat reco...
FECTO Cement lease extended, Pakistan
FECTO Cement has obtained another 30 years’ extension to its lease. The lease agreement has been controversial since it was granted to the cement factory by former dictator, General Zia-ul-Haq. According to sources in the Capital Development Authority, the cement factory falls in a National Park Area consisting of the Margalla Hills, the Rawal Dam, and the adjoining green areas. The factory ha...
East African import concerns
The East Africa Cement Producers Association (EAPC) has flagged concerns over the increasing threat of imports to the region. The associaion yesterday warned that cement ports are not being subjected to the same technical standards and regulations as domestic cement, increasing the chance of sub-standard products being used in projects. “Cement is a very sensitive commodity yet the quali...
Savannah Cement begins production, Kenya
The 1.5Mta Savannah Cement works has started production, becoming the newest entrant into the Kenyan cement market. The Athi River-based facility is a joint-venture by Kenyan and Chinese investors. Savannah Heights owns 40 per cent while Chinese Wan-Ho and Acme Wanji own 40 and 20 per cent respectively. Speaking to the The Standard, Benson Ndeta, Savannah Cement chairman, said: “We valu...
Reliance Infrastructure set to start output from Maharashtra unit
Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (R-Infra) is set to begin producing cement from its grinding facility in Maharashtra this month and will sell it under the Reliance Cement brand. “We will produce cement from our grinding unit, which will start now. We will buy clinker from others and do the grinding part. We will also bag them,” said Lalit Jalan, chief executive officer of R-Infra told Business ...
Lafarge Zimbabwe revises revenue forecasts upwards
Lafarge Zimbabwe has revised its revenue forecast upwards for 2012 for the second time this year after the group reported a significant rise in profits for the first half driven by increased sales. The company is now expecting year-end revenue to reach US$70m, nearly US$10m more than the US$62m projection it made at its AGM held in May this year. The Independent of Zimbabwe reported mana...
Australia: market uncertainties ahead
Challenging market conditions persist for Australia's cement sector due to weak residential and commercial activity combined with the potential impact of a new carbon tax which became effective last month. Last year saw a decline in housing starts as rising interest rates coincided with the end of stimulus packages. In November 2011, the Reserve Bank cut interest rates by 25bp to spur the ma...