Cement News tagged: International
Minister denies cement crisis from Master Plan
Vietnamese Construction Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has denied that the cement industry's master development plan (2011-20) is causing a crisis goes in line with market movements. Last year, Vietnam's cement consumption was reported to account for 89% or 55Mt of total output, Dung noted. “I confirm that there is no cement crisis caused by the development scheme as raised by some people.” The...
Lafarge to accelerate cost cuts, lower debt
Following the implementation of its new organisation, Lafarge has announced its 2012 to 2015 plan to cut costs by EUR1.3bn over the next four years and bring its net debt below EUR10bn as early as possible next year. The group is targeting a return on capital of more than eight per cent in 2015. Bruno Lafont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge, said in a statement: "The plan we ...
Dangote commissions Obajana Line 3, Nigeria
Aliko Dangote has commissioned the expansion of his Obajana cement plant, raising capacity to 10.5Mta. The additional 5.25Mta line is part of the company’s efforts to make it a powerhouse of African production as it aims to reach 50Mt of capacity across the continent by 2015. Dangote said that this recent investment in this new Line No 3 at the Obajana plant situated in Kogi state, raise...
Arabian Cement Co commissions second line, Egypt
Arabian Cement Company has officially opened its Line No 2 which has doubled the capacity of the plant at Suez to 5Mta. Speaking during the opening ceremony, Jose Maria Magrina, ACC CEO, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce opening our second production line, which will increase our production capacity, bringing us one step closer to becoming among the largest cement producers in the...
Cemena outlines Falcon expansion plans, Bahrain
Cemena Holding Company, plans to increase capacity of its Falcon Cement Company (FCC) plant, the Bahrain-based firm has announced. Cemena, which was set up in 2008 by Gulf Finance House, told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting that it plans to raise capacity at FCC to 3500tpd in the future. The expansion of FCC will help the company meet Bahrain's growing demand for cement...
Saudi Arabia cement capacity seen reaching 66Mta by 2015
Saudi Arabia's cement production capacity is expected to reach over 66Mta by 2015 from 47Mt this year, a report from Al Rajhi Capital said. S audi Arabia’s development plan is underpinning construction growth as building activity moved up a notch alongside existing projects such as King Abdullah and Jazan Economic Cities and hence, demand for cement increased accordingly. In 1Q12, national ce...
Bangladesh clinker imports to become more costly
While presenting his Budget Speech July 2012 to June 2013, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Minister for Finance, Government of Bangladesh has proposed that import duty on clinker to be imported by registered cement manufacturers will be increased from BDT350/t to BDT500/t. In addition, duty other cement clinker imports will rise from BDT 550/t to BDT750/t. In FY11, Bangladesh imported US$446m wo...
US March shipments rise 11% YoY
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico for March 2012 were nearly 6Mt, data from the US Geological Survey showed. This was 11% higher than shipments in March 2011. Shipments for the year through March were 15.2 Mt, up by about 20%. The leading producing states in March were Texas, California, Missouri, Florida, and Pennsylvania, in descending or...
Brighter outlook for global markets?
A recent report by Morgan Stanley sees the global supply-demand balance turning positive, leading to improved pricing power which it expects will return globally next year. The research house also sees important changes in the make-up of global volume growth as China's cement demand expansion is seen slowing. However, clear threats still exist in the form of uncertainties in Europe and in the ...
Plans to resume new Philippine plant project
APC Group Inc, an energy and mining holding firm affiliated with Belle Corp, plans to resume a US$200m project in Cebu, Philippines, as the government’s public-private partnership projects spur cement demand. APC chairman and president Willy Ocier said during the company’s stockholders’ meeting on Wednesday that the revival of the cement plant project was among the company aims for 2012. In...
Aditya Birla to invest INR57.5bn in cement expansion, India
Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla group plans to invest about INR70bn (US$1.3bn) on setting up new facilities and expanding the capacity of existing units in the southern state of Karnataka, Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said on Thursday. Reuters reports that the group plans to invest INR57.5bn rupees in new cement facilities and about INR11.6bn in expanding its metal and chemical plants in th...
High Court stops cement firms from making cement under ACC trade mark
The Delhi High Court has restrained three cement companies based in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab from producing or selling their product under the trade mark of leading cement manufacturer Associated Cement Companies (ACC) Ltd. The court also appointed a three-member team including a lawyer as court commissioner to inspect their stores in Gorakhpur, Sirhind and Kapurthala. Justice Kailash Gam...
Aditya Birla plans Karnataka cement plant, India
Aditya Birla group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the group is planning to set up a 4Mta cement plant in Karnataka plant at an investment of INR27.50bn. Mr Birla said he expects the plant to start operations in the next two years.
Pakistan budget brings relief measures to cement sector
Pakistan's Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has announced number of incentives and relief for various sectors including the cement industry in the Federal Budget July 2012 - June 2013. Dr Shaikh announced an increase in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), which is also spent on infrastructure development, to PKR873bn, up 20 per cent from last year. Federal Excise Duty (FED...
Birla Corp eyes cement plant construction in Ethiopia
Birla Corp plans to set up a cement plant in Ethiopia following the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Birla Corp Cement Manufacturing Plc, in the sub-Saharan African country. “We plan to go there for exploration of mainly limestone, for setting up a cement plant. We would also explore opportunities of setting up power plants there,” said a Birla Corp official, speaking to Daily New...
Dangote Cameroon plant to proceed, Cameroon
Dangote Cement Plc is being granted permission by the government of Cameroon to build a factory in the port city of Douala after a dispute over land was resolved, Bloomberg reports. A ban on use of the land was lifted on May 28 and the Nigerian company was granted a construction permit on June 4, Government Delegate to the Douala City Council Fritz Ntone Ntone said in a statement handed to r...