Cement News tagged: Corporate
High Court orders removal of Birla Corp director
India’s Calcutta High Court has restricted Harsh Vardhan Lodha from holding any position in MP Birla Group companies with immediate effect. As a result, he will no longer be the chairman of Birla Corp Ltd. The decision will reportedly be appealed by the company, according to the Business Standard. "Shareholders elected Harsh Varshan Lodha as a director of Birla Corp with an overwhelming ma...
Taiheiyo Cement to transfer equity stake in Qinhuangdao Asano Cement
Japan-based Taiheiyo Cement announced that it would transfer the 71.99 per cent equity stake in its Chinese consolidated subsidiary Qinhuangdao Asano Cement to China's Qinhuangdao Changyang Concrete. A transfer price has not been disclosed, but the transfer is scheduled for the middle of September. After the equity transfer, Qinhuangdao Asano will no longer be a consolidated subsidiary of Taih...
HeidelbergCement to end clinker production in Leimen
HeidelbergCement announced the shutdown of clinker production at its cement plant in Leimen in Germany’s Rhine-Neckar region by the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023 as limestone reserves in the Nussloch quarry are depleted. In addition, the kiln lines are no longer state-of-the-art and would have required several million euros of investments and hence, clinker production going forward is not ...
HeidelbergCement reveals its 'Beyond 2020' strategy
Dr Dominik von Achten, CEO of HeidelbergCement announced the company’s ambitious new strategy ‘Beyond 2020’ in its Capital Markets Day live webinar yesterday. HeidelbergCement set new targets for carbon reduction, improved EBITDA margin and return on investment capital (ROIC). It also indicated that it would shift its divesting focus of non-core assets to more core asset disposals while invest...
Kyzylkumcement sees net profit rise 71%
Uzbekistan’s Kyzylkumcement saw a net profit of US$20.3m in January-June 2020, rising 70.9 per cent YoY. Revenue also advanced 12.4 per cent to US$97.1m. In the 1H20 the plant increased cement production by three per cent YoY to 1.75Mt, which amounted to 32.2 per cent of the total cement production in the country. Kyzylkumcement is also intending to build its fourth line for the producti...
Breedon Group PLC announces GBP581m revenues for first eight months trading
Breedon Group Plc delivered revenues for the first eight months of the year of GBP531m (2019: GBP624m), including a one-month contribution from its recently-acquired Cemex assets in the UK. The Board has reviewed the latest management forecasts and is now in a position to reinstate guidance for the 2020 financial year. Accordingly, Breedon Group currently anticipates delivering second-half u...
Gazakh Cement commissions upgraded kiln line
Azerbaijan’s Gazakh Cement has successfully commissioned the upgrade project of its clinker kiln line, according to Trend. "The project comprised an upgrade of the raw mill, the preheater section, clinker cooler and clinker transport. The key equipment was supplied and installed by DAL Teknik Makina from Turkey," said the company. The plant was upgraded in two phases from a clinker produ...
Bestway reports 31% drop in FY19-20 turnover
Pakistan-based Bestway Cement reported a gross turnover of PKR63.7bn (US$383.4m) in the financial year ended 30 June 2020, down 19 per cent YoY when compared with PKR79bn in FY18-19. Net turnover fell 31 per cent from PKR53.6bn to PKR37.1bn. Gross profit for the year decline from PKR16bn in FY18-19 to PKR1.1bn in FY19-20. Profit after tax dwindled to PKR0.5bn from PKR10.1bn in the previous fin...
Livetouch Cement breached local labour laws in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwian-based Livetouch Cement was found in breach of local labour laws after failing to register its workers with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA). It was only revealed that the Chinese cement manufacturer had broken the law after the death of a worker in March this year. According to NSSA, the death of an unidentified employee at the cement manufacturing plant exposed how th...
PPC Barnet opens new headquarters
PPC Barnet Manufacturing is inaugurating its new headquarters in the heart of Kinshasa’s business district, Democratic Republic of Congo. The move represents the company’s new ambitions and development strategy in the domestic market, according to Zoom Eco. "Our new establishment makes it possible to enhance teamwork, promote communication between employees and above all bring our customers ...
Cemex announces plans for a US$1bn bond issue
Cemex has announced plans to issue US$1bn in senior notes to raise funds for general operations, including paying off debt, according to Reuters. The bonds will have a coupon of 5.2 per cent and mature in September 2030, the company said in a filing to the country’s stock exchange. The offer will close on 17 September. Fitch Ratings has assigned the secured notes a rating of ‘BB-’.
Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd posts PKR3.6m loss
Pakistan’s Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd (MLCF) has reported a loss of PRK3.559m (US$226.3m) for the year ended 30 June 2020. Brokerage Arif Habib Ltd in a report said, “Topline of the company witnessed a dip of 21 percent YoY to PKR6bn in 4QFY20 as its dispatches tumbled 20 per cent YoY to 1.02Mt tagged with lower retention prices in the region.” In FY20 revenue reached PKR29.11bn, up 12 p...
Gulf Cement receives approval to withdraw from Boursa Kuwait
UAE-based Gulf Cement Co, once dually listed on Boursa Kuwait and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), has obtained approval from Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority to withdraw from the former. The last day for the trading of the company's shares on Boursa Kuwait will be on Monday, 14 December 2020, according to the company's disclosure to the ADX.
Lafarge Zambia posts losses of ZMW12.3m in 1H20
Lafarge Zambia Plc has posted losses of over ZMW12.3m (US$615,000) during its financial half-year period ending 30 June 2020. The company saw increased production costs and the local kwacha currency devalued during the period. Lafarge Zambia will continue to focus on developing the export market to sustain its growth as the domestic market remains substantially oversupplied with the commodity.
Mangala Cement Udyog told to withdraw product from market
Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has barred Mangala Cement Udyog from selling certain products after they failed to meet the quality standard. During a market inspection, NBSM found Mangala Cement Udyog's PPC Ohm Mangala cement defective. According to NBSM officials, the collected specimen of cement had a compressive strength of 14MPa for three days and 19MPa for seven days. The...
Cemex commences 'Operation Resilience'
Cemex has outlined its 'Operation Resilience' programme, its business strategy from 2020-23 on a risk-adjusted basis. The company announced a need to focus on its core US and European markets as well as in metropolises where market demand is growing. Fernando A González, Cemex's CEO, said the company will look to grow the profitability of the business through cost reductions and optimising t...