Cement News tagged: International
Indonesia’s cement market contracts 3% in September
Cement sales in Indonesia in September 2024 declined by 2.9 per cent YoY to 6,073,134t from 6,254,889t in September 2023, according to data from the Indonesian cement association, ASI. The bagged segment saw a 4.8 per cent YoY drop to 4,214,415t in September 2024 from 4,385,065t but bulk deliveries were up 1.6 per cent YoY to 1,869,823t from 1,902,887t. Cement production from the country’s c...
Puerto Rican cement consumption increases 3% in September
Puerto Rico’s cement market contracted by 4.9 per cent YoY, seeing sales of 52,185t in August 2024 when compared with sales of 54,868.8t in August 2023, according to the Center of Economic Studies of the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico. However, sales edged up by 2.8 per cent YoY to 51,866.8t in September 2024 from 50,481t in September 2023. Meanwhile, domestic production fell by 1...
Puerto Rico’s cement market contracts in June but sees July recovery
Puerto Rican cement sales declined by 6.9 per cent YoY to 50,694t in June 2024 from 54,442.8t in June 2023 but recovered in July, increasing by 12.9 per cent from 48,478.8t in July 2023 to 54,698.4t, according to the Center of Economic Studies of the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico. In terms of production, total volumes by the country’s cement producers Cemex and Argos dropped by 1...
Zimbabwe considers limestone deposit consolidation amid efforts to reduce cement costs
The government of Zimbabwe is exploring the consolidation of limestone deposits under either the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe (IDCZ) or the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, as outlined in the new Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP). This short-term policy framework aims to attract significant investment into domestic clinker production, a criti...
PCA reveals 2023 as US cement industry's most energy-efficient year to date
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has released its latest US Labor-Energy Input Survey, revealing that 2023 was the US cement industry’s most energy-efficient year to date. Alternative fuels comprised 16 per cent of the industry’s fuel mix, up from 14.6 per cent in 2022, with natural gas use reaching 31 per cent of total consumption—the highest level since the 1970s. Concurrently, coal and...
Dalmia Cement plans 100% renewably-powered plant in Madhya Pradesh
Dalmia Cement has announced plans to construct a 4Mta cement plant in Madhya Pradesh, becoming the first such facility in India to operate entirely on renewable energy. The project, valued at approximately INR30bn (US$ 356.82m) was revealed by Group Managing Director, Punit Dalmia, during the fifth Regional Industry Conclave (RIC) held in Rewa district on Wednesday. The new plant is par...
High electricity costs trigger price hikes among Vietnamese cement producers
Vietnam’s leading cement manufacturers, including Vicem Bim Son, Bút Son, The Vissai, Thành Thang Group, and Xuân Thành Cement, have announced price hikes starting from 20 October 2024, driven by rising production costs, particularly due to higher electricity prices. The adjustment will see cement prices increase by VND50,000/t (US$1.97/t) across most producers, with The Vissai opting fo...
Vietnamese cement market expands 6% but exports fall 14% in September
Vietnamese cement sales increased six per cent YoY but fell 14 per cent MoM to 4,252,989t in September 2024, according to the latest data by the VNCA, the country’s cement association. Of this total, VICEM reported sales of 1,238,930t, up four per cent YoY but down 17 per cent MoM, while other VNCA members saw similar trends to 864,059t in September 2024. Non-VNCA members reported a seven ...
200th anniversary of the Portland cement patent
200 years ago today, on 21 October 1824, the patent for Portland cement was granted to Joseph Aspdin (1778-1855), a bricklayer and inventor from Leeds, UK. The product was called Portland cement because of the resemblance of the hardened concrete to Portland stone, a limestone quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, UK. Portland cement, patented by Joseph Aspdin on 21 October 1824 ...
Peru’s cement market contracts 2% in September
Cement dispatches in Peru slipped by two per cent YoY to 1.06Mt in September 2024 from 1.081Mt in September 2023, according to the country’s cement association, Asocem. Of this total 0.967Mt was produced by Asocem members. Output by Asocem members remained stable at 0.997Mt in September 2024when compared with a production of 0.996Mt in the equivalent period of the previous year. Clinker prod...
Dalmia Bharat reports decline in profits
Dalmia Bharat Ltd has reported a 60.1 per cent decline in consolidated net profits to INR490m (US$5.8m) for the September quarter due to a decline in cement prices. The company had posted a net profit of INR1.23bn for the same period last year. In this period, the company has noted that operations are also down 2.09 per cent to INR3.08bn from INR3.15bn in the previous year. Sales volume ...
Argentina’s cement consumption down 18% in September
Cement demand in Argentina has fallen 18.4 per cent YoY to 912,689t in September 2024 from 1,118,070t, reports AFCP. This includes 429t of imports. Domestic production declined by 18.3 per cent YoY to 917,386t in September 2024 from 1,122,528t in the year-ago period. Of this total 5127t were exported, up 15 per cent from 4458t in September 2023. January- September 2024 In the first nine ...
Cement prices in Niger expected to see significant drop
Cement in Niger is expected to be sold at significantly lower prices following the signing of an order determining the special tax regime applicable to importing, producing and marketing CEM II 32.5 grey cement. The order was signed by Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, president of the country's National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, on 14 October 2024 and includes a tot...
UltraTech Cement expands capacity to 156Mta
UltraTech Cement , the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has announced the completion of a significant capacity expansion, bringing its total cement production capacity to 156.06Mta. This addition forms part of the company's broader 22.6Mta capacity expansion plan, originally announced in June 2022. With this development, UltraTech solidifies its position as the third-largest ceme...
Pakistan producers expect mixed results in 1QFY24-25
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) listed cement firms have yet to start posting their financial results for 1QFY24-25. However, Topline Pakistan Research believes that its Cement Universe (comprising Lucky Cement, Kohat Cement, DG Khan Cement , Maple Leaf Cement and Fauji Cement Co Ltd – the country's top five cement producers) is expected to post profitability of PKR13.3bn in the first q...
US cement sales continue to slide in July
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico amounted to 9.286Mt in July, down 2.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from the 9.338Mt recorded in July 2023. Unfavourable weather—including extreme heat for west and east coasts, the third wettest July on record and the earliest recorded category 5 hurricane—has dragged on cement demand. Excluding for...