Cement News tagged: International
Argentina's cement market contracts 9% in October
Argentine cement consumption fell 8.8 per cent YoY to 948,930t in October 2019, from 1,040,317t in October 2018, according to the country’s cement association, AFCP. When compared with September 2019, demand edged up by 1.1 per cent from 938,994t. All cement was supplied by domestic producers as imports remained at zero. In October 2018 the country imported 120t. Total output in October 2019...
Nepal is set to enforce new grading certification
The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology will provide grading certification for all cement produced in the country from November, according to The Kathmandu Post. Currently, there is no grading system and producers use Indian quality standards. However, cement will now be classified into 33, 43 and 53 grades on par with international standards. The new certification is expected to be enfo...
Kazakhstan Portland cement output falls to 7.8Mt
In the January-September 2019 period cement production in Kazakhstan has fallen by 2.5 per cent to 7.8Mt when compared with the 9M18, when output reached 8Mt, according to Kazakhstan Newsline. Cement prices increased 3.1 per cent to KZT23,300/t (US$59.96/t) in September 2019 from KZT22,600/t in September 2018. The average retail price of M400 cement rose 7.7 per cent YoY from KZT1300/50kg ba...
Colombian dispatches up 5% in September
Cement dispatches in Colombia increased 4.6 per cent YoY to 1.078Mt in September 2019 when compared with 1.031Mt in September 2018, according to DANE, the country’s statistics office. While bulk sales picked up by 1.2 per cent, bagged sales rose by 6.3 per cent. Cement production by Colombian cement plants edged up one per cent to 1.094Mt in September 2019 from 1.083Mt in the year-ago period...
China sees 7% increase in cement output during the 9M19
China's cement output stood at 1.69bnt in the first nine months of 2019, up 6.9 per cent YoY, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). During the period, the sector’s total operating revenue increased 14.3 per cent YoY to CNY719.9bn (US$102.4bn). Combined profits surged 25.3 per cent YoY to reach CNY131.8bn in the 9M19. However, cement prices saw continuous d...
Azerbaijan sees 6% YoY fall in clinker export value
Azerbaijan’s Gazakh cement plant exported about 253,000t of clinker to Georgia in January-August 2019, according to Turan. The average export value of Azerbaijani clinker to Georgia has amounted to US$37.48/t so far this year. However, at the same time the export value of clinker decreased 5.8 per cent compared to the average for 2018. According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, a...
Vietnamese cement sales rise 2% in September
Total Vietnamese cement sales reached 8.196Mt in September 2019, up two per cent YoY and one per cent MoM, according to the latest data by the Vietnam Cement Association (VNCA). Of this total, 5.537Mt was sold on the domestic market, a YoY improvement of four per cent (+7 per cent MoM), while 2.659Mt was exported. Exports saw a four per cent YoY and nine per cent MoM decline. VICEM sales in ...
FLSmidth China joins WCA as associate member
FLSmidth China, a wholly-owned subsidiary of FLSmidth A/S, has joined the World Cement Association (WCA) as an associate member. "As a leading contributor to cement production around the world, we share responsibility for driving the sector towards more sustainable productivity," said Cyril Leung, country head of FLSmidth China. "We are inspired by the work already done by the WCA to seek co...
Pakistan defers axle load and CNIC issues
The Pakistani government is deferring two issues that had earlier caused a negative impact on the country's cement industry: the axle load and documentation of sale over PKR50,000/t (US$321/t). Two major issues – axle load and documentation of sale beyond PKR50,000/- (US$321/-) (the condition of submission of Computerised National Identity Card) are being deferred. Axle load issue Pakistan...
EcoCementos commissions new 1.5Mta Colombian cement plant
Empresa Colombiana de Cementos (EcoCementos) is today launching a greenfield cement plant capable of producing up to 1.5Mta of cement in the Magdalena Valley in Sonsón municipality in Antioquia, Colombia. EcoCementos' new Sonsón plant is officially operational EcoCementos is a joint venture between the Colombian building materials group Corona and the Spanish cement producer Cemen...
Venezuelan cement output below 50% of market requirement
The production of cement in Venezuela is less than half of the country’s demand of 18Mt, according to El Impulso. Output is currently down from 9Mt to 4Mta, due to issues with electrical power supply, equipment and inputs, said Orlando Chirinos, president of the Federation of Cement Workers (Fetracemento) and secretary general of the cement workers syndicate of Lara state. In terms of equipm...
Central Bank reviews Pakistan's cement industry performance in FY19
Pakistan State Bank has released its annual report for the FY2018-19, in which the bank reviewed the performance of all sectors, including the country's cement industry. Real GDP growth decelerated to 3.3 per cent in FY19, compared to 5.5 per cent last year. While all the economic sectors contributed towards this lacklustre performance, the major drag came from the commodity-producing sector. ...
GCCA welcomes two new members and three affiliates
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has added two new member companies and three new affiliates. Membership now totals 38 member companies and 18 affiliates. The new member companies are Cementos Progreso SA of Guatemala and Vassiliko Cement Works Public Co Ltd of Cyprus. In addition, the association confirmed three new affiliates who will partner the GCCA to achieve shared goa...
Gwana Cement Factory to produce cement in US$864m deal
Nigeria’s Bauchi State Government has signed a US$864m deal with an American investment company to produce cement at the Gwana Cement Factory. Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of a three-day event for the FCT Minister’s Press Corps in Bauchi. He said the constant return to scale of the investment was around NGN2bn (US$5.51m). The g...
Semen Indonesia joins WCA
Semen Indonesia has joined the World Cement Association (WCA) as a Corporate Member. Semen Indonesia maintains a production capacity of 51Mta, which is shipped to customers across Indonesia, but also Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Philippines, China, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Africa, Timor-Leste and other countries. The company has cement plants in Lhoknga in Aceh, Indarung in We...
Pakistan's cement production continues to slide
The latest data released by the Pakistan Federal Bureau of Statistics shows that large-scale manufacturing industries (LSMI) observed a negative trend in Pakistan's manufacturing sector during July-August 2019-20, including the cement sector. The overall output of LSMI decreased by 6.04 per cent for July-August, 2019-20 compared to July-August, 2018-19. Cement production fell by 5.03 per cen...