Cement News tagged: International
New 120,000tpa cement plant for El Salvador
Guatemala’s Monterrey group has laid the first stone for a new 120,000tpa cement plant on the Acajutla-Sonsonate road in Acajutla, El Salvador. Construction will be carried out by Qualicons, a Guatemalan capital construction company. The facility is located near an industrial dock, which will enable raw material imports from Asia. The new works represents an investment of US$12m and is expec...
Brazil's cement market expands 3% in August
Apparent cement consumption in Brazil edged up 2.9 per cent YoY to 5.1Mt in August 2019, according to the country’s cement association, SNIC. Domestic cement sales increased three per cent to 5.1Mt in August 2019 when compared with August 2018. When considering the number of business days, daily sales were up 5.1 per cent YoY and 4.1 per cent MoM. In terms of regions, the southeast led gro...
Indian cement companies amongst bidders for coal blocks
India’s UltraTech Cement, ACC Cement and Reliance Cement are amongst the prospective bidders for the auction of 27 coal blocks. To attract investors, the government has allowed the sale of up to half the output to Coal India at a notified price, while a further 25 per cent can be sold in the open market. However, block operators have to consume at least 25 per cent of their produce in their...
Colombian cement market expands 12% in July
Colombia’s cement consumption increased 12.4 per cent YoY in July 2019 to 1.113Mt, reports the country’s statistics office, DANE. Domestic cement production increased 9.5 per cent YoY in July 2019 to 1.118Mt. Building companies and contractors increased their offtake by 15.8 per cent YoY while sales in the retail sector rose by 12.4 per cent. Sales to ready-mix concrete companies increased by...
Pakistan cement industry's future outlook
The margins of the Pakistani cement industry remain under pressure in FY19 and this trend is likely to continue in FY20 on the back of poor demand, higher coal prices and interest rates, lesser allocation for development projects, and competition in local and overseas markets. Reviewing the industry performance, experts observed in the local media that the industry started making expansion...
Turkmenistan's Lebap plant begins testing new cement products
Turkmenistan’s Lebap cement has begun test production of M-400 D-20 and M-500 D-20 cement, which includes ground basalt powder as a locally-sourced additive. Currently the most popular products in the market are M-400, M-500 and M-400 sulphate-resistant cement. Kelyata Plant also produces drilling Portland cement (DPC)-1-100 for use in the oil and gas industry. So far this year, Lebap has ...
Argentina records 6% fall in dispatches for August
Argentina has recorded a 5.8 per cent YoY decrease in cement dispatches to 1.052Mt for August 2019, compared with 1.117Mt in the year-ago period. Domestic dispatches fell to 1.047Mt from 1.113Mt, while exports declined to 4230t from 4611t in August 2018. The country’s demand was met by domestic production and as such, no imports were recorded for the month.
LafargeHolcim Côte d’Ivoire opens new cement depot
LafargeHolcim Côte d’Ivoire has opened a new cement warehouse in Bouaké, in the north-central region, with traders now able to buy quantities larger than or equal to 10t without having to travel to Abidjan. The new depot is based at the old Gonfreville plant, with all bagged products (Classics, Extra and Superbric) available, according to the company.
Indian cement demand growth forecast to slow in FY20
Growth in Indian cement demand is expected to slow to seven per cent in the FY19-20, against 13 per cent demand growth in the FY18-19, according to ICRA. However, average prices in the current fiscal year are likely to be higher while manufacturing costs will decrease. "We expect cement demand growth to taper off in the FY19-20 after a strong double-digit growth in the previous year. This is...
Cement prices in Punjab rise after trade suspension
After the suspension of trade between India and Pakistan on 10 August, the price of cement in Punjab has increased by almost INR100/bag (US$1.38/bag), according to the Hindustan Times. Therefore, the price of a cement bag has risen from INR260-275 to INR360-375. "Since Pakistan suspended trade with India, comparatively cheaper Pakistani cement has triggered a price rise in the domestically m...
Uzbekistan's cement imports rise 32% in 7M19
In the first seven months of 2019, Uzbekistan has recorded a 32.3 per cent YoY increase in cement imports at a total value of US$105.6m, according to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan. In the overall structure of building material imports, the share of cement has increased to 14.1 per cent. However, domestic cement production also rose 17.6 per cent to 5.399Mt in January-July 2019...
Cement production in Panama falls 10%
The drop-off in construction in Panama is being cited as the main reason for the depressed cement sector in the 1H19. According to data from the General Comptroller of the Republic, between 1H18 and 1H19, the total cost of construction went from US$662m to US$510m, which is equivalent to a fall of 23 per cent. Cement production totalled 749,235t in January to June 2019 and ready-mix concret...
Ramco Cements expects price hike in Indian states
India's Ramco Cements Ltd has stated that a cement price hike in Telugu states is imperative as prices are unviable for manufacturers. "Companies have to increase cement prices as current prices are unviable. There is no other way. Cement prices in Hyderabad range from INR220-270/bag (US$3-3.77/bag). Rates are similar in Andhra Pradesh, though we get INR10-15 more in Visakhapatnam and Rayal...
DTI reports that cement prices remain stable
Cement prices in the Philippines are holding firm despite some rumours of cement shortages, says the Department of Trade and Industry Regional Consumer Protection Division and Provisional Office (DTI). The wholesale price of a 40kg bag of cement is being sold at around PHP222 (US$4.26) and the retail price is being set at around PHP230-235. In January 2019, the DTI reported that retail prices...
China's cement output rises by 6% in 1H19
China's total cement output rose by 6.8 per cent in 1H19 to 1.045bnt. This was the fastest growth in the last six years, even though cement supply was still constrained by the policies of 'staggering peak construction' and environmentally restrictive production'. National demand for cement saw a YoY increase of more than five per cent with the northern region showing the fastest growth. ...
Sampyo Cement joins the WCA
The World Cement Association has announced tthat South Korea's SAMPYO Cement, a leading cement producer established in 1957, has joined the international association as a Corporate Member. "We are very pleased to welcome Sampyo Cement on board as the newest member of the WCA family," said Vincent Lefebvre, Chairman of the World Cement Association. "Sampyo is a world-class company that has a...