Cement News tagged: International
Qatar: QNCC is well placed to dominate sector
This week, Fives FCB reported the commissioning of two new cement grinding mills at Qatar National Cement Company’s (QNCC) Umm Bab plant in Qatar, as the country ramps up its cement capacity for the large infrastructure projects that are currently being established. QNCC has been modifying its Umm Bab plant by adding the 5000tpd Plant 5. When the upgrade is complete in 1Q17, the plant will ...
Nepal: slow progress on infrastructure work for cement plants
Government efforts to provide power and transport links to cement plants in Nepal have made disappointingly slow progress in the eight years since the commitment was originally made, Republica reports. The newspaper highlights an official review of the progress of the work that found that just over 60 per cent of access roads had been completed as of last year. In a mid-term review for t...
Vietnam: cement exports hit by rising tax costs
Vietnamese cement exporters have warned that the loss of tax exemptions and the existing export tax have pushed up the cost of their products on international markets, harming their ability to compete, Vietnam News reports. An export tax of US$5/t and a 2016 change to VAT rules have meant that the average cost of a tonne of exported cement has increased by US$7.50, while a tonne of clinker ...
Qatar: Fives commissions two mills for QNCC
On 25 January and 6 February, Fives commissioned two new cement milling units at Qatar National Cement Company’s (QNCC) fifth production line in Umm Bab, Qatar. This achievement comprises a turnkey 5000tpd plant, which is still under construction. The scope of supply covered the whole set of equipment, from raw material preparation up to the cement dispatch, including: one 6400kW FCB B‑mill...
Nepal: new packaging for Jagdamba Cement
Jagdamba Cement announced new packaging for its Jagdamba Ultra Premium OPC Cement. In a statement the company said that its products can now compete with any international product available in Nepal. It has received NS 49, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 9001:2015/ISO 14001:2015 certifications.
USA: slag cement shipments up 12%
The Slag Cement Association (SCA) announced that in 2016 slag cement shipments showed a YoY increase of 12 per cent. President of the SCA, Ed Griffith: “I am pleased that this 12 per cent increase in shipments represents the strength of our economy and the increased understanding of the benefits of slag cement in the design, specification, and construction communities.”
Cemtech MEA 2017 provides GCC focus for an international audience
Delegates from over 30 countries, including all of the Gulf Cooperation Council's member states, gathered at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, in UAE, for this year's Cemtech Middle East and Africa conference and exhibition. Santhosh Balakrishnan of Riyad Capital (Saudi Arabia) highlights the demand drivers and outlook for the Saudi cement industry. Thomas Armstrong, managing editor of...
US December deliveries down, but full-year 2016 shipments up
Portland and blended cement shipments in the USA fell 8.4 per cent to 6.039Mt in December 2016 from 6.59Mt in December 2015, according to preliminary data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). US producers delivered 5.423Mt to domestic markets, down 8.3 per cent from the year-ago period, when they shipped 5.916Mt. Meanwhile imports dropped to 616,423t from 674,530t in December 2015. How...
Iranians advised to view Iraqi cement as an investment opportunity
The head of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, Yahya Al-e Es'haq, has advocated that Iranians should invest in the neighbouring cement market of Iran. "During a meeting with Iraq's minister of industry and minerals, the Iraqis said they intend to make their industries self-sufficient and that they do not want to be a sole importer of goods [such as cement] from Iran," Mr Al-e Es'haq added. "C...
Philippines: cement ship workers held hostage
Seven Vietnamese sailors are being held hostage after their ship was attacked near the south of the Philippines. The ship was transporting cement from Indonesia to the Philippines and was attacked Sunday evening near the restive Sulu archipelago. According to VN Express, 10 sailors were left onboard and later rescued unharmed by another Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship.
Poland: LafargeHolcim awards A TEC upgrade contract
To reduce the chlorine contents without causing substantial thermal losses in the kiln line, LafargeHolcim awarded A TEC a contract for upgrading its existing REDUCHLOR ® Bypass in Kujawy, Poland. Based on detailed computational fluid dynamics and process simulations, the existing bypass rate will be expanded from five to 10 per cent. This increase of the bypass rate has been realised unde...
Uruguay: government-owned plants losing money
Uruguay's budget deficit reached four per cent of GDP during 2016, equivalent to US$2.043bn, the worst performance since 1989, according to the latest figures released by the government's statistics office, INE. 2015 ended with a budget deficit of 3.6 per cent of GDP, which also set a record only comparable to 2002 (3.7 per cent). Government-owned cement plants have been losing money at a r...
AfriSam CEO: AfriSam's new Lesotho plant to help country's growth
AfriSam cement manufacturing plant in Lesotho will add to the growth prospects of the country, AfriSam CEO, Stephan Olivier, says of the newly-commissioned 0.2Mta cement plant. Mr Olivier made the remarks during the launch of Lesotho's first cement manufacturing plant which was officially opened by Lesotho’s Prime Minister, Dr Pakalitha Mosisili, last week. He indicated that the new cement ...
Nigeria: fuel shortages hit cement output
Shortages of oil and natural gas have caused cement producers in Nigeria to cut output, with some plants having to close temporarily, reports the Vanguard newspaper. The declining availability of natural gas, low-pour fuel oil and (LPFO), automotive gas oil (AGO) has led to a reduction in cement manufacturing as firms struggle to find sufficient fuel to support normal operations. Dangote...
United States: Maine representatives call for vigilance over McInnis plant
Congressional representatives for the state of Maine have written to US Trade Representative, Maria Pagan, calling on her to ensure that cement imports from McInnis’s new Port-Daniel-Gascons plant do not unfairly compete with domestic firms. In a letter to Ms Pagan, the four representatives state that McInnis’s project has received support from the government of Quebec which could be in vio...
Saudi Arabian cement sales down 16% in January
Domestic cement deliveries in Saudi Arabia in January 2017 were 15.9 per cent lower than in the same month the previous year, according to statistics released by Yamama Cement. At 4.78Mt, cement sales in the country were significantly below the January 2016 figure of 5.68Mt. Meanwhile, Saudi producers continue to amass clinker stocks, adding another 0.4Mt to their reserves in January. Cl...