Cement News tagged: International
USA: ASTM honours Bruce Blair
The Bryant Mather Award from ASTM International Committee on Cement has been awarded to Bruce Blair, president and CEO of Consumers Concrete Corporation, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. A member of ASTM since 1996, Bruce Blair was specifically recognised for his contributions to the development and continued improvement to cement standards, and for advancing the body of knowledge related to ble...
Oficemen: full-year cement demand in Spain expected 3% down
Cement demand in Spain edged up 0.6 per cent YoY in November to 1,008,191t, according to the country's cement association, Oficemen. In the January-November period, consumption fell three per cent YoY to 10.336Mt. The association expects full-year domestic cement sales to be down three per cent when compared to 2015. "The electricity price has risen more than 80 per cent from April to Octob...
Sri Lanka: Tokyo Cement expansion project
Tokyo Cement Co (Lanka) Plc has commenced initial testing at its cement plant in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The fully-automated plant is expected to nearly double the company’s production capacity when it begins commercial operations in February 2017. It will add 1Mta to the existing capacity of Tokyo Cement, bringing total production capacity to 2.8Mta. This plant symbolises the beginning of ...
Nepal: clinker imports in high demand
Nepal's import of clinker rocketed by 674 per cent in the first four months of this fiscal as domestic grinding and cement plants tried to meet demand, reports the Himalayan Times. The country imported clinker worth INR6.58bn (US$96.8m) in the first four months of this fiscal against INR850m (US$12.5m) in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, according to Trade and Export Promotio...
Nigeria: BUA cement 8Mta planned expansion
The BUA Cement 8Mta expansion project initiated last year is expected to be completed by 2018, according to BUA Group CEO, Abdulsamad Rabiu. Mr Rabiu said the expansion will see the firm double its production capacity. Acting Managing Director of the company, Yusuf Benji, said that despite the challenging operating environment, the company would not compromise on the issue of quality of its...
USA: MSHA points to management failings in Midlothian fatality
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) report on the fatal accident in May at Ash Grove Midlothian plant in Texas cites a failure in management policies, procedures, and controls to adequately ensure that effective barricades and readily visible warning signs were provided, where hazards were not immediately obvious. Roderick Barnes, Maintenance Worker, age 46, was fatally injur...
Moroccan cement demand stable in November
Cement sales in Morocco experienced a 3.5 per cent drop YoY to 1.2Mt in November 2016, according to the country’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Policy. In regional terms, the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma region saw demand drop 15.7 per cent to 145,574t and in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra sales were down 6.8 per cent to 147,023t while Souss Massa noted an 8.3 per cent rise in sales to 111,544t. In Casabla...
Peru’s cement market contracts more than 6% in November
Cement consumption in Peru continues to fall with domestic sales noting a 6.6 per cent YoY decline from 914,000t in November 2016 to 854,000t in November 2016, according to Asocem, the country’s cement association. Demand in the January-November 2016 period reached 10.029Mt, down three per cent YoY from 10.335Mt in 11M15. Production fell by 8.7 per cent YoY to 871,000t in November from 95...
Myanmar: BASF to open new construction chemicals plant
German industrial chemical firm BASF has announced that it will open its first manufacturing plant in Myanmar in 2017, Newswire Today reports. The plant will produce chemicals for the construction industry, BASF’s portfolio of which includes cement additives, and will be sited in Myanmar’s commercial capital, Yangon. “As Myanmar’s construction industry grows more sophisticated in its sco...
Zimbabwe: Mortal Investments plant complete
The construction of Mortal Investments Manufacturing Co’s US$10m plant in Redcliff, Zimbabwe, has been completed. The Chinese investor begun construction of the new plant in August after purchasing a 100,000m 2 plot of land. According to Redcliff Municipality Mayor, Councillor Fred Kapuya, the plant is in its test run phase, which is expected to be completed early 2017.
Mexico: Cemex increases cement price 11%
Cemex notified its distributors that from January 2017 it will increase the price of grey cement by around 11 per cent nationwide. Other producers such as Holcim and Cruz Azul are following suit with similar price rises of around MXN300 (US$14.60) Distributors of Construramas, Cemex’s chain of shops in Nuevo Léon and other Mexican states said the latest price rise will see cement at MXN2740-...
Kenya: Savannah Cement 2500tpm supply deal
Savannah Cement claims to be supplying 2500t of cement each month to the Outer Ring Road expansion project. The KES16bn (US$157m) road project is being financed by the African Development Bank and the Kenyan government and is scheduled for completion in September 2017. Meanwhile, the cement manufacturer has plans to install a second grinding unit at its Kitengela complex to boost production...
Indonesian cement sales fall 9% in November
The Indonesian cement market is seeing a steep fall in cement sales as the year draw to a close. Cement sales volume during January-November 2016 was almost stagnant with November sales down nine per cent when compared with the same period last year to 5.74Mt, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). Cement sales volumes during the 11M16 period increased only 0.3 per cent YoY t...
Kenya: locals request priority in EAPCC land sale
East Africa Portland Cement Co (EAPCC) has proposed the disposal of parcels of land and residents in some of the areas have requested priority in the sale. On 17 November 2016, Athi River-based company EAPCC announced plans to sell parcels of its land in an attempt to raise approximately KES8bn (US$78.3m). The company has suggested the proceeds could go towards retiring KES5bn of debt. A...
Fitch: Latin America 2017 outlook stable
According to a new Fitch Ratings report, the 2017 Latin American cement outlook for both ratings and the sector is stable. Associate Director at Fitch Ratings, Gilberto Gonzalez: “Issuers have built significant operations in the US, which should benefit from increased public and private spending… Housing starts should increase seven per cent to 1.26m, which should provide an additional boos...
Saudi Arabia: domestic firms' sales down 22% in November
Saudi Arabian cement companies saw their sales fall 21.92 per cent YoY to 4.2Mt in November from 5.4Mt in the same month last year, according to a Yamama Cement report. Total production declined 20.2 per cent 4.23Mt in the month under review when compared to the 5.3Mt registered in November 2015. Inventories rose 16.5 per cent to 1.13Mt last month, up from 971,000t a year prior. Of the S...