Cement News tagged: International
New 1.5Mta cement plant for Mali
Mali's government and Gaia Equity Ltd have signed on 16 September a memorandum of understanding and an establishment agreement for the construction of a 1.5Mta cement plant in the country. The CFA200bn (US$330m) works will be built Guimbané, Diéma, in the Kayes region. The new plant is part of the government’s efforts to establish an industrial base in the country, according to the Minister ...
Kenya: East African Portland Cement MD refused to reinstate sacked staff
Simon Peter ole Nkeri, managing director of East Portland Cement Co, is being sued for contempt of court by five former employees of the company, report the Star (Kenya). The MD refused to reinstate the five workers that a court had said were unlawfully dismissed. Five months ago, Justice Hellen Wasilwa had directed that Benjamin Nduati, Ibrahim Mugo, Evans Abuga, Desmond Owiyo and Felix...
UK: Westbury cement works chimney demolished
The Westbury cement works, owned by Tarmac, constructed its site in the early 1960s. This weekend a 122m-high chimney at the site was demolished, after being taken out of action in 2009. The demolition marks the end of over 40 years of cement production at the site. Stuart Wykes of Tarmac said, “There's a lot of work done leading up to something like this, so the chimney is weakened in cert...
Indonesia: August surge puts consumption growth back on course
The Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) reported that cement sales rose by 8.7 per cent from 5.49Mt in August 2015 to 5.97Mt in August 2016. The surge in domestic sales was driven by the implementation of infrastructure projects in the 2H2016. With cement sales in reaching 39.07Mt in January-August 2016 (+3.9 per cent), demand growth is edging closer to the five per cent forecast by ASI. "I...
USA: PCA's Gleason Jr Leadership Award goes to Nielson at Ash Grove
Scott Nielson, corporate environmental manager for Ash Grove Cement Company, has won the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) 2016 John P Gleason Jr Leadership Award. Scott receives his award from the PCA The awards honour individuals who have exhibited industry leadership by advancing key association programmes and initiatives. Presented at the PCA Fall 2016 Congress meeting in C...
Kenyan cement firms feel the squeeze
This week the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics announced that KES2.2bn (US$21.7m) of cement was imported from China in the 1H16 - a 10-fold YoY increase. While full-year domestic cement consumption is forecast at 6Mta and installed production capacity is at 8Mta, cement imports appear surplus to the building sector’s needs. Although Chinese construction companies claim to source their b...
Positive outlook for Mexican producers
This week Banco Santander reported that it has given a positive outlook for two cement producers in Mexico, following the rise in cement prices in the country as production volumes look set to climb by 5.6 per cent in 2016 to 52.5Mt. This must be welcome news for Cemex that has been forced to dispose of assets in several countries to meet its debt requirements with the latest being the sale o...
Spain's cement demand resumes growth
Spanish cement consumption increased 3.2 per cent to 930,593t in August when compared with August 2015, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen. The developments breaks a five-month stint of market contraction. In the first eight months of the year, cement demand has slipped 2.8 per cent to 7.419Mt. "Data from the summer confirm the sector’s new entry into recession, sev...
Myanmar: Mon State Government cautious on new projects
Since the National League for Democracy-led government in Myanmar took office over five months ago, the government has not permitted any new business investment projects in Mon State, according to Mon State Government, claims Mon News Agnecy. So far, during the new government’s term, over 100 companies, including social development groups, financial loan companies and foreign investors, have...
Zimbabwe: PPC's Harare plant to create growth opportunities
Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) Zimbabwe says its new US$75m Harare plant wil be commissioned at year-end. PPC Zimbabwe Managing Director, Kelibone Masiyane, told NewsDay all was set for the biggest project to roar into life by the end of the year. The new facility will produce 0.68Mta of cement. "The Harare Msasa project is at an advanced stage, with commissioning already in progress and pl...
Fiji: clinker shipment from China
A cargo vessel has docked at the Kings Wharf, Suva, bringing in clinker for Tengy Cement from China. The vessel is expected to remain in the port for 7-8 days. According to Vafo-ou Villiame of Carpenters Shipping, “the vessel will be unloading cement clinker for the new cement factory", as reported local news source, The Fiji Sun. Mr Villiame also stated that the ship had not made calls at ...
Ghana: recovery anticipated after cement sales fall 3.1% in 2015
The Business & Financial Times reports that domestic cement sales in Ghana fell to 4.13Mt in 2015, down by 3.1 per cent on the previous year. Cement imports reached 2.62Mt, up 6.2 per cent on 2014. The decline was not due to falling demand but instead reflects the ongoing issues with electricity supply, that has disrupted production. The newspaper quotes sources at two of the domestic pr...
Ghana: Dangote sets up tarpaulin distribution centres
Dangote Cement Ghana Ltd has embarked on an exercise to distribute 1000 tarpaulins to its cement distributors across Ghana, said Dangote marketing manager, Evans Oloquaye Martey. He explained that with the tarpaulin technology, distributors only need platforms on which to put the cement, then use the tarpaulins to cover and secure them against theft and rain. “The tarpaulin concept of tra...
Nigeria: Bricklayers threaten protest over cement prices
The Lagos State Bricklayers Association have called on the Nigerian government to take action to lower cement prices, the Nation reports. According to the newspaper, if the authorities do not succeed in bringing down the cost of cement by 20 September, bricklayers will hold a rally in Nigeria’s largest city to air their grievances. President of association, Deacon Abel Olukayode, stated:...
India: cement industry demand raises coal imports
The demand for coal with a high calorific value, primarily from the cement sector, combined with the doubling of clean environment cess has resulted in a shift in coal imports into India. Steam coal imports have been declining in the April-June 2016 quarter due to higher output of domestic mines, but the key shift relates to the origin of the imports. While Indonesia has accounted for the m...
Pakistan: good news for coal industry
The Pakistan International Bulk Terminal, which is currently under construction at Port Qasim, is expected to commence operation by the end of the year. The terminal will have the capacity to handle 12Mta of coal imports and 4Mta of cement and clinker exports. The project cost is estimated at US$225m and is funded by a local company in partnership with the World Bank and International Finance ...