Cement News tagged: International
Qatari group expresses interest in Ethiopian plant construction
A Qatari business group led by Sheikh Fahad Ahmed M T Al Thani has expressed an interest in constructing a cement plant in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, as part of a series of investments across various sectors in the African country. AllAfrica news reported that during a meeting with Ethiopia’s president Mulatu Teshome last week, Mr Al Thani said he had visited various investment sites and plans...
Vietnam targets increased exports in 2015
Vietnam is forecast to export 25-26Mt of cement and clinker in 2015, the Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper reported, citing the country’s Ministry of Construction. The main end-markets include Bangladesh, Middle East countries and Cambodia, according to the report. Last year, exports jumped 30 per cent from 2013 to nearly 20Mt, the report added.
Spain’s cement demand holds at just below 11Mt in 2014
Cement consumption in Spain reached 10.79Mt in 2014, largely stable when compared to the 10.74Mt recorded in 2013, latest figures released by domestic cement association Oficemen show. The bottoming out from a steady decline experienced in recent years was helped by the 12.5 per cent expansion of the domestic market in December. Output in Spain’s cement factories increased 5.4 per cent YoY ...
PCA: positive gains in US residential housing expected
Residential housing starts will be on the increase in 2015 according to the Portland Cement Association (PCA) with positive gains expected to continue next year. In his annual residential housing forecast during the 2015 International Builders Show, Edward J Sullivan, PCA Chief Economist and Group VP announced that housing starts will increase 20 per cent to 1.2 million units in 2015. This is...
BaselCement's full-year output rises 37% YoY
BaselCement produced 2Mt of cement and clinker in 2014, an increase of 37 per cent YoY, the Russia-based company said in a statement. Volumes at the Serebryansky Cement plant in Ryazan Oblast increased by 95 per cent YoY to reach 1.02Mt, news agency Interfax reported citing BaselCement's press service. Shipments from the Achinsk Cement plant, based in Achinsk, rose by five per cent, with v...
Sanghi Industries invests in energy, port development
Sanghi Industries is to invest in a 15MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system at its cement plant in Kutch, Gujarat, as part of the company’s drive to enhance efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. Explaining the company’s strategy, Alok Sanghi, Director of Sanghi Industries Ltd said: “Our focus is on increasing efficiencies at our manufacturing facilities as well as reducing our carbon foo...
Holcim Indonesia launches new mortar product line
Holcim Indonesia has launched a new line of mortar products as it responds to changing construction requirements in urban markets. The three new products – Holcim Pasangan, Holcim Plesteran and Holcim Acian – will be marketed in the Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi areas of Indonesia exclusively. "Similar as our other products and solutions, Holcim Mortar have been through several trials...
Indian interest in Congo plant investment
The Republic of Congo is expected to add a further cement plant to its production base, according to local news service, Star du Congo. The president of India-based Seftech, Mahesh Chaturved, will be meeting the country’s Minister of Industrial Development and Private Sector Promotion, Isidore Mvouba, to discuss plans to build a 600tpd (0.198Mta) works in Louteté with the option for a furth...
Morocco’s cement demand falls 5.4% in 2014
The fall in Morocco’s cement consumption declined by 5.4 per cent, following a 6.3 per cent reduction in 2013, according to the Moroccan Economics and Finance Ministry (DEPF). The positive trend is attributed to good sales in March, August, October and December 2014, when sales advanced 8.2, 26.5, 1.4 and 0.6 per cent, respectively.
Iran halts clinker production for 30 days
Iran has halted the production of clinker for 30 days, effective 14 January 2015. Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official with Iran's Cement Producers Association, said that the country currently has 17Mt of clinker in store, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported last week. “We have stopped producing clinker in order to turn the current amount to cement,” Mr Sheykhan said.
US Jan-Nov shipments - preliminary data
Portland and blended cement shipments in the US and Puerto Rico over the Jan-November 2014 period reached 82.39Mt, preliminary data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows. Of the total shipments, domestic dispatches accounted for 75.63Mt and imports the remaining 6.76Mt. In November 2014 alone, shipments reached 6.54Mt, comprising 5.95Mt of domestic sales and 588,720t of imports. Clinke...
Indonesia lowers SOE-produced cement prices
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has decided to lower the selling price of cement produced by State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) by IDR3000/bag. On Friday last week, the president announced the price cuts of the SOE-produced cement, adjusted to the cut in subsidised gasoline (Premium) prices from IDR7,600/litre to IDR6,600/litre. SMGR corporate secretary Agung Wiharto said that although selling ...
India: JSW Group eyes capacity expansion
The JSW Group plans to expand its cement production capacity to 30Mta over the next decade from the current 5Mta as it seeks to become a bigger player on the Indian cement market scene. Speaking to BusinessLine reporters, Seshagiri Rao, Joint Managing Director of JSW Steel said the group plan is to become a significant player in the sector with 30Mta capacity by 2025. The company, one of In...
Iran output exceeds 50Mt in first nine months
Iran produced 51.645Mt of cement in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 December 2014), the IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. Moreover, 56.85Mt of clinker were produced over the period. In the first six months, the country's exports reached 7Mt, according to the report.
Semen Indonesia's Myanmar investment discussions still ongoing
Semen Indonesia may withdraw from plans to invest in Myanmar if the company and its local partner fail to reach an amicable agreement over the partnership deal, a company executive has told the Jakarta Post. Last year the state-owned Indonesian cement firm said it had decided to postpone its plan to acquire a cement firm in Myanmar after it missed its mid-year deadline to conclude negotia...
Holcim remains committed to Lafarge merger despite SNB move
Holcim said it remained committed to a planned merger with Lafarge despite a move by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) that knocked almost CHF3bn (US$3.45bn) off the Swiss company's market value. In a surprise move, the SNB said on Thursday it would abandon the 1.20 per euro cap on the franc, sparking a near 30 per cent surge in the franc against the European currency and triggering a bout of equ...