Cement News tagged: International
Venezuela aims to boost cement output
The Venezuelan government announced an investment plan of around US$200m to boost cement production within its borders, Minister of Industries, Ricardo Martinez, reported. During an inspection of Cemento Andino, as part of the "street government" public-management model in the state of Trujillo, Menendez said the objective is to increase production until it reaches 500kg per capita consumpti...
Adequate fuel supply needed to meet Saudi cement demand
With massive investments being pumped into the infrastructure space, the outlook for the Saudi cement sector looks bright. Cement companies have benefitted largely from cheap raw materials and fuel availability, making them outstandingly profitable. However, there are some concerns on fuel supply, which could lead to cement shortages. Despite buoyant demand, the cement sector is faci...
Algeria’s cement imports double to 1.3Mt in 4M13
Cement imports into Algeria have doubled in the first four months of 2013, surpassing US$116.2m when compared with US$53.5m for the equivalent period last year – an increase of 117.5 per cent, according to Algeria’s National Centre for Customs Information and Statistics. In the four-month period, Algeria imported 1.313Mt, a 116.4 per cent advance from the 606,625t during 4M12. The launch of n...
India Cements to restructure non-core assets
India Cements has said it will restructure its non-core assets, enabling the company to focus on core areas of its business and increase profitability. The company is expected to announce businesses in which it wants to partially or fully exit when it announces its quarterly results later this year. “We are working on whether to merge, hive-off or to sell to make all these businesses profit...
UltraTech to take tribunal plea to Supreme Court on Monday
India’s Supreme Court will hear UltraTech Cement's plea challenging an order issued by the Competition Appellate’s Tribunal (COMPACT) on 17 May 2013 instructing the cement companies charged with cartel practices to pay 10 per cent of the penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) last year. Following an appeal from several cement companies against the CCI’s record fine of ...
Iraq to halt imports indefinitely from next month
The Cabinet of Iraq has decided to halt cement imports, including white cement, as of 1 July 2013. Aswat al-Iraq News reported that the cabinet has decided to stop all commercial cement imports until the Ministry of Industry recognises an actual need for volumes due to the non-sufficiency of local production. The Ministry of Industry had also stopped issuing import licence as of 14 May 2013,...
Seacem sells shares to comply with public float, Philippines
Philippine-based Southeast Asia Cement Holding (Seacem) is selling PHP194m worth of shares to comply with the 10 per cent minimum public ownership set by the country’s stock exchange. Seacem said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it had signed a subscription agreement with two subscribers involving the sale of 555m at PHP0.35/share. The shares account for 7.9 per cent of ...
HeidelbergCement India increases prices
HeidelbergCement India Ltd (HCL) has increased cement prices by INR2-3 per 50kg bag, its chief executive officer and managing director, Ashish Guha told local media. Mr Guha said during an interview with CNBC-TV18 that prices have been hiked despite subdued demand over the past two months and margins have suffered. During the April-May period consumption only rose by 4-5 per cent instead of ...
Raysut Cement board approves US$24m investment plan
The board of directors of Raysut Cement, Oman, has approved investments in four projects totalling US$24m in markets where the company is already present as well as new venture in Somalia. The projects include a cement terminal in Duqm port, Oman, which will also see the construction of two silos with a capacity of 4000t. The Duqm project is set to start operations in the second half of 201...
Siam Cement Group to begin Myanmar plant construction in 2H13
Siam Cement Group of Thailand plans to kick start construction of a greenfield cement plant in neighbouring Myanmar in the second half of this year, having received regulatory approval. The 1.7Mta cement factory has been given the go-ahead by the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC), allowing the Thai conglomerate to begin construction as soon as the investment value is finalised by SCG's bo...
Indian producers eye price increase
With Indian consumption showing some signs of improvement local producers are looking to raise prices ahead of the impending monsoon season. According to sources cited by DNA India, prices are expected to rise by at least INR10/bag to possibly INR15/bag. Monsoon rains are due in June and traditionally supress construction activity until September/October and therefore cement companies gener...
Lafarge to continue investing in China
Lafarge said it will continue investing in China in research, namely in research, production and the creation of new partnerships, according to the company’s chief. Bruno Lafont, chairman and chief executive of the French cement major told the People’s Daily China that the company will invest using a “value-growth” model. It will prioritise its existing position in southwest China, although...
Pakistan monthly dispatches fall on transportation issues
Pakistan saw a rise in total dispatches for the first 11 months of the current fiscal but May 2013 sales declined by one per cent largely due to transport issues. For the first 11 months of the current fiscal, sales reached 30.552Mt compared to 29.495Mt, representing a YoY rise of 3.5 per cent. Capacity utilisation has reached 74.45 per cent, its highest level since 2006-07 as domestic disp...
Bolivia cement sales up 6.6% in 1Q13
Between Jan-Mar 2013, cement sales in Bolivia reached 671,078t, representing an increase of 6.6 per cent YoY, according to the Ministry of Economy and Public Finances. In 2012, 2.7Mt of cement were sold, up from 2.6Mt the year before and reflecting a steady rise since 2010, when sales were 2.4Mt. Cement producers expect that cement demand in 2013 will see a 10 per cent advance on last ye...
Semapa to focus on Brazilian investment
Semapa, the Portuguese holding company that controls cement maker Secil, has said it is focussed on constructing a new plant in Brazil as domestic demand continues to wane. “At this moment we are focused on building the plant in Brazil,” Paredes said. “There is a growing tendency for our cement sales from outside Portugal to increase,” Bloomberg quoted Semapa board member Jose Miguel Pare...
Tabuk Cement Co signs contract for 5000tpd line, Saudi Arabia
Tabuk Cement Company (TCC) has signed a SAR531.5m (US$141.7m) agreement with China's Chengdu Design and Research Institute of Building Materials Industry Co, or CDI, for the delivery and installation of a 5000tpd production line. The project also includes the construction of a 30MW power generation unit, for which TCC signed a separate agreement, worth SAR155.6m, with a German company. I...