Cement News tagged: International
Catskill plant closure to be made permanent, USA
Holcim is reportedly permanently closing its Catskill plant in the state of New York, USA, according to a local news report which cites notice given to the Department of Environmental Conservation which seeks permission for Holcim to dispose of cement production waste remaining at the plant. Last June, Holcim mothballed the plant citing poor economic conditions but left open the possib...
Cemex to appeal fine, Mexico
Cemex CEO Lorenzo Zambrano has reiterated that the company will appeal a fine for allegedly blocking competitors from bringing cement into Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reports. Earlier this month, the Federal Competition Commission (CFC) fined Cemex MXP10.2m (US$796,000) following an investigation into a failed attempt by a competitor to import cement via a silo ship almost eight years a...
Indonesia to invest US$6.3bn in new capacity projects
Indonesian cement producers plan to invest IDR57trn (US$6.3bn) to raise domestic production, chairman of the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) said. The Investor Daily reports the investment is expected to produce an additional 30Mta of cement and could advance total cement production to 90Mta in 2017. Capacity currently stands at 52Mta. “With a population of 240 million and cement pri...
Falluja Cement factory to be rehabilitated, Iraq
Iraq’s Ministry of Industry and Minerals has signed a 20-year investment contract to rehabilitate the Fulluja Cement Factory, as the country emerges seeks to attract inward investment to accelerate the rehabilitation of the economy. A statement by the ministry said it has “signed a contract with an Iraqi company, backed by Arab and foreign companies, to rehabilitate and operate the Falluja ...
Lithuania’s Akmenes Cement seeks export markets
Following the completion of upgrade works at the Akmenes Cement works in Lithuania, the company has said it is seeking new export markets for its additional output. The company is installing a new line which will raise capacity from 1.2Mta to 1.5Mta. “Search for new markets and customers is vital for us and we focus on that now. We are building a new plant, which will have the capacity way ...
Kuwait Portland Cement 2011 net drops
Kuwait Portland Cement has reported a net drop in profit to KWD2.54m (US$9.1m) for 2011 from KWD22.3m in 2010. The company did not disclose reasons for this decline. Earnings per share (EPS) decreased to 27.9 fils from 245.2 fils. The company said total assets stood at KWD68.2m by the end of 2011, down from KWD85.4m a year earlier. The board of directors proposed a 65 per cent cash di...
Proposed Daqm plant being studied, Oman
Oman Cement Company (OCC) is interested in establishing a cement plant in the port town of Daqm, the Times of Oman reports. The company is currently carrying out a feasibility study for a plant which would be a joint venture with fellow Oman cement producer, Raysut Cement. Jamal Shamis Al Hooti, chief executive of Oman Cement Company, said: “If the feasibility report says it is viable to i...
Rises in Pakistan cement prices lower than other building materials
Aizaz Mansoor Shaikh, chairman of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has said cement prices have displayed a much lower increase over the last few years compared to other building materials and essential commodities. The News Tribe of Pakistan reports that on average, cement prices increased 6.28 per cent since 2000 to the first half of the current fiscal compared to ...
New Algerian cement plant proposed
The National Agency for Investment Development (Andi) and the Society of Aggregates and Building Materials (Sagremac) have signed an investment agreement for the implementation of a US$400m cement plant in Biskra. The agreement involves the construction of a 2Mta cement plant in the town of Djemourah, located in the wilaya of Biskra, northern Algeria. Sagremac is a private company incorp...
Lafarge Malayan Cement pretax profit rises
Lafarge Malayan Cement Bhd's pre-tax profit rose 10 per cent to MYR414.65m (US$136.7m) for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2011 from MYR345.397m in 2010, Business Times of Malaysia reports. In filing to Bursa Malaysia, the group said the higher profit was in line with the increase in revenue as well as the better performance of its ready mix businesses.??Revenue for the year amounted to MY...
2011 global consumption reaches 3.6bnt
Global cement consumption amounted to around 3.6bn tones in 2011 of which China accounts for approximately 2.0bn and India approximately 0.2bnt, according to FLSmidth in its latest annual report. The Danish engineering group expects annual growth in global cement consumption is expected to be 3-4% in the coming years. Capacity utilisation on a global scale. meanwhile, remains relatively subd...
Indian cement importers meet Pakistan exporters
An Indian trade delegation of over 120 business people, government officials and members of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) including cement importers visited Pakistan last week to make head way on Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India and further enhance bilateral trade relations between the two countries. The Indian delegation was led by Anand Sharma, Mini...
India January cement dispatches up 9.4%
Indian cement dispatches during January 2012 increased by 9.4 per cent – the third straight month of high growth due to a low base effect (January 2011: +1.1 per cent). Dispatches in January 2012 reached 220.4Mt compared to 18.6Mt in the year-ago period. Cement production rose 10.6 per cent to 20.6Mt, according to figures from the Cement Manufacturers Association of India and Holcim. For th...
Cement shortage hits Ghana’s Cape Coast
A shortage of cement has been reported in the Cape Coast, central regional capital of Ghana as a result of faulty equipment at Tarkarodi Cement, according to local press reports. Retailers at Cape Code told City & Business Guide that customers are struggling to buy a bag of cement which is currently being sold for GHS18 instead of the previous GHS14. Kwame Mensah, a retailer at Sackey Cemen...
UK: budget opportunity to stimulate growth
The UK’s Construction Products Association (CPA) has written to the Chancellor in advance of his Budget statement next month, calling for the introduction of a range of practical policies that, whilst helping drive growth, will not endanger the government’s desire to achieve its medium term deficit target, but speed the country’s economic recovery. Speaking about the Association’s proposals...
Qatar National Cement full-year net profit falls 5%
Qatar National Cement, the country’s principal cement producer, reported a five per cent drop in 2011 net profit to QAR44.65m (US$12.3m) as revenues slipped. Revenue was down by nine per cent to QAR989.62m but cost f sales fell faster by 12 per cent to QAR10.72m, leading to a six per cent decline in gross profit to QAR478.91m, the Gulf Times reported. However, the company has recommended...