Cement News tagged: International
Hungary levies excess-profit tax on construction material producers
Hungary's government has levied a 90 per cent excess-profit tax on some producers of construction materials from 9 July, in an effort aimed at curbing surging prices. The tax applies to companies that produce cement and other materials, including plaster, chalk, gravel, sand, clay, lime and gypsum, with annual revenue of HUF3bn (US$10.02m) or more in 2019. It requires the companies to pay a...
Brazil market expands in June with expectations of 6% growth in 2021
Cement sales in Brazil edged up 1.5 per cent to 5.438Mt in June 2021 from 5.358Mt in June 2020, according to the country’s cement association, SNIC. Self-construction as well as residential and commercial renovation continue to rise while increasing sales are further supported by works in the real estate sector. Growth was strongest in the southern region, where sales advanced 11.4 per cent ...
Swiss cement dispatches edge up 3% in 2Q21
Swiss cement producers saw a 2.6 per cent YoY rise in deliveries to 1,168,331t in the second quarter of 2021, according to cemsuisse, the country’s cement association. In the 2Q20 dispatches reached 1.139Mt. In the first half of 2021 dispatches edged up by one per cent to 2,030,542t from 2,010,908t in the 1H20. A total of 96.4 per cent of cement was supplied in bulk and 3.6 per cent as bagge...
Indian government sets up new cement council
The Indian government has set up a 25-member development council for the cement industry, which will suggest ways to eliminate waste, obtain maximum production, improve quality, reduce costs and promote the standardisation of products, according to a press release. Other functions of the council include recommending measures for securing the full utilisation of installed capacity, particula...
India's cement production falls in April and May
India's cement production was down by 11 per cent MoM in April and 18 per cent MoM in May, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases and the subsequent lockdown restrictions by many states. However, notwithstanding the onset of the monsoon season, pent-up demand is expected to push volumes forward in the second quarter of the FY21-22. As a result, ICRA ratings agency has revised its volumetric grow...
Cement consumption in Argentina sees 21% hike in June
Argentina's cement market expanded by 20.5 per cent YoY and by 10% MoM to 961,340t in June 2021, according to AFCP, the country’s cement association. Domestic demand was entirely supplied by Argentine cement producers, who produced 970,540t in June, up 20.6 per cent YoY and 9.8 per cent MoM. Of total output, they exported 9200t of cement, which represents a YoY advance of 34.2 per cent fro...
Bolivian market sees 7% MoM decline in April
Cement consumption in Bolivia surged to 286,667t in April 2021 from a very low base of 39,222t in April 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to INE, the country’s statistics agency. However, MoM demand fell by 7.3 per cent from 297,744t in March 2021. Production from domestic cement plants also returned to more regular levels, noting 276,061t in April 2021, up from 11,5...
Pakistan cement dispatches grow by 13% in June
Pakistan’s cement sector posted a robust YoY growth of 12.73 per cent in June 2021, as total dispatches rose to 5.211Mt against 4.623Mt in June 2020. Cement dispatches rose by 20.40 per cent to 48.119Mt in 12MFY21 from 39.96Mt during the 12 months of the last financial year 2019-20, according to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA). The rise is attribut...
Pakistan's cement exports rise 5% YoY
Cement exports from Pakistan increased 4.6 per cent YoY during the first eleven months of FY20-21, rising to US$253.584m from US$242.505m, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). In terms of quantity, cement exports rose 13.3 per cent from 6,570,921t to 7,442,573t. In May 2021, cement exports advanced 47.8 per cent YoY to US$28.527m from US$19.302m in the year-ago period.
Indonesian cement consumption up 19% YoY in May
Indonesian cement demand decreased by 1Mt to 3.68Mt in May 2021 when compared with the previous month, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). However, when compared with May 2020, sales increased 19.2 per cent as COVID-19 and holidays affected demand, said ASI Chairman Widodo Santoso. Growth was particularly strong in the Sulawesi market, where demand was up 64 per cent Yo...
Cement dispatches in Colombia up 16% in May
Colombian cement sales increased 15.5 per cent YoY to 815,400t in May 2021 from 705,900t in May 2020, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE. When compared with May 2019 there was a 22.7 per cent drop from 1.055Mt. The offtake by ready-mix concrete companies surged 45.6 per cent, while construction companies and contractors increased their purchases by 15.7 per cent. Sales to...
Cameroon’s Minister of Commerce threatens to shut down Cimencam plant
Cameroon’s Minister of Commerce, Luc Mbarga Atangana has informed LafargeHolcim’s Cameroon subsidiary Cimencam it will shut down the cement plant if it proceeds to increase its prices unilaterally. If the price increase goes ahead, Mr Mbarga Atangana has said that he will see himself “in the obligation to order the installation of seals on your installations.” Cement is a product that is...
NSK bearings with patented cage
The ECA series of spherical roller bearings can accommodate more rollers of larger size A new series of spherical roller bearings with a patented cage design offers new levels of productivity, reliability and load capacity, says NSK. The optimised cage reduces internal stress and eliminates the need for a guide ring. Potential applications extend from conveyors, gearboxes thr...
Ambuja Cements and ACC make Industry 4.0 investment
Holcim India companies, Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd, are further investing in Industry 4.0 under the group's ‘Plants of Tomorrow’ programme. The four-year programme aims to create a global network of over 270 integrated cement plants and grinding stations in more than 50 countries by applying automation technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance and digita...
Holcim deploys digital logistics platform
Holcim is deploying its industry-leading Transport Analytics Center (TAC) globally to optimise its logistics for enhanced efficiency, safety and sustainability. TAC is currently active across 50 markets worldwide, covering 1.4bn km each year, with tracking systems in more than 60,000 trucks. This state-of-the-art digital platform contributes to the company’s net zero journey by reducing its ...
Fiji issues cement price control order
The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a price control order for cement following a legal notice on 18 June by the Minister for Commerce and Trade, Faiyaz Koya, according to The Fiji Times. "This order may be cited as the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (Control of Prices for the Supply of Cement Products) Order 2021," states the legal notice. "This order comes ...