Cement News tagged: International
Argentina reports 14% demand drop in July
In July 2020 Argentina’s cement market contracted by 13.5 per cent YoY to 865,869t but expanded by 8.5 per cent MoM, according to the country’s cement association, AFCP. The market was entirely supplied by domestic production with no imports reported. Output from Argentina’s cement plants reached 870,835t in July 2020, down 13.2 per cent YoY from 1,003,628t in July 2019. When compared with J...
Moroccan deliveries drop 24% in July
Cement deliveries in Morocco fell 24.1 per cent YoY to 1,073,755t in July 2020 from 1,415,075t in July 2019, reports the Ministry of Urbanisation and Housing. In the January-July 2020 period, deliveries declined 19.5 per cent YoY to 6,547,485t when compared with 8,132,157t in the 7M19.
US Portland and blended cement deliveries decline 6% in May
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the USA and Puerto Rico fell 6.3 per cent YoY to 8.7Mt in May 2020, according to data published by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The top five state markets were Texas, California, Florida, Illinois and Ohio. Their total market share was 39 per cent in May. The leading producing states were Missouri, California, Texas, F...
Ohorongo Cement sale blocked by competition commission
The Namibian Competition Commission has reportedly blocked the NAD1.5bn (US$86.67m) sale of Schwenk Namibia, which manages and owns 69.8 per cent of Ohorongo Cement, to West China Cement, according to The Namibian. "The Namibian Competition Commission [has] made a decision to prohibit the acquisition of Schwenk Namibia (Pty) Ltd by West China Ltd due to the fact that it would result in coord...
Exports of cement from Pakistan rise during July 20
All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has issued official dispatch data for July 2020, adding that the new fiscal has started well for the cement sector as the shipments increased by 37.8 per cent from 3.512Mt in July 2019 to 4.838Mt in July 2020 on the back of buoyant export and domestic demand. This is a significant improvement on the two per cent growth in dispatches in FY19...
GB sales of heavy-side building materials slump in 2Q20
The latest statistics released by the Mineral Products Association (MPA) show that sales of heavy-side building materials, including aggregates, ready-mix concrete (RMC), asphalt and mortar saw unprecedented declines during the 2Q20. Aggregates sales volumes were 38 per cent lower, RMC 39 per cent and asphalt 28 per cent on a quarterly basis. The swift closure of housebuilding sites as the l...
Colombian cement market contracts 8% in June
Colombian cement dispatches fell 7.6 per cent to 0.905Mt in June 2020 when compared with 0.979Mt in June 2019, according to data provided by the country’s statistical office, DANE. Sales of bagged cement fell 3.1 per cent YoY while bulk cement deliveries were down 16.8 per cent in June 2020. Ready-mix concrete companies reduced their offtake by 22.4 per cent YoY while deliveries to building ...
Good start to financial year for Pakistani producers
Pakistan's cement industry displayed a robust jump in sales during the first month of the current fiscal year (FY20-21). The significant increase in dispatches also reflected in the performance of scripts on Pakistan's Stock Exchange (PSX) for the last few days. According to provisional cement data compiled by AHL Research, July 2020 displays an uptick of seven per cent MoM to 4.97Mt (June 2...
1H20 results show regional impact of coronavirus on cement demand
This week, the cement industry majors have been announcing their business results for the first half of 2020. The business results of Dangote Cement, Cemex, UltraTech, HeidelbergCement, Titan and Vicat give the first clear indications of how the cement sector has been impacted and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in various regions of the world. Africa Dangote Cement was first to annou...
State Bank reviews the cement industry’s performance for the period 9MFY20
The State Bank of Pakistan released its 3QFY20 report on ‘The State of Pakistan’s Economy’ on 30 July. According to the report, successful stabilisation measures that had fostered macroeconomic improvement in July 2019-February 2020 provided a valuable cushion against the downturn faced from late March 2020 onward in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The cement industry was also recovering d...
Pakistani cement and construction FDI down in FY19-20
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released foreign direct investment (FDI) data for June 2020 and the FY2019-20. FDI surged by 45 per cent MoM to US$174.8m in June while for the full financial year, FDI soared 88 per cent to US$2.561bn from US$1.362bn in FY18-19. China transferred the highest net FDI of US$843.1m, Norway US$402m and Hong Kong US$190.7m. However, the increasing FDI trend is...
Pakistani cement output falls 35% in May
Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has released production data for May and the 11-month period of July 2019-May 2020. The overall output of large-scale manufacturing industries (LSMI) in Pakistan declined by 10.3 per cent during the 11FY19-20, when compared to the equivalent period of the previous year, according to the country’s Federal Bureau of Statistics. Domestic cement pro...
Mondi Paper Bags acquires two cement bag lines in Egypt
Mondi Paper Bags, part of Mondi Group, a leading global packaging and paper manufacturer, has acquired two paper bag lines from Helwan Cement Co and InterCement Sacs, two major cement producers in Egypt. The acquired production lines will increase Mondi's capacity by approximately 60-80m bags annually and strengthen Mondi's position in the Middle Eastern bag market, particularly in supporting...
US cement shipments down 8% in April
Shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico fell 7.5 per cent YoY to 8.1Mt in April 2020, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The leading cement-consuming states were Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and Ohio, which accounted for a combined market share of 42 per cent. The top five producing states were Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Alabama Mas...
Lebanese cement plants call for restart quarries
Cement companies in Lebanon have called on the authorities to authorise the restart of their quarries, which they said activity had been for nearly seven month due to measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Cement prices had reached new heights on the informal market and cement production needed to be restarted, they said. Quarries in northern Lebanon have been particularly affected.
Indian demand expected to fall 25% in FY21
Cement demand in India is forecast to contract by up to 25 per cent in FY20-21 due to the coronavirus lockdown and subsequent specific restriction on construction activities, according to ratings agency ICRA. The downturn would be mainly felt in cities while rural housing and infrastructure projects in remote areas are expected to continue to support cement demand. "ICRA expects cement deman...