Cement News tagged: International
Saudi cement sector reports positive 1Q20
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi cement sector has reportedly seen a 33 per cent YoY average increase in cement market volumes during the 1Q20, according to an Al Rajhi Capital report. Qassim Cement saw the highest growth at 53 per cent, followed by Yanbu Cement and Yamama Cement with rises of 43 and 38 per cent, respectively. However, restrictions imposed by the gov...
CMIC president warns that workers may soon lose salary
The national president of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), Eduardo Ramírez Leal, has warned that the minimal operation of smaller construction companies will result in around 500,000 workers in the sector losing income at the end of April. "In the next 15 days, it's when a lot of workers are no longer going to be getting paid because their employers won't have to pay...
Dungsam Cement reports impact of lockdown
Bhutan’s Dungsam Cement Corp has been adversely affected by the lockdown in India, according to Sonam Jigme, CEO. No export volumes or revenue have been recorded from 21 March to 12 April, compared to around 75,000t sold and BTN323m (US$4.2m) of revenue last year. Around 81,280t had been sold domestically from 1 January to 21 March, earning BTN488m. However, only 24,233t has been recorde...
Brazil's cement demand stable in March
Following a good first half to the month, Brazilian cement consumption saw a sharp decline in the second half of March, according to the country’s cement association, SNIC. The fall was attributed to the circulation restrictions and a reduction in the pace of works as public transport, trades and support services near the buildings were limited. Therefore, cement sales in March remained stabl...
Government urged to use online platform for cement purchases
The Andhra Pradesh government has been urged to use ‘YSR Nirman’, a new online platform designed to help various state departments procure cement for important government infrastructure works. Thumma Vijaya Kumar Reddy, commissioner, said the government proposed to supply cement at a reduced price to the departments in need. The system reportedly helps to reduce the waiting time of buyers a...
State Bank of Pakistan reviews cement industry performance in 1HFY20
The State Bank of Pakistan has released its second quarterly report of FY20 (July 2019-June 2020) on the state of Pakistan's economy on 14 April. The report reviewed the performance of all sectors and appreciated the cement industry's progress, but pointed out the challenges of the coronavirus on all industries. According to the report, the global and domestic spread of COVID-19 has brought...
Indian industries look for lockdown exit strategy
While many Indian industries were preparing strategies for a partial lifting of the country’s lockdown, some members of the cement industry were reportedly aiming to wait an additional week before deciding whether to resume operations. "There are two issues – demand for cement is not there as construction is put on hold and all expenses of capex are getting deferred. Secondly, there is a big...
Pakistan resumes cement and construction activities
Pakistan's government has taken the bold decisions to open selected local and export-oriented industries (including cement) in a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on 14 April. However, the lockdown period for other industries has been extended until 30 April, says the official notification. It was felt that the restrictions need ...
Polish Cement Association calls on government to send cement and construction workers back to work
The Polish Cement Asociation has written an open letter to the government explaining how important it is to get the cement and construction sectors back to work. “The contribution of Polish construction to the national economy is estimated at 10 per cent of GDP, including the cement industry generating directly about one per cent of our GDP... "For the sake of the state of the entire economy,...
Research house prospects on Pakistan's cement sector after COVID-19
Pakistani research house Spectrum Securities Ltd has taken stock of mitigation efforts against the coronavirus in the country's cement sector. The measures to stop the spread of the virus had prompted the closure of number of plants to suspend production. The analysts review the pandemic impacts on stocks, demands in 2Q20, profits, future outlook and other aspects. According to the research ...
Chinese infrastructure construction sees boost
Chinese infrastructure construction has reportedly been stepped up across the country as the government increases funding in the sector, states Xinhua News Agency. The production and prices of construction materials, including cement and steel, have also seen an increase. The work resumption rate of the cement industry reached 94 per cent as of 6 April, according to data from the Ministry of...
New DRC cement plant project on hold
The laying of the foundation stone of a new cement plant in Katanda, Lomami province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been postponed indefinitely. The plant will be built in Bakwa Tshiluila, some 70km northeast of Mbujimayi, where deposits of limestone and other raw materials have been discovered. Nestor Kabuya, geologists and supervisor of the construction site said the postponement...
Argentina's cement market contracts 47% in March
Cement demand in Argentina fell 46.5 per cent to 502,541t in March 2020 when compared to March 2019 when consumption reached 940,167t, according to the country’s cement association, AFCP. When compared with February 2020, the drop was 26.8 per cent from 686,602t. In terms of dispatches, domestic supply was entirely met by Argentinian producers, who also exported 6034t. This represents a YoY...
Georgia's building materials companies continue production
Georgia’s government has published a list of industries that can continue to work in compliance with epidemiological safety rules, with construction companies and building material manufacturers included in the list, reports Trend News. According to the decision, infrastructure projects will continue throughout the country. Paata Nikvashvili, director of Magnum Group, says the company's ma...
May lifting of lockdown could see U-shaped recovery in Indian cement
India-based Yes Securities has provided an outlook for the Indian cement industry following the impact of COVID-19. The research house reports that following the lifting of the lockdown, a minimum of 15 days will be required to streamline operations. Furthermore, recovery will be gradual as it may take labour time to return. Pricing discipline is expected to be hard to maintain once lockdown ...
Cemento Sur licence temporarily suspended
Cemento Sur has had its operating licence temporarily suspended by the mayor of the District Municipality of Caracoto in Puno, Peru, because it was operational during the country’s state of emergency, according to Onda Azul. “We have closed the door of the Cemento Sur company, he said, while specifying that the Ministry of Production issue an authorisation to the company so it can circulate...