UAE Ras al-Khaimah cement manufacturer Union Cement registered cement sales of 1.25Mt in 2004, an increase from 1.04Mt in the previous year, according to the annual report of the company’s board of directors. The company’s local sales accounted for 93 per cent of the total sales in 2004 and registered a 32 per cent increase over 2003, boosted by strong demand on the UAE market. Exports fell 46 per cent year-on-year and represented 7.0 per cent of the 2004 sales. Union Cement produced a total 1.22Mt of cement in 2004, up from 1.04Mt in 2003.
Union Cement’s main goal is to increase its clinker production which has led to the signing of an agreement with China National Building Material Equipment Corporation to build a 500 mln UAE dirhams ($136.1m) clinker production facility, the report said. The facility is to raise the company’s annual clinker output to some 4.5Mt from the current 1.25Mt.
