Bangladesh: Seven Rings Cement to double production capacity

Seven Circle (BD) Ltd, one of the fastest-growing cement companies of the country, will double its production capacity to 3.3Mta by the end of 2014.

"We have now the capacity of 1.7Mta and the expansion drive of our company was taken in view of the rising demand of cement," Asadul Haque Sufyani, general manager (Marketing) of Seven Circle (BD) Ltd, told The Financial Express in an interview recently.

"Consumption of cement, one of the key backward linkages of the construction and real estate sectors witnessed significant growth in Bangladesh in the recent years and our expansion drive reflects that vision," Mr Asadul said.

"The industry has been growing at 11-13% for the last two years and we expect the consumption will grow by at least 15% in the next few years," he added.

Presently, there are 30 operational cement companies that can produce around 21Mt of cement a year against a demand for 8.5Mt.

Seven Circle (BD) Ltd, manufacturer of Seven Rings Cement brand  and a wholly-owned company of Hong Kong-based Shun Shing Group, has already grabbed the government projects like Hatirjheel, Purbachal, Mirpur to Airport Road flyover, Kuril Flyover, Sydabad Water Treatment Plant (second phase) and Jatrabari Flyover.

The large bridge projects include Second Shitalakhya Bridge, Surma Bridge, Teesta Bridge, Purbachal Bridge, RAJUK, Uttara third-phase Bridge.

The government's plans to set up several flyovers in Dhaka under the strategic transport plan and build 142 bridges across the country are also expected to bring vibrancy to the cement sector.