Holcim’s Indian interests report August declines

Holcim’s Indian group companies, ACC and Ambuja Cements, have reported marginal declines in cement production and dispatches for August 2012.

ACC, India’s second largest cement producer, posted a decline of 6.9 per cent in cement production as well as cement dispatches to 1.75Mt last month, compared to 1.88Mt in August 2011.

Total cement production between January-August 2012 saw growth of 2.4 per cent to 16.47Mt, against 16.09Mt in the same period of last year. Dispatches for the eight months to August 2012 rose 2.2 per cent to 16.42Mt, compared to 16.06Mt in the same period last year, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile Ambuja Cements reported a 3.95 per cent drop in August 2012 cement production to 1.46Mt from 1.52Mta in the same month of last year. Dispatches reached 1.45Mt against 1.485Mt in August 2011, down 2.36 per cent.

For the first eight months of 2012, cement production and dispatches were 14.825Mt and 14.822Mt respectively, compared to 13.98Mt and 13.93Mt respectively in the corresponding period last year.
Holcim owns has a shareholding of 50.3 per cent in ACC and Ambuja Cements and their cement capacities are 30.1Mta and 28.5Mta, respectively with further capacity increases planned by 2015.