APO Cement suspends Davao terminal

APO Cement Corporation, part of Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc, has temporarily suspended operations at its Davao terminal in the Philippines due to the constant influx of cement imports, reports Manila Bulletin. The continued arrival of imports, particularly from Vietnam, has led to rising costs and falling volumes, according to APO.

“Our operational costs in maintaining the Davao terminal have increased and continue to increase, while our volumes are decreasing due to the unabated entry of cement imports from Vietnam. Given these, we are constrained to suspend terminal operations in Davao," explained Edwin Hufemia, vice president  supply chain, APO Cement Corp. “This suspension of our operations in the Davao terminal will allow us to continue focussing on efficiently running our plant and other terminals and warehouses in order to cope with these current challenges.” The terminal had an estimated dispatching capacity of 25,000 bags per day.

A number of local cement producers have filed a petition against imported cement from Vietnam with the Tariff Commission, which is currently pending. In 2021 provisional anti-dumping duties were introduced by the Department of Trade Industry (DTI) targeting specific cement brands from Vietnam.

Mr Hufemia assured customers that the decision regarding the Davao terminal would not affect supply or delivery of cement from the company’s plant in Naga City, Cebu, Philippines.