Cement News tagged under: Demand

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West Africa surplus looms

21 July 2014, Published under Cement News

West African economies have performed well over the last decade, registering annual growth rates of up to eight per cent. However, as the region furiously builds new production facilities, overcapacity is set to hit the cement sector and the environment remains rather uncertain. By Trond Waerp & Finn Arnoldsen, Africa Consulting Services, Norway. West Africa’s cement producers can look forward to declining import volumes as the region is increasingly capable of supplying the domest...

Spanish consumption woes continue

15 July 2014, Published under Cement News

Spain's cement consumption fell two per cent YoY to 967,790t in June, according to the latest data from Oficemen, the country's cement association. The latest set of figures brings the total for the 1H14 to 5.2Mt, indicating a market contraction of 3.2 per cent over the same period of 2013. Isidoro Miranda, chairman, and Aniceto Zaragoza, CEO of Oficemen, have said they expect the year to close with a domestic demand of 10.4Mt and have called it "the worst year for the industry in half a ...

Decline in housing starts dent Moroccan demand

15 July 2014, Published under Cement News

The first half of 2014 has seen cement sales in Morocco experience a 4.4 per cent decline to 7.435Mt, latest figures released by the country's cement producers' association, APC, show. Industry analysts expect Morocco to experience a further year of decreasing sales after deliveries to the domestic market were down 6.3 per cent YoY at the end of 2013. According to Attaijari Intermediation, a 4.4 per cent drop in domestic cement sales is forecast by the end of 2014, mainly due to a signifi...

French cement market advances 6.6% in 1Q14

07 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Cement consumption in France increased 6.6 per cent to 4.386Mt in 1Q14 compared to 4.115Mt in the same period of last year, according provisional data released by French cement association SFIC. Domestic producers delivered 4.04Mt with the balance supplied by imports. During the quarter, exports rose by 21.8 per cent YoY to 313,000t comprising 269,000t of cement and 44,000t of clinker – a YoY rise of 24.5 and 7.3 per cent, respectively. Last year, French cement consumption fell by 3.8 per ...

Thailand demand growth to halve in 2014

24 March 2014, Published under Cement News

The protracted political crisis in Thailand is impacting the domestic construction market, and cement consumption is expected to grow at half the rate expected, according to President and CEO of Siam Cement Group. "The overall market of cement and construction materials has shrunk over the past couple of months thanks to the sluggish economy which has been hit by the prolonged political problems,''  Mr Kan told the Bangkok Post. "Earlier we forecast the two industries should increase by 8-9...

Congo Rep opens Dolisie cement plant

24 March 2014, Published under Cement News

Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, inaugurated a new cement works in Dolisie, located in the south west province of Niari, on Saturday 22 March. The 0.3Mta works was financed and built by China-based Forspak International, who invested XAF34bn (US$71m). Forspak CEO, Pen An Ping, said the plant will contribute significantly towards satisfying the country’s demand for cement. According to the industrial development and private sector minister Isidore Mvouba, current c...

Vietnam’s balancing act

04 December 2013, Published under Cement News

The economic slowdown and the real estate bubble in Vietnam have resulted in a sharp decrease in cement demand in the past few years and an oversupply is envisaged in the years to come. However, the overall surplus situation barely scratches the surface, as balancing regional supply and shortages poses a far more complicated issue that must quickly be addressed. By Huong Thieu and Duy Nguyen, StoxPlus Corp, Vietnam. While the north and central Vietnam faces a surplus cement supply sce...

Prism Cement's credit metrics seen improving from FY15

04 December 2013, Published under Cement News

India-based cement producer Prism Cement Ltd is expected to see an improvement in credit metrics from FY15 on the back of an overall improvement in operating efficiency and an absence of any debt-led capex, according to a recent note by India Ratings. It has assigned Prism Cement Limited (PCL) a Long-Term Issuer Rating of 'IND A-'. The Outlook is Stable. The research house notes that the sharp deterioration in PCL's financial profile in FY13 was largely driven by the breakdown of a silo a...

Dangote

02 December 2013, Published under Cement News

Sales growth at Dangote Cement continues to outpace the Nigerian cement market with group sales volumes up 29.5 per cent to 9.95Mt, compared to the same period last year. Pre-tax profit for the nine-month period rose 42.6 per cent to NGN151.7bn (US$957m), while EBITDA grew 35.9 per cent to NGN181.1bn (US$1142m). Consolidated group revenue was up 28.7 per cent to NGN289bn (US$1822m) and gross profit reached NGN189.4bn (US$1195m), up 39.4 per cent. Following a deferred tax credit of NGN4.4bn...

Argentinan capacity at its limits?

07 November 2013, Published under Cement News

Cement production capacity in Argentina is reaching its limit, according to Sitio Andino. The rupture of  a filter that paralysed Loma Negra’s San Juan works for a month-and-a-half, at a time when the Mendoza construction sector enjoyed a recovery, has highlighted the tight fit between supply and demand in the South American country. Delivery lead times shot up to 30-45 days and prices surged at retail level to around US$58/50kg bag. Loma Negra and Holcim, two major cement producers recog...