Cement News tagged under: South Africa
Turbulent times for Africa?17 September 2019, Published under Cement NewsFor the cement sector, turmoil has probably come to a head in many parts of Africa. Cement demand has slowed or fallen back into the red in many African countries, while overcapacity and low utilisation rates are characteristic of many markets. However, much of this turmoil is self-inflicted. Tony Hadley provides an uncompromising assessment of the industry on the continent and examines the root causes of business failure in some key markets. By Tony Hadley African Advisory. A perfect... |
PPC releases operational update for the 4MFY2030 August 2019, Published under Cement NewsSouth Africa's PPC has released an operational update for the four months to 30 July, noting a 5-10 per cent increase in group EBITDA due to positive price momentum in South Africa and cost optimisation initiatives. Average cement prices in its southern Africa region (including Botswana) rose 7-8 per cent in the period, however cement sales declined 10-15 per cent YoY on the back of a decrease in domestic demand. The company noted that importer and blender activity contributed to the comp... |
PPC28 August 2019, Published under Cement NewsSouth Africa’s PPC has failed to submit a bid for the Rwandan government’s 46 per cent stake in cement producer Cimerwa, forcing the government to seek an alternative investor. PPC had indicated it would be making a bid and was given until 5 July 2019 to do so. Cimerwa has been persistently underperforming for a number of years now, manufacturing just 364,864t of cement in 2018, despite its production capacity of 0.6Mta. Meanwhile, cement demand in Rwanda has grown steadily on the back of... |
Dangote Cement28 August 2019, Published under Cement NewsDangote Cement is among five companies calling for an investigation into cement imports into South Africa. According to The Concrete Institute (ITC), imports have risen by 139 per cent since 2016. In the 2Q19, 350,441t of cement arrived in South Africa, the highest level since the 3Q15. Imports from Vietnam alone totalled 301,872t. Most of the cement imports come through Durban, which handled 260,909t in the second quarter of this year, marking an 85 per cent increase on the 1Q19. On beha... |
Sephaku Holdings CEO to resign26 July 2019, Published under Cement NewsThe CEO of South Africa-based Sephaku Holdings, Dr Lelau Mohuba, has informed the company’s board of his intention to resign with effect from 31 December 2019. Dr Lelau was a founding Sephaku Holdings board member and group chairman from 2005-12 until he became CEO in 2012 when the group introduced an independent chairman to comply with the King code. |
AfriSam will use carbon tax to as an incentive for energy innovations02 July 2019, Published under Cement NewsAfriSam's Cementitious Executive, Hannes Meyer, highlighted the potential of South Africa's new carbon tax to incentivise energy-saving innovation. The new carbon tax came into force on 1 June 2019 and AfriSam has been preparing for this change. Speaking at a presentation to media at its Dudfield cement plant near Lichtenburg in the North West province, Mr Meyer said AfriSam continues to cut the carbon footprint of its cement. Efforts focus on using less energy in the production of clinker,... |
PPC reports revenues of ZAR10.4bn in FY1901 July 2019, Published under Cement NewsPPC has reported revenue up one per cent in the FY19 ended 31 March, rising to ZAR10.4bn (US$772.7m), while EBITDA increased four per cent to ZAR1.9bn. PPC's overall cement volumes rose by one per cent to 5.9Mt. South Africa's cement market (including Botswana) as a whole saw a decline of 2-3 per cent in sales but the inland market remains competitive, according to the company. The coastal markets were impacted by increased imports which rose by 84 per cent in 2018 to 1Mt. Production cost... |
PPC to shut down kiln to meet emission standards01 July 2019, Published under Cement NewsSouth Africa’s PPC has stated that it expects to pay around ZAR120m (US$8.5m) as a result of the new carbon tax and will also shut down a kiln at its Port Elizabeth (PE) facility to meet the new emission standards. "I think it’s something that we as a country need to debate as to whether this is the right time for carbon tax, be that as a company we support a cleaner environment," said Njombo Lekula, managing director of the SA Cement division. The company expects around 30 jobs to be ... |
Sephaku Cement set to increase prices this month27 June 2019, Published under Cement NewsSouth Africa’s Sephaku Cement (Dangote Cement) is expected to pay between ZAR35m-40m (US$2.4-2.8m) each year following the introduction of a new carbon tax on 1 June. "The associate will apply the tax on its products based on the proportion of clinker per ton, which translates to between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent price increases on lower-strength and high-strength cement, respectively," said Sephaku Holdings, 36 per cent owner of Sephaku Cement, in a statement. The company will incre... |
PPC announces new CEO and delays annual results presentation27 June 2019, Published under Cement NewsSouth Africa’s PPC has appointed Roland van Wijnen as its new CEO after a search that began in November 2018 when Johan Claassen announced he would be retiring from the role. "We are pleased to have secured Roland, a Dutch national, whose listed company experience and exposure to international global best practice will broaden the management practices of PPC. He has a detailed knowledge of the cement sector. He is up-to-speed with our strategic imperatives and will advance the process with... |