Cement News tagged under: South Africa

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Dangote: Nigeria’s currency woes will not alter expansion plans

22 April 2016, Published under Cement News

Dangote Cement’s annual general meeting, held in Lagos, has seen Aliko Dangote set out his plans to grow the business despite worsening economic conditions, particularly in the company’s Nigerian base. According to reports in This Day, Mr Dangote claimed that foreign exchange volatility – a reference to the Nigerian government’s resistance to calls to devalue the naira – would have no significant impact on the company and its expansionary strategy. Addressing the AGM, Mr Dangote said: ...

South Africa: Cement sales up 7.7% in 2015

19 April 2016, Published under Cement News

Consumption of cement in South Africa rose by 7.7 per cent YoY in 2015 following a drop in sales the previous year. According to figures released by PPC, volumes reached 13Mt in 2015 thanks to strong demand from the construction sector. Responding to the news, Business Day pointed to the positive impact from projects to build new power stations and hydroelectric plants. Sales grew fastest in 1Q15, when they were up 15.6 per cent YoY. Growth in Q2 was slower at 1.5 per cent, with volume...

PPC's acquisition of 3Q Mahuma Concrete approved

14 April 2016, Published under Cement News

South Africa's Competition Tribunal yesterday approved,without condition, PPC's acquisition of 3Q Mahuma Concrete, the largest independently owned ready-mix concrete supplier in southern Africa. The Competition Commission had recommended the tribunal approve the acquisition without conditions, but by late yesterday the tribunal had not communicated its decision. PPC previously disclosed that it planned to acquire the company for a maximum of ZAR183m (US$12.48m). It said the proposed ...

PPC appoint Peter Nelson as new chairman

31 March 2016, Published under Cement News

South African-based PPC has appointed Peter Nelson as interim chairman of the listed cement and lime producer, following the retirement of former chairman, Bheki Sibiya, at the end of January. Nelson was appointed to the PPC board as an independent non-executive director in January this year. His experience covers manufacturing, mining, telecommunications, healthcare, leisure, property, packaging and the motor industry in listed and private entities in South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe a...

PPC eyes longer-term growth outside of Africa

16 March 2016, Published under Cement News

PPC has unveiled a new expansion strategy that envisages doubling the business every 10 years and growing beyond its traditional markets in Africa. In an investor presentation posted on PPC's website ahead of this week’s Merrill Lynch conference in Sun City, the company set out its ambitions for the future even as it warned of falling cement sales in the first months of FY16.  In the presentation, PPC states that it is on course to raise capacity to 12.7Mta by 2018 (a 47.7 per cent inc...

ThaiGroup JSC signs South Africa export supply agreement

04 March 2016, Published under Cement News

ThaiGroup JSC, formerly known as Xuan Thanh Group JSC, has signed deal with the UK-based Ores & Minerals UK Ltd to export cement to South Africa, local media said. Under the contract worth US$1.2bn signed on 2 March 2016, the Vietnamese company will export a total volume of 20Mt of cement to South Africa within 10 years, said Nguyen Xuan Thuy, general director of ThaiGroup JSC. The Vietnamese company will also handle the transportation and buy insurance for the whole contract, the countr...

South Africa: NUM signs one-year wage agreement with LafargeHolcim

23 February 2016, Published under Cement News

South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) signed a one-year wage agreement with the local unit of cement maker LafargeHolcim, it said on Monday, ending a strike that had just entered its second week. NUM said its members will receive an eight per cent pay increase and other benefits including raises on housing grants and allowances for taking on temporary positions. (Source: Reuters)

Lucky Cement not to proceed with court challenge

01 February 2016, Published under Cement News

Lucky Cement has decided to drop its South African court challenge regarding the imposition of anti-dumping duties by the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) on Portland cement imports originating from Pakistan. The company said it had instead decided to put its faith in the Pakistan government's approach to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to challenge and revoke the anti-dumping duties. Muhammad Faisal, the financial director of Lucky Cement, confirmed to Business Rep...

PPC chairman to step down, South Africa

27 January 2016, Published under Cement News

PPC announced that Bheki Lindinkosi Sibiya, who has served as chairman of Board since November 2008, elected not to offer himself for re-election at the shareholders AGM on 25 January 2016. Accordingly, he retires as non-executive director and chairman of the Board. PPC noted that under Mr Sibiya's stewardship the company has achieved a number of key milestones, notably the successful conversion of the company´s mining rights and the initiation of its African expansion strategy which to...

South Africa: domestic cementitious volumes up 7.8% YoY

27 January 2016, Published under Cement News

Domestic cementitious volumes in South Africa increased by 7.8 per cent YoY to 3.6523Mt in the third quarter of 2015, according to an update posted on PPC’s website. Total year-to-date volumes were recorded at 9.602Mt. Meanwhile, PPC yesterday said cement sales over the first quarter (October-December 2015) of the current trading year in its South African business were down by 1.6 per cent, while the international businesses recorded an eight per cent drop including low-margin cement exp...