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EC to investigate Cemex and Holcim Spanish deal

24 April 2014, Published under Cement News

The European Commission said on Wednesday it is investigating plans by Cemex and Holcim over a Spanish deal because of competition issues. "The Commission has concerns that the transaction may reduce competition in certain areas of Spain where the two companies' activities overlap," the EU executive said in a statement. Removing Holcim from the Spanish market “could facilitate coordination” between cement makers, the statement added. Collusion on pricing and customer allocation “could b...

Siam City double-digit rise in earnings and sales

23 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Siam City Cement Co (SCCC) reported a double-digit rise in earnings and sales during the first quarter of 2014, as higher cement prices and increased exports help offset declines in its domestic market of Thailand. SCCC said yesterday to the Stock Exchange of Thailand that earnings rose 56 per cent YoY to THB1.9bn as net sales rose 14 per cent to THB8.65bn. Thailand’s second-largest cement producer attributed the rise in revenue to higher average selling prices and a rise in exports despit...

Industry declares victory in NESHAP case

22 April 2014, Published under Cement News

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected, in part, petitions from the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups to vacate the 2013 Portland cement national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) rule, the PCA has said. The Court sided with EPA and PCA about the revised particulate matter (PM) standard and extended compliance deadline, but rejected EPA’s affirmative defense provision, instead saying that the Clean Air Act ...

Savannah Cement plans new clinker line, Kenya

22 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Savannah Cement, the newest entry in the Kenyan market, plans to invest US$200m in the construction of a new clinker line to boost regional sales. A joint venture between Kenyan and Chinese investors, Savannah Cement currently operates a grinding plant at Athi River. The new plant has five packing lines and is capable of producing 1.5Mta of cement. Board chairman Benson Ndeta, announced on Thursday that the company hopes to be a major competitor in the regional market in the supply of ...

Kazakhstan: Standard Cement to launch second production line in 2015

21 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Standard Cement LPP plans to launch a second production line in south Kazakhstan in 2015, bringing total capacity of the facility to 2.3Mta. The line will have a design capacity of 1Mta, with equipment supplied by Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute (TCDRI), China. The company intends to expand its product range to include M500-M700 high-quality cement and oil well cement.

Congo Rep to benefit from rising investment

17 April 2014, Published under Cement News

The Republic of Congo is increasingly attracting foreign investment into its cement industry. By 2016 three further cement plants are expected to come online as the government aims to expand the country’s production base. Morocco-based CIMAF plans to build a cement works in Kouilou, Nigeria’s Dangote in Bouenza and India-headquartered Diamond Cement in Pool. With 4m inhabitants, Congo’s current cement demand stands at 2Mta. At present only a relatively small part of this is supplied by tw...

Peru: market expands 1.35% in 1Q14

16 April 2014, Published under Cement News

In March, the Peruvian cement market remained broadly stable from 815,317t in February to 814,495t, according to domestic cement association, Asocem.   Output from local producers increased 1.4 per cent from 832,275t the previous month to 844,301t and exports rose 8.1 per cent from 15,349t in February to 16,599t. Between Jan-Mar 2014, cement shipments in Peru totalled 2,453,948t, a YoY increase of 1.35 per cent. Production in the first quarter of 2014 reached 2,501,997t, slipping b...

Ambuja to invest internal funds for expansion

16 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Ambuja Cements, part of the Holcim group, plans to spend around INR8bn (US4133m) in 2014 from internal funds to partially finance its ongoing capacity expansion projects. "The year 2014 will see capital expenditure worth INR802 crore over and above INR725 crore investment made in 2013. The entire proposed expenditure will be financed by internal accruals," Ambuja Cements said in its annual report. The company, which has 27.25Mta of capacity, is setting up three greenfield plants, each w...

Indonesia 1Q14 sales growth slows

14 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Indonesian cement consumption slowed during the first quarter of this year despite a strong rebound in March sales, latest data by the Indonesia Cement Association (ASI) shows. For the first three months of the year, demand rose by 3.7 per cent YoY to 14.08Mt compared to 13.58Mt in the comparative period of 2013. However, annual growth in the 1Q13 was much higher at 8.6 per cent. According to the data, consumption during the Jan-March 2014 period fell in almost all regions. Consumptio...

Spain: cautious outlook maintained

14 April 2014, Published under Cement News

Cement demand in Spain registered its first monthly growth since the recession started as it reached 875,000t in March, up 16 per cent YoY, according to Oficemen data. However, the increase has been attributed to a weaker comparative period, with the Easter holiday falling in March last year resulting in few working days. Moreover, March 2013 was one of the wettest in history, further hampering building activity last year.  March 2014, on the other hand, has experienced much milder weather...