Cement News tagged under: Zimbabwe
PPC's group revenue impacted by Zimbabwe21 November 2019, Published under Cement NewsPPC announced a group revenue of ZAR4.9bn (US$330.1m) and group EBITDA of ZAR868m for the six months ended 30 September 2019. Group revenue was down 12 per cent on results from the six-month period at ZAR5.6bn, which was attributed to a 17 per cent volume decline in group cement volumes. Group EBITDA was also affected by Zimbabwe's currency devaluation and hyperinflation as well as the trading environment in South Africa, plus a one-off restructuring costs of ZAR83m. When excluding PPC Zimb... |
PPC26 September 2019, Published under Cement NewsImports of cement into South Africa have risen once again, up by 293 per cent YoY in July, putting the increase for the first seven months of the year at 17.5 per cent, despite the severely depressed state of the country’s construction sector. Imports are predominantly arriving from Vietnam, according to local reports. Last month, PPC, along with a number of other major South African cement producers, applied to the country’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) for what t... |
Livetouch International seeks production increase21 June 2019, Published under Cement NewsZimbabwean cement producer Livetouch International, part of Diamond Cement, plans to increase its cement capacity utilisation rate from the current 45 per cent. The Redcliff-based company has a 0.5Mta plant but has been operating at low capacity rates due to a shortage of raw materials, according to The Herald. The company’s CEO, Don Wang, said the company had been relying on competitors such as PPC for the supply of limestone. “We have, however, put measures to make sure that we capacit... |
PPC22 May 2019, Published under Cement NewsPPC Zimbabwe is planning to invest some of its dividends in government bonds to increase local procurement, according to the company. PPC currently runs three plants in the country with a total production capacity of 1.4Mta. Around 70 per cent of inputs for the plants are now sourced locally. Over the last five years, PPC Zimbabwe has spent more than US$140m refurbishing its plants and is about to launch a seventh product into the market. According to Nkosana Mapuma, sales and marketing m... |
Lafarge Zimbabwe invests US$25m to improve utilisation13 May 2019, Published under Cement NewsLafargeHolcim group has unveiled a US$25m investment programme to increase utilisation at its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe. However, Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe said the holding group has called on the government to stabilise the availability of electricity and resolve foreign currency issues as these are key determinants to its expansion drive. Milajan Gutovic, LafargeHolcim regional head of the Middle East and Africa group executive committee, said during a meeting with President o... |
Lafarge Zimbabwe obtains US$30m loan09 May 2019, Published under Cement NewsLafarge Cement Zimbabwe has obtained a long-term US$30m facility from its parent company to enable settlement of outstanding obligations, according to The Zimbabwe Independent. The company has also acquired a US$4.4 short-term loan facility to cover working capital requirements. |
Zimbabwe's construction contracts in 4Q1812 April 2019, Published under Cement NewsZimbabwe's construction industry contracted by 6.3 percentage points last year. A Treasury report cited cement shortages and high prices of construction materials for the slowdown. The construction sector registered 7.7 per cent growth in 4Q18 having been revised down from a Treasury forecast of 14 per cent growth. "The construction industry boom that was being experienced in the economy during the1H18 suffered a huge setback following acute cement shortages and unsustainable prices of c... |
PPC01 April 2019, Published under Cement NewsS&P Global Ratings has downgraded PPC to one notch above non-investment grade due to the poor performance of its South Africa business. Weaker-than-expected profitability in the South Africa market has led S&P to expect an increase in PPC’s debt to EBITDA in the face of tightening competition and falling demand. In the nine months ending December 2018, PPC’s South Africa business increased prices by two per cent, while cement volumes came in three per cent down. S&P also noted that the marke... |
Livetouch Investments plans new US$30m plant in Zimbabwe27 March 2019, Published under Cement NewsLivetouch Investments has announced plans to invest US$30m for a new plant in Hwange, Zimbabwe. The facility is expected to be set up by the end of the year and would run alongside the company’s other plant in the area, which was inaugurated in 2017 . "Our medium-term plan is to put another plant in the Hwange area, which will produce 100,000t of cement per year. We are expecting to commit US$30m into this project," said Dongning Wang, CEO, in an interview with NewsDay. The Chinese compa... |
PPC Zimbabwe calls on government to protect local cement production21 March 2019, Published under Cement NewsZimbabwe’s largest cement producer, PPC Zimbabwe, has called on the government to pass legislation to protect domestically-produced cement from imports. Last year, the government lifted a two-year import bank on some basic commodities, including cement, to reduce the shortages that drove the public into panic buying. This has had a negative impact on local cement producer competitiveness, according to PPC Zimbabwe’s Managing Director, Kelibone Masiyane. “What really has rendered us uncom... |