Cement News tagged under: international
GCNet rejects link to substandard cement, Ghana23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsManagers of the electronic clearance platform at the Tema port in Ghana, GCNet have rejected suggestions that they may have allowed the importation of substandard cement into the country. The rebuttal follows comments by the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Standards Board last Friday, about how the Global Premium cement brand found to be sub-standard, made its way onto the market. According to Kofi Amponsah Bediako the GSB would investigate whether GCNet may have permitted its imp... |
Arabian Cement Co net rises 48%, Saudi Arabia23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsArabian Cement Company said net profits last year rose by almost half against 2009 despite a fall in gross profits, as higher sales costs met with lower volumes in an increasingly saturated market. The Jeddah-based firm said pre-tax takings reached SAR318.9m (US$85m), down 18.3% from SAR 390.2m the previous year, a slide the company attributes to higher costs against the amount being produced. The company has halted certain production lines for maintenance work and this has driven up expens... |
FLSmidth starts construction of new China manufacturing plant23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsFLSmidth’s business unit in Qingdao, China, has celebrated the start-up of construction for FLSmidth’s new production facility situated some 30km from the existing factory. A traditional groundbreaking ceremony was held on the new FLSmidth site in Jiaozhou, Qingdao. Since 2001, the capacity of FLSmidth’s machine factory in Qingdao has been doubled twice. The construction of the new facility with an impressive size of 36,000m2 marks a tripling of FLSmidth’s production facilities in Qingdao. ... |
PPC scales back following local downturn23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsPretoria Portland Cement (PPC) has clamped down on overhead costs – other than advertising and strategic projects – because of the severe downturn in the industry. Cement volumes were still declining, the listed cement and lime producer said in a presentation to investment analysts posted on its website yesterday. PPC acknowledged at its annual general meeting earlier this month that it remained concerned about the outlook for the local building and construction industries in the short t... |
Semen Padang to build new factory, Indonesia23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsIndonesian cement producer PT Semen Padang plans to build a new production unit in West Sumatra with an investment of IDR3.8trn (US$425m). Construction of the new unit, which will have an annual production capacity of 2.5Mt, is expected to start in the last quarter of this year, company’s president Widodo Santoso said. Santoso said the new unit is important to prevent shortage in domestic supplies, adding shortage is expected in 2012 without additional capacity. Sumatra already has shorta... |
Holcim invests CHF40m in Untervaz plant?23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsHolcim is spending CHF40m (EUR31m) in modernising its plant in Untervaz, Switzerland. One particular feature the installation of a five-chamber silo for speciality products such as Holcim’s Optimo cement. With the opening of the Haselboden mining area Holcim has secured raw materials until 2040 for the Untervaz plant. "This material security is the basis for the renewal of the work, " says plant manager Markus Hepberger. "Overall, we invest about CHF40m in modernisation,” he added. This ... |
S&P put Lafarge on negative CreditWatch23 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsStandard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today it has placed its ’BBB-/A-3’ long- and short-term corporate credit ratings on Lafarge S.A. on CreditWatch with negative implications. "Our CreditWatch placement reflects Lafarge’s persistently low credit metrics, the group’s inability to restore its financial profile in a timely fashion, and its large exposure to the Middle East and Africa, particularly Egypt [BB/Watch Neg/B]," said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Eric Tanguy. S&P said it is h... |
Mugher and Mesobo increase production, Ethiopia22 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsEthiopia’s largest cement company, Mugher Cement Enterprise is in the final phases of an expansion project which will be built around Tatek Military Camp, 12km west of Addis Ababa. The project is expected to be commissioned this month. The new expansion, erected by China’s Sinoma, commenced in January 2008. However it was expected to start its commissioning at the end of 2010 but has not started operations until now. The expansion of the state-owned company is set to increase existing cemen... |
Philippine group request probe on China imports22 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsA non-government organisation advocating product safety for consumer welfare Monday urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to take appropriate action on the reported anomalous importation of cheap cement from China. He said it not only undermines Philippine laws but also poses serious threat to public safety. Lawyer Rafael de la Torre, chief advocate of the Center for Organizational Studies (COSA), was reacting to reports that another huge shipment of China-made cement has arrived... |
India cement industry seeks tax rebate22 February 2011, Published under Cement NewsThe Indian cement industry has sought reduction of taxes, including value- added tax ( VAT), and liberal export sops in the upcoming budget. The industry that is suffering from overcapacity in the country, is hoping to tide over the problem by exporting a part of the production. In a pre- budget memorandum submitted to the Union finance ministry, industry body Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) has proposed slashing VAT from the present 12.5 per cent to four per cent. This is because ... |