Cement News tagged: International
Joint-venture agreement signed for new Nepalese plant
China’s Hongshi Holdings Group on Tuesday signed a joint-venture (JV) agreement with Shivam Holdings Nepal to set up a NPR30bn (US$297m) cement factory. Hongshi Holdings will invest NPR21bn (70 per cent) in the project while the Nepali partner will inject NPR9bn. The JV will be named Hongshi-Shivam Cement Private Limited. An agreement to this effect was signed by Vishwonath Goel, chairma...
Fitch expects negative impact on Lafarge credit profile if Holcim merger fails
A failure of the proposed merger between Lafarge and Swiss Holcim would have negative effect on the credit profile of the French company, Fitch said. According to the rating agency, a collapse of the merger would be credit neutral for Holcim and positive for the credit profile of Irish rival CRH because its commitment to acquire assets from the two companies hinges on the deal’s completion. ...
PCA cautions on proposed EPA ozone regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to further tighten ozone standards could result in the loss of more than 45,000 construction jobs each year, slow the nation's economy, and impede vital infrastructure investments, the PCA cautions in a recent note. In comments filed to the EPA on Tuesday, March 17, PCA estimates that the cement industry alone would have compliance costs an...
Indonesian monthly consumption down 6.2%
Indonesian cement consumption during February 2015 fell by 6.2 per cent YoY to 4.2Mt, latest data from the Indonesia Cement Association (ASI) shows. For the first two months of the year, demand declined by 1.2 per cent YoY to 9.07Mt. Consumption was down in the main market of Java by 1.3 per cent, while reductions were also seen in Sumatra (-7.7 per cent) and Sulwesi (-6.3 per cent). Increa...
Peru cement sales fall 4.9% in Feb 2015
Peru’s cement market contracted by 4.9 per cent YoY as dispatches fell from 816,000t to 775,000t in February 2015, according to Asocem, the country’s cement association. In January, cement dispatches increased 1.7 per cent. "This is mainly due to climatic factors, low public spending, weak private investment and low trust in the government. As in January, heavy rains during February in the ...
Cherat’s first-half boosted by domestic deliveries
Cherat’s Cement’s domestic sales increased by 10 per cent during the first half of the current Pakistan fiscal boosted by strong construction activity. Total dispatches over the period rose by four per cent, as exports to Afghanistan declined by six per cent. Turnover increased by four per cent. During the six months under review, production costs escalated mainly due to significant upward ...
IDA to propose 12 licences in Upper Egypt
The Industrial Developmental Authority (IDA) is set to propose 12 new cement licences in several Upper Egypt governorates this year, according to its chairman. The IDA is also working on preparing new mechanisms and regulations for proposing cement licences, before submitting them to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb within 10 days. Mehleb will approve them as soon as possible, said Ismail Gaber,...
Indian joint venture on the cards?
The Jaypee Group is in talks with HeidelbergCement and JSW Cement, to form a joint venture which will control the majority of its cement plants as part of an ongoing exercise to reduce debt, the Economic Times of India reports. The plan envisages a separate joint venture entity which will house around 20-22Mta of Jaypee’s operational units spread across Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, A...
Asia will drive cement growth, says Italcementi chief executive
Italcementi Group foresees stronger growth of 2-3 per cent this year, with the key driver being Asia, backed by economic recoveries in the European Union and North America. Given the expected stronger growth, the group plans to expand its businesses to African countries such as Mozambique, Ghana and Tanzania, CEO Carlo Pesenti said during an interview with The Nation last week. "The company f...
Bangladesh: cement factory collapses
The BBC has reported that a cement factory partially collapsed in Bangladesh killing eight people. The the compound is army-owned and the factory had been under construction when the accident happened. The plant is being constructed by a Chinese-owned firm. About 70 people were in the building in the port town of Mongla, 200km (125 miles) southwest of the capital Dhaka, when the roof gave w...
Vietnam: Nghi Son Cement Corp gets go-ahead for fly ash import
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hoang Trung Hai, has agreed to allow Nghi Son Cement Corp to pilot the import of fly ash over the 2015-16 period. Under approval, Nghi Son Cement Corporation will be allowed to import an annual volume of 200,000t within two years. The deputy prime minister also requested the company to develop a plan to use domestic fly ash from 2017. Nghi Son Cement Corpor...
Dangote’s Zambian plant due to start operations by month-end
Dangote Cement’s Zambian cement plant is scheduled to start operations at the end of this month, group CEO, Aliko Dangote, has said. Speaking to journalists shortly after touring the plant, Mr Dangote explained that floods triggered by heavy rain and bureaucracy in acquiring a permit from the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) caused delays in the commissioning of the 1.5Mta cement...
HeidelbergCement inaugurates Scantogo clinker plant, Togo
HeidelbergCement inaugurated the 1.5Mta new greenfield Scantogo clinker plant in Togo on 6 March 2015. The new US$250m plant is located at Tabligbo, some 80km north east of the capital city Lomé. More than 2000 guests attended the ceremony, among them the president of the Republic of Togo, the president of the National Assembly and the German ambassador in Togo. With the Scantogo investment,...
Holcim expects 3-5% growth in Mexico
The Mexican cement market will expand by 3-5 per cent in 2015, according to a forecast by Holcim México. Although dollar volatility, lower oil receipts and the decreased government spending may impact negatively on cement consumption, the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP), a dynamic housing sector and higher remittances are expected to boost cement demand this year. In the first half of 20...
Vicem sales up 6.7% in first two months
State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) said it sold about 3.1Mt of cement and clinker in the first two months of this year, rising 6.7 per cent from a year ago and fulfilling 99.1 per cent of the target. Of the volume, 2.49Mt of cement and clinker were sold in domestic market, up 15.3 per cent YoY and 610,000t were exported, down 18 per cent. In the first two months, Vice...
Dixon plant reportedly set to reopen, USA
St Marys Cement Inc plans to reopen in Dixon cement plant in Illinois, USA, this spring, according to a report by the Dixon Telegraph. Company spokesman Steve Gallagher says the plant will reopen shortly after it is completely staffed by the end of March. He says it will have all required environmental permits in place. The company says the decision was made based on increased demand. Galla...