Cement News tagged: International
Suez Cement starts trial production using coal at its Kattameya plant
Suez Cement has started trial production using coal at its Kattameya plant in Egypt. Commercial production is scheduled to start next month, its chairman has said. Preparations for coal usage at the company’s Suez plant are expected to be completed before the end of the year, he added.
Colombia's cement market expands 11% in September
Cement dispatches in Colombia rose 10.6 per cent YoY in September to 1.086Mt, according to the country’s statistics office, Dane. Grey cement production reached 1.072Mt, registering an increase of 6.9 per cent YoY. The largest increase occurred in Nariño (+104.8 per cent) but a sizeable rise in dispatches also took place in Magdalena (+37.1 per cent), Huila (+24 per cent), Cundinamarca (+13...
Cemex recognised as employer of the year in the Philippines
Cemex recently won the top recognition by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) for human resource excellence at its APO Cement Plant in the Philippines. PMAP’s Employer of the Year Award annually recognises outstanding achievers whose leadership, dynamism, and professionalism measure up to the high standards of PMAP, Cemex said in statement. “As we continue to grow ...
Leocem warns of Sierra Leon shortages
Leocem Sierra Leone has warned on cement shortages in the west African country as the Ebola epidemic has led to a decline in the number of cargo ships coming to the capital, Freetown. Citing concerns by shippers, the cement producer said in a statement that reduced deliveries could mean materials needed to manufacture and package cement will be in short supply. Already, those in the constru...
Southern Cement 3Q net profit up 53% YoY, beats esitmates
Southern Cement posted a third-quarter net income of SAR285m (US$76m), rising 53 per cent YoY. The result was above NCB Capital and consensus estimates of SAR200m and SAR196m, respectively. However, on an adjusted basis, earnings were down 7.6 per cent YoY and below estimates by 12-14 per cent. With sales in-line at 1.56Mt, the negative surprise came from higher costs. NCBC estimated c...
Barnstone cement works celebrates 150th anniversary
The Barnstone cement works, owned by Lafarge Tarmac, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, with a special celebratory event held at Colwick Hall, UK. Honorary guest was Ken Clarke QC, MP for Rushcliffe who, along with Charles Law, managing director of Cement, Lime & Powders, joined almost 200 past and present employees of the plant, local suppliers and Barnstone and Langar Parish council...
Exports loom: Dangote has 29Mta of production in sight
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group of Companies, said the company's cement production will hit 29Mt in Nigeria by December this year, while exports will be the next step. Speaking at the Obajana cement plant yesterday, the Dangote president said the 29Mt will be possible after the commencement of operations of the fourth phase of the Obajana cement plant. Mr Johnson Olaniyi,...
Pakistani cement industry weak due to lack of innovation
Pakistan is lagging behind in introducing different types of cement for use in different projects. Most construction requirements are met by ordinary Portland cement (OPC). This puts the industry at a disadvantage in the international market, says Pakistan’s Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (Tusdec). “The construction sector is expanding and there is dire need to introduc...
China: three cement firms fined for price fixing
Jilin Yatai Group Cement Sales Co Ltd (Yatai), North Cement Co Ltd and (North) and Jidong Cement Jilin LLC (Jidong) were handed out fines for price fixing after China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) instructed the Jilin Province Price Bureau to impose financial penalties totalling CNY114m (US$19m) following alleged breaches of the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) by the companies in...
China’s August cement production stable at 224Mt
China’s cement output remained largely stable in September 2014 at 224.15Mt when compared against August 2014, when the world’s largest cement maker produced 224.8Mt. YoY output slipped slightly from 225.06Mt. In the year to date, China’s cement production has reached 1809.41Mt.
US cement market grows 2.8% in August
Cement shipments in the USA were up 2.8 per cent in August 2013 when compared with August 2013, according to preliminary data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). While southern Texas, Georgia and Florida all noted double-digit increases of 27, 24 and 11 per cent, respectively, dispatches in southern California and Arizona fell by one and eight per cent, respectively. Across the country, A...
India moves towards ending coal monopoly
The Indian government has taken a cautious step towards ending the coal monopoly as its plans to allow private players to mine and sell coal, a move that is expected to benefit cement companies amongst others. The cabinet has approved auction of 74 of the recently-cancelled 204 coal blocks in the next 3-4 months. While state-owned companies will be allocated coal blocks on a priority basis ...
Kenya: Savannah Cement to widen its east African sales
Savannah Cement has confirmed plans to develop its business to the wider east African market as part of its regional integration support. The project will see the company pursue sales opportunities in all the east African countries by next year, the firm’s Managing Director, Ronald Ndegwa, has said. “Savannah Cement’s overall corporate development is anchored on a regional market coverage...
India: VP Cements plans a two-phase plant
VP Cements is planning a two-phase integrated cement project in the village of Gundlakunta, Andhra Pradesh. Land acquisition is in progress, but both phases still await environmental clearance. The total cost of the project is INR16bn (US$261m). Phase one will consist of a 3.2Mta cement project, a 2Mta clinker project and a 1x40MW coal-based captive power plant (CPP) with work expected to c...
Ghana: Dangote sets retail price reduction deadline
Dangote Cement says it expects all retailers of its cement to reduce the price by GHS2.70 by Friday, 24 October following concerns that retailers have failed to cut prices after a reduction announced by the cement producer. Dangote reduced its price on 9 October, the day after Diamond Cement and Ghacem cut their prices by GHS2 following the gradual appreciation of the credit agains the US d...
Ethiopia: Chinese producers report tough market conditions
Ethiopia’s sudden slump in cement demand has left an oversupply situation with Chinese cement producers in the country reporting toughening market conditions. There is increased pressure on some companies to look at surrounding markets to meet their targets. Many local cement producers are having to look at exporting their output, for instance, to Somalia. Meanwhile, domestic cement prices ha...