Cement News tagged: International
US Jan-July shipments up 8% YoY
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico in July 2014 were 9Mt, up by about 11 per cent in July 2013, latest data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows. Shipments for the year through July were 48.5Mt, up by about eight per cent from the same period of 2013. The leading Portland cement-producing states in July were Missouri, Texas, California. Michigan a...
Vietnam September output up 4% YoY
Vietnam is estimated to have produced 5Mt of cement in September, up four per cent from the previous month and nine per cent YoY, the government’s General Statistics Office (GSO) said. In the first nine months, the country’s cement output has risen 4.8 per cent YoY to 43.3Mt, the office said in its monthly cement report. The office has also revised down the country’s cement output in Augu...
JK Cement starts commercial production at Rajasthan unit
JK Cement has commenced production and dispatch of cement from its new cement manufacturing facilities at JK Cement Works, Mangrol, Chittorgarh district, in the state of Rajasthan. In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange the company said the new facility has a cement capacity of 1.5Mta. JK Cement is one of the largest cement manufacturers in north India. The company exports white cement to...
Sri Lanka: Lafarge Mahaweli concludes Health & Safety month
Lafarge Mahaweli Cement concluded its annual Health & Safety month recently, with a number of activities held at their factory premises located within the Colombo port, Sri Lanka. The theme of this year's safety month was 'My actions, My impact: Our Progress' with special emphasis on zero accidents. During the month several training programs were carried out for employees, contractors, dri...
Colombian cement demand up 17% in August
Colombia’s cement consumption saw a 17.2 per cent rise to 1.020Mt in August 2014 when compared with the same month of 2013, according to the national statistic office, Dane. Major growth was noted in Nariño (+84 per cent), Boyacá (+54.2 per cent), Magdalena (+46.2 per cent) and Huila (+37.6 per cent) although Cundinamarca and Antioquia also recorded substantial growth of 27.5 and 22.7 per cent...
Ghana cement prices expected to fall
If Ghana’s cedi continues to stabilise, prices of cement can be expected to fall, according to Morten Gade, managing director of Ghacem. Cement prices have increased rapidly in 2Q14 as erratic power supply and the depreciation of the cede against major foreign currency impacted on the value and availability of cement in the west African country. However, recent weeks have shown an appre...
Texas cement shipments in August up 15.2%
August cement shipments in the US state of Texas advanced 15.2 per cent than in the same period of 2013, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Holcim saw its dispatches rise by 39 per cent in August and by 28 per cent in the first eight months of 2014. TXI saw its shipments advance by 26 per cent and Texas Lehigh by 21 per cent while Cemex sales flatlined and Alamo’s fell b...
UK: Votorantim interest in Tarmac
Votorantim is understood to be planning a bid for a package of businesses being offloaded by Holcim and Lafarge, in an effort to seal a GBP32bn mega-merger that would include Tarmac, one of Britain’s largest companies. It is not known whether the Sâo Paulo-based company wants to buy all the assets being sold or cherry-pick parts in different countries. The disposals are expected to attract ...
Argos constructs new innovation centre
Cementos Argos has started construction of a new Argos Innovation Centre, in Medellín, Colombia. The project is being developed alongside EAFIT University and will become a new meeting place for Argos’ employees, researchers, academics and the community, focussed on the fundamental goal of contributing to the cement and concrete industry’s technological and sustainable development. This inno...
UltraTech Cement given go-ahead for two new plants
UltraTech Cement Ltd’s (Aditya Birla Group) proposal to set up two greenfield cement plants with an installed capacity of 9.5Mta has been cleared by Andhra Pradesh government. These two plants of a similar size have been proposed to be set up at Dachepalli of Guntur district and at Pentikota of Kurnool district by the company. The company, which has a total installed capacity of 62Mta ac...
Vietnam Ministry requests review of cement projects
Twelve cities and provinces have been asked by the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction to review cement plants in the localities under the industry’s master plan until 2020 with a vision to 2030. The request will involve the authorities of Hanoi, Haiphong, Hoa Binh, Bac Can, Ha Giang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Thua Thien-Hu provinces. The ministry’s requirement follows the prime minister’s appr...
Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement extends second clinker line trial
Al Jouf Cement has extended the experimental operation of its second clinker line until the end of the 4Q14 in an attempt to reach full production capacity. The new line will not make a contribution to company finances until 1Q15 when full commercial production will commence.
Pakistan: Lucky plans 660MW power project
Directors of Lucky Cement have asked shareholders permission to set up of a 660MW coal-based power project in Karachi through the Lucky Holdings Limited (LHL) subsidiary, according to Reuters. The proposal will be considered in the company’s September annual general meeting. A new company, Lucky Electric Power Co Ltd (LEPCL) will set up the plant which is expected to cost INR20bn (US$200m)...
JSW Cement to solely make Portland Slag cement
JSW Cement Ltd intends to manufacture only Portland slag cement (PSC) in India. The company has a cement production capacity of 6Mta. JSW has fixed the price of PSC between INR275 (US$4.47) and INR325 (US$5.28) a bag. The company expects the demand for cement to grow due to the focus on infrastructure projects.
Lafarge evacutes Syrian factory amid security concerns
Lafarge said Thursday it has evacuated its Syrian factory and halted all operations there indefinitely there amid security concerns. Lafarge operates a 3Mta factory in Ein Al-Arab, about 160km northeast of Aleppo, near the Turkish border, an area where the US has carried out air strikes against Islamic State militants. The plant was evacuated on 18 September 2014 and all operations have...
Pakistan sees strong increase in August export growth
Pakistan recorded an acceleration in exports during August 2014 against the previous month and were also higher on an annual comparative basis. Exports during August 2014 reached 984,039t – a rise of 76.62 per cent compared to the month before. Revenues were also 76.84 per cent higher at US$57.648m compared to July 2014. On an annual basis, volumes and revenues increased by 23.42 per c...