02 August 2017
Pakistan: Lucky Cement’s net sales rose by 5.7% to US$434m for the financial year that ended on 30 June 2017 from US$428m in the same period in 2016. Its cement sales volumes rose by 3.1% to 7.15Mt from 6.93Mt and its profit after tax rose by 5.8% to US$130m from US$123m. No reason for the good performance was presented in its financial results statement but that it said it was confident in the domestic market due to both resident and public sector construction markets and large scale infrastructure projects driven by the China-Pakistan Ecumenic Corridor initiative.
The cement producer also provided an update on new and on-going expansion projects. Its expansion plans at the Karachi Plant to add a 1.25Mt/yr production line are expected to reach commercial operations in December 2017. It is also in the process of obtaining approvals and authorisations from the state government of Punjab to build a new 2.3Mt/yr plant.
Nepal: Hongshi-Shivam Cement plans to start cement production at its new plant in Nawalparasi from March 2018. Shiva Ratna Sharada, director of the joint venture company, told the Xinhua News Agency that construction at the site is underway. Once operational the plant will have a production capacity of 6000t/day, making it the largest site in the country. The company is planning to export cement to India, China and beyond with plans to expand the unit to 12,000t/day considered.
Bolivian cement demand weakening so far in 2017 02 August 2017
Bolivia: Coboce, Itacamba Cemento, Soboce and Fancesa have all reported weakened demand for cement in the first half of 2017. Coboce’s sales growth has slowed year-on-year to 5% due to a reduced local government spending on infrastructure projects and poor weather, according to the El Deber newspaper. Despite this the cement producer expects sale to grow by 6 – 8% as a whole for 2017. Sales of the Camba cement brand produced by Itacamba Cemento have increased and this brand now holds 30% of all sales in Santa Cruz. Fancesa has seen a sharp contraction of its market share in Santa Cruz to 35% from 57%, although this now appears to have stabilised. The company is now targeting Cochabamba and Potosi.
Bolivia: Ground removal work at the Potosí cement plant is expected to start in August 2017. Imasa, Valoriza and Polysius will prepare the 40-hectare site, according to the El Potosí newspaper. The plant has a proposed production capacity of 1.3Mt/yr and it has been budgeted at US$241m.
Brazil: LafargeHolcim has launched a marketing campaign for its Cimento Montes Claros cement brand in six states and the Federal District. The campaign is intended to increase brand recognition and improve its relationship with customers in Minas Gerais, Pernabuco, Bahia, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Notre, Goias and the Federal District, according to the Sags website. The campaign includes television and radio coverage, advertising on transport networks and social media spots. The campaign is planned to run until December 2017.
Pacific Cement to import cement from Vietnam 02 August 2017
Fiji: Pacific Cement plans to import 25,000t of cement from Vietnam due to supply shortfalls from local plants. The increase in demand has been attributed to increased construction activity in the country, according to the Fiji Sun newspaper. Pacific Cement is currently running at reduced production levels whilst it waits for spare parts to arrive. It plans to return to full production in October 2017. The producer is also wants to install a cement mill in early 2018 to increase its production capacity.
Poland: Cementownia Warta and Cementownia Odra have joined the Pewny Cement certification scheme run by the Polish Cement Association. The kite mark is intended to convey high specification standards in production, packaging and distribution for customers outside of the construction industry. Warta and Odra join LafargeHolcim, Górażdże Cement, Cement Ożarów and Cemex on the scheme.