Displaying items by tag: Sales
Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) is poised to revamp its business plans to cope with the impact of the political turmoil and adverse economic outlook, setting its sights on more exports and trading with the Asean market.
President and chief executive Kan Trakulhoon said that the country's prolonged political problems and the absence of a functioning government have affected the operational plans of SCG. According to Trakulhoon, the existing business plan called for the company to cut cement shipments from 5Mt in 2012 to 4Mt in 2013 and 3Mt in 2014, to better serve domestic consumption. However, given the unfavourable market conditions in Thailand, SCG will keep cement exports at 4Mt in 2014, with Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam as the target markets.
"The overall market of cement and construction materials has shrunk over the past couple of months thanks to the sluggish economy, which has been hit by the prolonged political problems,'' said Trakulhoon. "Earlier we forecast that the two industries should grow by 8 - 9% in 2014, but now we see they will grow at best by 4 - 5%."
According to Trakulhoon, sales of cement and construction materials fell by 7 - 8% during January and February 2014 against the 4 - 5% growth that SCG had projected. Normally late December 2013 until April 2014 is the peak selling season for products in this group, as people build and renovate their homes.
Cement and construction materials are expected to be harder hit in the second and fourth quarters of 2014 as the construction and property business slows down in line with tepid economic prospects and a lack of new private investments because of the absence of a new Board of Investment (BoI). Investment proposals worth US$15.3 – 18.4bn are still awaiting approval from the BoI's main board, which has yet to be appointed because of the political crisis since October 2013, when board member terms expired.
SCG itself has one project, a joint venture with a Japanese partner, which is pending approval from the BoI. The company also has two other joint venture investment projects with the Japanese investors waiting to submit the investment privileges with the BoI.
Trakulhoon said that he remains upbeat that SCG's sales revenue would grow by at least 10% in 2014, up from US$13.3bn in 2013. Domestic sales are expected to make up 65% of the group's sales revenue in 2014, with overseas sales contributing the remaining 35%, 20% of which will come from Asean nations.
Peru produces more cement in February 2014
19 March 2014Peru: Cement production in Peru reached a total of 832,275t in February 2014, according to the national cement association Asocem. This represents 3.4% growth year-on-year compared to February 2013.
Buzzi Unicem sells cement plant to Wietersdorfer unit for Euro22m
19 February 2014Italy: Buzzi Unicem has agreed to sell its 0.3Mt/yr cement plant in Cadola, Italy, to a subsidiary of Wietersdorfer for Euro22m. Under the terms of the agreement, Austria's Wietersdorfer will be also entitled to buy, within five years and without additional payment, Buzzi Unicem's Travesio 0.4Mt/yr cement plant.
Italian cement producer Buzzi Unicem has also agreed to buy 25% in two Wietersdorfer facilities. In particular, the company will acquire shares in W&P Cementi and Salonit Anhovo Gradbeni Materiali for Euro22m. W&P Cementi currently has a grinding plant in Pordenone, Italy with a production capacity of 0.3Mt/yr. Salonit owns an integrated cement plantin Slovenia with a production capacity of 1.3Mt/yr.
With these transactions, Buzzi Unicem expects to strengthen its production and sales structure by improving its procurement logistics, it said adding that the deals will result in technological integration between the two companies aiming to develop new products. The transactions are expected to close on 30 June 2014.
Ciments Français revenue down 3.6% to Euro3.59bn in 2013
12 February 2014France: Ciments Français has reported that its total revenue fell by 3.6% year-on-year to Euro3.59bn in 2013 from Euro3.73bn in 2012. Like its parent company Italcementi, It blamed the drop on continued disruption in demand for building materials in Western Europe, with problems in Egypt and an uneven recovery in North America.
Overall sales volumes for cement and clinker fell by 3.8% to 37.9Mt. Sales revenue for cement and clinker fell by 4.8% to Euro2.39bn. By region, Western Europe and Emerging Europe, North Africa and the Middle East saw sales volumes decrease in 2013 and North America and Asia saw sales volumes increase. However sales revenues fell in all regions except Asia in 2013. In particular Ciments Français' revenue report mentioned Egypt's role in reducing sales volumes in 2013 in the Emerging Europe, North Africa & Middle East region due to fuel shortages.
ACC net income drops to US$1.75bn in 2013
12 February 2014India: ACC's net income has fallen slightly to US$1.75bn in 2013. However its net profit rose by 3% to US$174m. By business segment, cement sales fell slightly to US$1.71bn in 2013. The Indian cement producer made the announcement in a statement of consolidated audited financial results. In its statement ACC made no provision for a US$180m fine imposed on it by the Competition Commission of India for alleged cartel-like behaviour as it believes it can successfully appeal the penalty.
Italcementi revenue down 5.4% to Euro4.24bn in 2013
12 February 2014Italy: Italcementi has reported that its revenue fell by 5.4% year-on-year to Euro4.24bn in 2013 from Euro4.48bn in 2012. It blamed the drop on a continued fall in demand for building materials in Europe, a patchy recovery in North America and limited energy availability in Egypt that has decreased cement production capacity.
Sales volumes of cement and clinker fell by 6% year-on-year to 43.1Mt in 2013. Revenue for the company's cement and clinker segment fell by 6.4% to Euro2.72bn from Euro2.91bn. By region sales volumes fell by 9.3% to 14.5Mt in Central Western Europe and by 11.7% to 13.2Mt in Emerging Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Its North America and Asia regions remained buoyant in terms of sales volumes in 2013 but North America saw its revenue fall by 2.5% to Euro429m.
Buzzi reports flat cement sales in 2013
12 February 2014Italy: Buzzi Unicem saw its cement sales remain flat at 27.4Mt in 2013. Overall net sales dropped slightly by 2.1% year-on-year to Euro2.75bn. In a preliminary results statement, the company reported growth in the US and Russia, recovery in central Europe in the second half of 2013 and continued market problems in Mexico, Italy and parts of eastern Europe.
Vicat cement sales down 4% to Euro1.11bn in 2013
05 February 2014France: The Vicat Group has reported that sales by its cement business fell by 4% year-on-year to Euro1.11bn in 2013 from Euro1.16bn in 2012. No reason was provided for this decline. The French building materials manufacturer produced 18Mt of cement in 2013. Across all business lines the company's sales remained flat at Euro2.29bn.
By region, Vicat saw cement sales fall by 7.6% year-on-year in France due to poor weather and 'challenging' economic conditions. Cement sales rose by 6.3% in the US, led by infrastructure growth in California. In Turkey cement sales rose by 16.7% and in West Africa sales fell by 4.7%.
Loesche mills for cement plant in Tanzania
28 January 2014Tanzania: Loesche GmbH has received an order from Tanga Cement Company Ltd in Tanzania for the supply of two vertical roller mills.
The order covers engineering and supply of two Loesche vertical roller mills, one LM 41.4, which will grind 200t/hr of cement raw material with a fineeness of 15% R 90μm, one LM 19.2 D coal mill with a grinding capacity of 20t/hr. and a fineness of 12% R 90μm. Included in the scope of supply is a rotary star feeder for the raw meal mill and a coal screw feeder for the coal mill. The delivery of the mill key parts is planned for July 2014.
This is Tanga Cement's first order from Loesche. Tanga Cement's plant, which was commissioned in 1978, has a production capacity of 3000t/day.
Holcim Indonesia sales down by 2% to 8.43Mt in 2013
22 January 2014Indonesia: Holcim Indonesia has reported that its sales volumes fell by 2% year-on-year to 8.43Mt in 2013 from 8.58Mt in 2012, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). Its sales accounted for 14.5% of the domestic market share.