15 October 2018
Growth in Indian cement industry fuels price speculation 15 October 2018
India: Shailendra Chouksey, president of the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), has warned that cement prices could rise by up to 10% due to growing fuel and transportation costs. The local industry grew by 14% in the first half of the 2018 – 2019 year, according to the Press Trust of India.
"There is a very dire need to correct the pricing. In the last year we have seen 60-70% rise in the cost of fuel. To recover at least some portion of this increase, we need to increase the prices of cement," said Chouksey. He added that cement prices had been ‘almost stagnant’ since around 2011. However, he conceded that the industry still has surplus capacity.
Emami Cement starts initial public offering for US$135m 15 October 2018
India: Emami Cement has started the process to file an initial public offering (IPO) for US$135m. It plans to issue equity shares worth US$37.5m and offer another US$37.5bn to existing shareholders, according to the Business Standard newspaper. Proceeds from offering will be used for debt repayment and general corporate purposes. The cement producer has a production capacity of 5.6Mt/yr from three plants in eastern India. It is also planning to open a new 3.7Mt/yr plant in April 2019.
Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement’s new 7300t/day clinker production line at its Iskanderabad cement plant is expected to start in the second quarter of 2019. The project has a cost of just below US$200m, funded through bank loans, a right issue and internal revenue. Denmark’s FLSmdith is supplying the equipment and Descon Engineering holds the contract for civil construction and mechanical erection work. 70% of civil work and 30% of plant erection was reported completed by the end of September 2018.
Regional limestone ban hits Nepalese cement producers 15 October 2018
Nepal: A limestone ban in the Katari municipality has hit Saurya Cement and Cosmos Cement. The local government has banned cement producers from extracting and transporting limestone on tax grounds, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. However, Saurya Cement said that the authorities had stopped the transportation of limestone without consultation. Krishnaraj Dulal, the director Cosmos Cement, added that the company was not required to pay tax locally as it was paying the Department of Mines at the national level.
Cementa to electrify Slite plant by 2030 15 October 2018
Sweden: Cementa plans to electrify its cement plant at Slite in Gotland as part of its Cemzero project. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement plans to make its plant CO2 neutral by 2030, according to Helagotland. However, the plan is limited by a lack of technology to fully electrify large-scale manufacturing at the site. The company also holds concerns about where it would source larger quantities of electricity.
Cement salvaged from grounded ship in Philippines 15 October 2018
Philippines: Around 4500 bags of cement have been salvaged from the MV Star Liberty that ran aground in early September 2018. The ship ran aground at the San Jose de Buenavista Port due to the strong waves caused by the southwest monsoon, according to the Philippines News Agency. The ship was carrying a consignment of 20,000 bags at the time. The salvaged cement has been stored at a dump in Barangay Pantao. The salvage team are hoping to complete the removal of the cement from the ship by the end of October 2018 and then the ship may be transported back to Cebu for repairs.