Displaying items by tag: Production
Qatar: Mohamed Ali al-Sulaity, the general manager of the Qatar National Cement Company, says that a blockade of the country by neighbouring states has not effected its cement production. Al-Sulaity said that the cement producer has secured supplies of raw materials and is importing gypsum and iron oxide from Oman, according to the Al Sharq newspaper. He added that bags are being imported from Kuwait.
The company says that it has a surplus of cement production and is able to meet the country’s demand. It plans to operate its 5000t/day kiln number 5 in September 2017 that will increase its clinker production capacity to 19,000t/day and its cement capacity to 21,000t/day.
Several Middle Eastern countries – including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – cut diplomatic links and implemented trade and travel embargos with Qatar in June 2017 over alleged links to terrorist groups and links to Iran.
Pacific Cement resumes production in Fiji
06 July 2017Fiji: Pacific Cement has resumed operations at its cement plant. The plant originally stopped operation in late April 2017 due to mechanical failures, according to the Fiji Times newspaper. Chief executive Sowani Tuidrola said that the plant will run at 60% capacity until the end of July 2017 whilst it waits for a new gear. A new Trunnion Gear Assembly is scheduled to arrive in late July 2017 and it will be fitted during a two-week shutdown in late August 2017. Normal production levels are expected to resume from 1 September 2017.
Cement production picks up in Panama
05 July 2017Panama: Data from the Treasury Inspector's Office in Panama reports that cement production rose by 7.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2017. The construction sector as a whole grew by 6.6% due to residential and non-residential projects, according to the La Estrella de Panama newspaper. However, infrastructure work decreased at the same time.
Peru: The Association of Cement Producers (Asocem) has forecast that cement production will grow by 1 - 1.5% in 2017. This is based on predicted growth in the second half of 2017 following a decline in production of 5.5% over the last 12 months, according to the Gestión newspaper. Despite this production continued to fall in May 2017, by 6.4% year-on-year to 0.78Mt, although the rate has slowed since April. Cement demand is expected to rebound due to the reconstruction work after El Niño-related flooding and government infrastructure projects.
McInnis Cement produces first cement
21 June 2017Canada: McInnis Cement produced the first cement at its plant in Port-Daniel–Gascons, Quebec on 16 June 2017. Construction at the 2.2Mt/yr plant started in mid-2014. However, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a pension and insurance fund manager, took charge of the government-backed project in mid-2016 after cost overruns.
“This important milestone marks the work of hundreds of employees, workers and partners who have helped make our plant a performance model for the cement industry, both in terms of productivity and environment”, said Hervé Mallet, President and chief executive officer (CEO) of McInnis Cement.
Saudi Arabia: Cement sales have fallen by 19% year-on-year to 22.6Mt/yr in the first five months of 2017. Clinker production decreased by 11.3%, according to a market report by Al Rajhi Capital. Northern Cement and Najran Cement recorded the highest declines in the period at 50% and 43% respectively. The report does not expect demand to pick up in the remainder of 2017. Overall it forecasts a 14% fall in sales volumes to around 47Mt in the year. Saudi Cement, Yamama Cement, Yanbu Cement and Najran Cement hold 50% of the total inventory in the sector at 4.9Mt, 4Mt, 3Mt and 2.8Mt respectively.
Dominican cement sales rise 7.5% in 2016
07 June 2017Dominican Republic: Adocem, the association of Portland cement manufacturers in the Dominican Republic, has highlighted the contribution of the local cement industry towards the country's development. According to Rayza Rodriguez, the new president of Adocem, the cement industry recorded a 7.5% rise in sales during 2016 compared to 2015, whereas it grew by 3.5% in the first quarter of 2017.
India: The cement industry is expected to grow at 6-7% in the current 2017-2018 fiscal year, which runs from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, according to HeidelbergCement India. The company said that, while infrastructure (including a focus on concrete roads), affordable housing programmes and the prospect of a normal monsoon augur well for the industry, oversupply may restrict the ability to pass on any input cost increases.
Pakistan’s exports fall, while domestic sales rise
05 June 2017Pakistan: Cement exports have continued to decline year-on-year for the fourth consecutive month in May 2017, registering a fall of 44.6% according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA). The decline follows a 45.7% year-on-year fall in exports in February 2017, a 60.4% year-on-year fall in March 2017 and a 50.8% year-on-year fall in April 2017.
However domestic sales were up by 10.9% year-on-year for May 2017, reaching 3.4Mt, as compared to 3.1Mt in May 2016. Total dispatches during May 2017 were 3.7Mt, as compared to 3.6Mt in May 2016, an increase of 2.4%.
So far in Pakistan’s fiscal year, which runs from 1 July to 30 June, domestic cement consumption has increased by a healthy 10.8% to 37.6Mt against 35.5Mt for 1 July 2015 to 31 May 2016. Over the same period exports have declined by 21.3% to 4.3Mt. A year earlier the figure was 5.5Mt. Exports to Afghanistan more than halved from 206,000t in May 2016 to 97,000t in May 2017. Exports to India also declined, from 135,000t in May 2016 to 114,000t in May 2017.
Industry experts have appealed to the government to take steps to boost housing, as the sector is currently dependent on infrastructure projects. They said that sustained growth in housing construction is essential to absorb the additional capacities that will come online in the next two years.
Vietnam: Cement sales rose by 6% year-on-year to 17.8Mt in the first quarter of 2017, according to data from the Vietnam Cement Association (VNCA). The total includes 12.9Mt of domestic sales and 4.8Mt of exports sales according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. Local cement production rose by 3.8% to 14.3Mt.