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Turkish cement industry to focus on exports 05 July 2019
Turkey: Turkish Cement Manufacturers’ Association (TÇMB) chairman Nihat Özdemir says that the local industry needs to focus on exports rather than for local consumption. He made the comments at a meeting between the TÇMB and the Cement Industry Employers' Association (ÇEİS) hosted by Deloitte, according to the Dünya newspaper. Exports grew by 46% year-on-year in the first half of 2019 to a value of US$444m driven by deliveries to the US, Ghana and Israel. ÇEİS chairman Suat Çalbıyık called on the Turkish State Railway company to abolish its fixed tariff for goods moved up to 150km to further support the industry.
TÇMB data shows that local consumption fell by 24% year-on-year to 5.12Mt in the first quarter of 2019 from 6.74Mt in 2018. Domestic sales fell by 34% to 3.98Mt from 5.99Mt. Exports rose by 37% to 0.94Mt from 0.68Mt. Local decline in the market has been blamed on a weak housing market and a slowdown in the Turkish economy.
Cemex querying provincial tax in Costa Rica 05 July 2019
Costa Rica: Cemex has taken legal action to query a local 5% tax on the sale of cement in the provinces of Cartago, San José and Guanacaste. The issue is commercially relevant because its competitor Cementos Fortaleza operates a grinding plant at Salinas Esparza in Puntarenas where the tax is not liable, according to Diario Extra magazine. Cementos Fortaleza opened its unit in 2018. Cemex operates an integrated and a grinding plant in the country.
Argentina: Cement sales fell by 6.4% year-on-year to 5.51Mt in the first half of 2019 from 5.89Mt in the same period in 2018, according to data from AFCP. This trend was driven by a fall in local sales. Local sales fell by 6.6% to 5.46Mt but exports rose by 28% to nearly 50,000t.
Russia: Oligarch Oleg Deripaska has moved the ownership of BaselCement’s Serebryansky Cement Plant by MKAO Fenestraria Consultants from Cyprus to Kaliningrad, Russia. Companies associated with Deripaska underwent redomiciling procedures in May 2019, according to Interfax. The change follows the creation of Russian special administrative regions in 2018 to encourage companies to relocate domestically in response to international sanctions.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies signs deal with Bouygues Construction to develop low carbon concrete 05 July 2019
France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies and Bouygues Construction have signed a 30-month initial technical and commercial collaboration agreement to develop and test concrete formulations using new cement made from Hoffmann’s H-EVA technology. Hoffmann Green Cement inaugurated its pilot plant at Bournezeau, Vendée in late 2018. The unit will manufacture cement products using flash-calcined metakaolin and blast-furnace slag. Bouygues Construction is a global construction company with a presence in over 60 countries.