23 February 2017
Vietnamese cement industry blames taxes for rising export prices 23 February 2017
Vietnam: Tran Viet Thang, General Director of the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), has blamed local taxes for increasing the cost of exports from the country. He blamed a government decision to exempt exported cement products from input value-added tax and a 5% export tax, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. He also said that increasing input material costs and fluctuating foreign exchange rates had caused problems for exporters. Nguyen Quang Cung, Chairman of Vietnam Cement Association, added that cement export volumes had fallen by 5.9% year-on-year in 2016.
Vietnam has set an annual export target of 20 – 35% of the country’s total cement and clinker capacity by the year of 2030. Vietnam’s cement output is expected to reach 120 – 130Mt/yr by 2020 but local consumption is only expected to reach 93Mt/yr, leaving a significant excess.
Semen Padang starts cement exports to Australia 23 February 2017
Australia: Semen Padang, a subsidiary of Semen Indonesia, has started exporting cement to Australia. It delivered 22t of cement to Sydney on 21 February 2017 on the Meratus Minahasa V.1705S, according to the Jakarta Post. Commercial director Pudjo Suseno said that the shipment was made in response to demand from potential Australian buyers revealed at the end of 2016. The cement producer has previously sold exports to countries including Bangladesh, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It exported 396,000t of cement and 90,000t of clinker in 2016.
East African Portland Cement’s revenue drops by 19% to US$35.9m 23 February 2017
Kenya: East African Portland Cement’s sales revenue fell by 19% year-on-year to US$35.9m in 2016 from US$44.6m in 2015. It made a loss of US$5.15m compared to a loss of US$7.19m in 2015, according to Reuters. It said that sales volumes had fallen by 17% in 2016 due to a ‘change in the competitive landscape’ and that this had caused the fall in revenue. However, it added that it had cut its administrative expenses by 9% due to on-going cost management initiatives. Looking forward the company said that, as it expected cement supply to be higher than demand in the near term, it would focus on cutting costs.
Elementia’s cement business builds profit in 2016 23 February 2017
Mexico: Elementia’s cement division’s sales revenue in Mexico rose by 30% year-on-year to US$155m in 2016 from US$119m in 2015. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 39% to US$65.9m from US$47.3m. It attributed the result to increased prices and a higher capacity utilisation rate.
The cement producer noted that its 1.5Mt/yr upgrade to its Tula cement plant is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2017. The company also competed its acquisition of a 55% stake in US company Giant in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Summit Materials’ cement business grows revenue in 2016 23 February 2017
US: Summit Materials cement business’ sales revenue rose by 49% year-on-year to US$250m in 2016 from US$168m in 2015. Its sales volumes of cement grew by 37% to 2.36Mt from 1.72Mt. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 51% to US$113m from US$74.8m. It attributed the improvement to higher prices, cost reductions production efficiencies and increased sales volumes due to the acquisition of the Davenport cement assets in July 2015
“Our cement business represents a clear catalyst for growth heading into 2017,” said Tom Hill, chief executive officer of Summit Materials. “Limited domestic production capacity and continued growth in US demand have combined to create opportunities for sustained growth in industry industry pricing. During the fourth quarter, our cement segment generated organic price and volume growth of 6.8% and nearly 1%, respectively. Looking ahead to the remainder of 2017, we anticipate continued adjusted EBITDA growth in our cement business, as supported by sustained growth in organic cement prices and sales volumes along the Mississippi River corridor.”