16 October 2019
Shanshui Cement grows nine-month profit by 46.6% to US$352m 16 October 2019
China: Shanshui Cement ended the nine months to September 2019 with a net profit of US$352m, up by 46.6% year-on-year from US$221m in the corresponding period of 2018. Revenue increased by 28.5% to US$2.3bn from US$1.8bn.
Production increases by 4% to 2.6Mt for Siberian Cement 16 October 2019
Russia: Siberian Cement has reported a 4% year-on-year rise in its cement volumes in the nine months to 30 September 2019 to 2.6Mt from 2.5Mt in the corresponding three quarters of 2018. Of its three production lines, output fell at its Krasnoyarsk Cement and Volna plants by 9% and 14% respectively. 324,000t of cement was produced at its Timlyuisk cement plant over the period, a 21% increase on the 2018 figure of 268,000t.
Eurocement subsidiary Mordovcement increases rail shipping 16 October 2019
Russia: Mordovcement, the Mordvinian-based subsidiary of Eurocement, shipped a total of 2.3Mt of cement by rail in the nine months to 30 September 2019, representing an increase of 31%. In July 2019, the company says it set a Russian record for number of carriages filled with cement in a single shipment, with 210 carriages. Russian Railways recognised the company’s high shipping volumes with a formal expression of thanks for “ensuring high rates of growth in freight traffic” at a Russian Railways Company Day celebration ceremony.
South Africa: Research carried out by Beton-Lab on the instigation off PPC has revealed a widespread flouting of cement quality regulations, with the majority of samples overweight or underweight and of inconsistent quality. Beton-Lab tested 14 products from 10 different producers. Cape Times has suggested that the results are due to the addition of fly ash and slag to finished cement as a common practice amongst producers.
In August 2019, PPC and other South African producers lobbied the government International Trade Administration Commission for a tightening of cement standards in response to a perceived compromise on quality by importers, whose 4.6% stake in the market grew by 293% year-on-year in July 2019.
RHI Magnesita to invest Euro57.1m in new refractory plant 16 October 2019
Brazil: RHI Magnesita is planning a Euro57.1m upgrade to its Contagem complex in Minas Gerais, to include a new plant and 15,000m2 of office space. Francisco Carrara, president of RHI Magnesita South America, emphasised the importance of the Brazilian cement sector to the company, with operations in the country “representing 75% of Magnesita’s activities on the continent.”