September 2024
Eurocement launches packaging and logistics unit at Lipetskcement 20 December 2017
Russia: Eurocement’s subsidiary Lipetskcement has launched a new production and logistics unit at its cement plant at Lipetsk. The cement producer has spent around Euro9m on the upgrade that allows the plant to ship up to 10,000t/day of cement. Features of the new unit include an automated weighbridge and lines for road and rail transport with a capacity of 800t/hr and 1600t/hr respectively.
Xella acquires Macon Group including lime plant 20 December 2017
Romania: Xella has signed an agreement with two Polish private equity funds managed by Enterprise Investors (EI) to acquire the Macon Group. The Romanian building materials producer operates the Simcor Var lime plant as well as producing concrete and tile products. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities. The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2018. No value for the acquisition has been disclosed.
"With the acquisition of Macon, Xella becomes one of the market leaders in the Romanian building materials market and Romania’s main manufacturer in autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). Xella becomes a major player in lime and precast concrete,” said Xella Group chief executive officer (CEO) Jochen Fabritius.
Lafarge Zambia fined for market abuse 20 December 2017
Zambia: The Board of Commissioners of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has fined Lafarge Zamiba over US$19,000 for abusing loyalty discount schemes, price discrimination and excessive pricing. The fine represents 10% of its annual turnover in 2012, according to the Times of Zambia newspaper. It follows an investigation in the cement producer from mid-2013 following accusations of ‘persistent’ price rises.
The CCPC says that Lafarge Zambia’s pricing policy discriminated the domestic market against the export market and particularly distorted the sector in Lusaka. It has ordered the company to cease and desist such behaviour and to report to the board in early 2018 regarding how it is complying with the ruling.
Lafarge Zambia operates two cement plants in the country. It says it made revenues of US$171,000 in 2016.
Nigeria: Workers at Lafarge Africa’s Mfamosing cement plant have complained about an alleged dominance of expatriates at the company. The workers say that most of the departments have been ‘taken over’ by foreign staff, according to the Punch newspaper. Affected divisions include utilities, security, logistics, finance and safety departments. However, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, the director for Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at Lafarge Africa, has denied the claims. She said out of the 95 expatriate allocations approved by the Ministry of Interior for the Mfamosing plant only seven of the positions are occupied by foreign workers, a figure less than the 10% approved expatriate allocation rate.
Indian cement producers hit by rise in import duty on petcoke 19 December 2017
India: The government has raised the import duty on petcoke to 10% from 2.5%. This follows the abolition of a ban on petcoke and furnace oil to the cement and power industries in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh by the Supreme Court, according to Reuters. The increase in import duty is expected to create a rise in coal imports as companies change their energy mix. Shree Cement, JK Cement, J K Lakshmi Cement, UltraTech Cement and Mangalam Cement are all expected to be particularly affected by the tariff change. India is the world’s biggest consumer of petcoke, with much of it imported from refineries in the US.
Penna Cement orders mill from Loesche 19 December 2017
India: Penna Cement has ordered a vertical roller mill from Loesche for its cement plant at Boyareddypalli in Andhra Pradesh. The mill will be equipped with four rollers to grind petcoke with a throughput capacity of 52t/hr, 3% R on 90μm. The delivery of the order to be managed by Loesche India and is scheduled to take place at the start of 2018. No value for the order has been disclosed. The mill upgrade will increase the plant’s cement production capacity to 4.6Mt/yr from 2Mt/yr.
Lucky Cement completes new production line at Karachi plant 19 December 2017
Pakistan: Lucky Cement has completed a new 1.3Mt/yr production line at its Karachi cement plant. Clinker production started on the new line on 12 December 2017. It has also implemented efficiency improvements at its Pezu plant that have increased its production capacity by 0.3Mt/yr. The cement producer now has a total cement production capacity of 9.35Mt/yr.
Dangote Cement comments on BUA limestone dispute 19 December 2017
Nigeria: Devakumar Edwin, the executive director of Dangote Cement, has accused BUA Group of illegally mining limestone at a site near Okene in the south of Kogi state. He made the comments at a press conference in response to public comments by Abdulsamad Rabiu, the chief executive officer (CEO) of BUA Group, that Dangote Cement had ‘sabotaged’ its operations, according to the This Day newspaper. The dispute between Dangote Cement, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and BUA is currently pending before the Federal High Court.
According to Edwin, Dangote Group first acquired an interest in the mining lease in 2014 after a previous company obtained the rights in 2007. However, BUA claimed access to the lease when it later purchased Edo Cement, a company also operating in the area. BUA Group responded to Edwin’s claims by stating that it does not have any operations in Okene, Kogi State where the disputed lease is located.
Valencia Port Authority blocks request by Cemex 19 December 2017
Spain: The Valencia Port Authority (APV) has blocked a request by Cemex Spain to expand its operations at the Port of Grau in Valencia. The port authority denied the cement producer because the port is being used for passengers, according to the El Mercantil Valenciano newspaper. However, the port is hoping to find another site for Cemex to use.
Cemex has used the nearby Port of Sagunto for cement and clinker exports since 2014. Exports have since represented 40% of its sales. Production from the company’s Buñol cement plant is exported to countries in the Mediterranean, especially in North Africa.
Sweden: Cementa, a subsidiary of HeidlebergCement, has applied for an extension to its limestone mining lease at its Degerhamn cement plant. The current lease expires in 2022. The renewal covers 15Mt for an additional 30 years. The cement producer says it has conducted ‘extensive’ environmental impact studies at the site and the impact will be ‘marginal.’