September 2024
US: HGH Infrared Systems, the American subsidiary of HGH Systemes Infrarouges (HGH), based in Boston, Massachusetts, has just acquired Electro Optical Industries (EOI), based in Santa Barbara, in California. The new entity will be named Electro Optical Industries Inc.
EOI, a pioneer of electro-optical test instruments, has been a provider of infrared, visible and ultra violet testing and calibration equipment since 1964.
Commenting on the transaction, Thierry Campos, President of the newly formed Electro Optical Industries Inc said, “This merger will greatly enhance our development and manufacturing capabilities in the USA. It will also significantly extend our product line and service offerings to the benefit of our customers worldwide. We are very excited by this historic move which will add to our rapid expansion and will position our group as a world leader in infrared instruments and wide area surveillance systems.”
FCT makes global appointments 22 June 2016
US: Adriano Greco will become the CEO of FCT Inc from 1 August 2016. Greco became the company’s US-based sales director in early 2016. Greco has previously acted as managing director of Greco and as sales director for Gebr. Pfeiffer.
Other staff movements at FCT Inc include the appointment of Ricardo Costa as a technical director based in Brazil. The company will also open a new office in Florida to support its development in the Latin American market. Elsewhere in the group, Joel Maia has joined FCT as the technical director of its European subsidiary, FCT GmbH.
Li Quanhua resigns from Huaxin Cement 22 June 2016
China: Li Quanhua has resigned as the vice president of Huaxin Cement due to personal reasons. His letter of resignation was submitted on 18 June 2016 and has immediate effect. The board of directors have expressed their thanks to Li Quanhua for his contribution to the company.
Dungsam Cement waiting for Indian market to pick up 21 June 2016
Bhutan: Dungsam Cement is waiting for the market to improve in India following announcements of infrastructure development from the government. The latest budget in the neighbouring country is expected to boost demand for cement and steel in the north-eastern region of India and in Bhutan. The cement producer made a loss of US$10.9m in its last financial year, according to the Bhutan Broadcasting Service.
“We are eagerly waiting for the release of the development budget. We have 593 hours worth of cement silos full and waiting to be dispatched in the northeast,” said Dungsam Cement’s CEO, Dorji Norbu.
Nepal: Cement producers in Nepal are upgrading their plants in preparation for the start of operation by a number of foreign owned cement companies. Dhruba Thapa, the president of the Cement Manufacturers' Association of Nepal (CMAN), said that the imminent ‘invasion’ by foreign cement producers has led to unease amongst local producers, in comments to the Kathmandu Post
Dangote Cement from Nigeria, Hongshi and Huaxin from China and Reliance Cement from India have all been granted clearance to start operations in Nepal. Their combined foreign direct investment amounts to US$1.45bn and their proposed output stands at 22,000t/day.
Local projects include Cosmos Cement’s plan to build its first clinker plant. It is expected to start production in the second half of 2016. At present the cement producer operates two cement grinding plants with a combined capacity of 800t/day. It is also upgrading the capacity of these plants to a total of 2000t/day.
Arghakhanchi Cement has announced that it will nearly triple its capacity to 3000t/day by the end of 2017. At present the plant has a production capacity of 1200t/day. Agni Cement Industry has planned to set up a new plant with a daily capacity of 1200t/day. Currently, its capacity is 300t/day.
Domestic demand for cement is 5.5Mt/yr and production is 4.6Mt/yr according to CMAN. Domestic cement manufacturers claim that they have become able to meet 80% of the country's requirement with a capacity utilisation of 50 – 60%. However, foreign investors have said that there is unexplored potential demand for cement in Nepal as infrastructure development grows. Local producers have countered this claim, saying that foreign direct investment has been promoted by offering foreign investors more tax incentives than what domestic producers receive.
Cement production expected to increase in Colombia 21 June 2016
Colombia: Cement producers are reacting to a boom in infrastructure projects in Colombia by increasing production and upgrading existing production capacity. Demand for ordinary Portland cement is expected to grow in the short-term due to the government's 4G roads programme and the growth of the housing sector. Current expansion projects in the country include Cementos Argos’ new 1.4Mt/yr plant at Sogamoso in Boyaca and Cemex’s 1Mt/yr cement plant at Maceo in Antioquia.
Asia Cement chases missing mine money 21 June 2016
Thailand: Asia Cement has arranged negotiations with the Ministry of Industry to retrieve a US$8.5m deposit placed as a guarantee for a limestone mine licence application. The cement producer was granted a licence to operate a limestone mine in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in 1997. However, an environmental order nullified the licence and allowed the government to keep the deposit, according to the Bangkok Post.
"The government and Asia Cement have set up legal teams to negotiate and seek solutions that are acceptable to both sides," said Chat Hongtiamchant, director-general of the ministry's Department of Primary Industries and Mines. The subsidiary of Italcementi also wants to drop the mine project due to a change in the market demand.
Myanmar: The state-run No. 33 cement plant in Kyaukse, Mandalay will be upgraded to produce up to 5000t/day of cement in a partnership with Myanmar Conch Cement. The plant was established in 1983 and has been running under the Ministry of Industry with a capacity of 300t/day. The upgrade is expected to be finished in three months, according to Myanmar Business Today.
The agreement with Myanmar Conch Cement will give the government profit from 2.71% of production in the first year and from 5% in the following 19 years. “In profit sharing, the government owns its net profit without investment for production and staff payment. The partnership company will pay for it,” said U Saw Aung, General Manager of Technology at the Development Department of the Ministry of Industry.
Domestic demand for cement in Myanmar is around 8Mt/yr with half of this figure imported from abroad.
India: All options are being considered by the state government for the Mawmluh Cherra Cement plant in Meghalaya including handing the plant over to private investors. Chief minister Mukul Sangma refused to rule out the option when asked about the state owned cement plant, according to the Indian Telegraph.
"In the process of trying to turn any public sector undertaking of the government into a profit-making body, the authorities concerned have been asked to consider all options. Let them come up with the options and then the best one will be considered," said Sangma.
The cement plant stopped production in 2014. It has since been dogged by high staff costs. In early June 2016 the Meghalaya government approved a voluntary retirement scheme for 145 of the plant’s 445 employees.
China: Shanshui Cement has regained control over Liaocheng Shanshui, a subsidiary that was illegally occupied by ‘unidentified people’. The local government and police helped the company take back the cement plant and its offices. Normal production has resumed.
During the occupation the offices were ransacked and the official seal and business license of Liaocheng Shanshui were stolen. Shandong Shanshui and Liaocheng Shanshui have announced that, the stolen seal of Liaocheng Shanshui has been invalidated since 16 June 2016.
In a statement the company has confirmed that a corporate dispute is on-going between Shanshui Zhonggong, Shandong Shanshui and Liaocheng Shanshui. It believes that the occupation was related to this. Shanshui Cement has faced financial troubles since a shareholder battle for control of the company took place in late 2015.