September 2024
Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement revenue has fallen by 20% year-on-year to US$93.6m in 2015 from US$117m in 2014. However, its cement sales volumes rose by 2% to 1.64Mt from 1.61Mt. The company reported that its 2015 results were adversely affected by a devaluation of the Kazakhstan Tenge and the US Dollar. It also noted a net loss of US$3.4m in 2015 due to a foreign exchange loss of US$16.4m.
The cement producer expects that market demand in the country for cement will be stable or decrease slightly in 2016. This will depend on government investment plans and the general economy. It also hopes to regain its market share of 19% after falling to 17% in 2015.
Australia: Martin Brydon, the chief executive officer of Adelaide Brighton, has said that the company’s cement and clinker sales volumes in 2016 will be similar or slightly lower than in 2015. He made the comments at the building materials company’s annual general meeting.
Cement and clinker markets were reported to be stronger in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland; and weaker in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Adelaide Brighton’s cement sales are expected to improve in east coast markets. Cement sales generated 47% of Adelaide Brighton's revenue in 2015.
Adelaide Brighton has raised prices across all products in 2016 due to strong demand and raised costs of imports due to a weaker Australian dollar.
Philippines: Seasia Nectar Port Services has started commercial operations at Mariveles Dry Bulk Terminal in Bataan. Seasia chairman Ramon Atayde said the new facility would optimise the operations of dry bulk handling, according to the Manila Standard. The terminal is intended to handle shipments of clinker, coal, silica sand, other raw materials for cement and other dry bulk cargoes.
The company started the development of the 11.4 hectare port in 2015, including the development of a 5.9 hectare port facility with a 247m quay equipped with a 13.5m draft under the first phase. The initial phase of the project will accommodate two vessels of 120m or one supramax/panama vessel. It is designed to handle at least 3Mt/yr. The second and third phases will expand the dry bulk terminal to accommodate another two vessels or one supramax/panama vessel. Seasia is a joint venture company between Seasia Logistic Philippines and Nectar Group.
India: Ambuja Cement has completed a 0.9Mt/yr capacity upgrade at its Sankrail grinding plant in West Bengal. The US$50m upgrade was commissioned on 24 May 2016. The cement grinding plant has increased its production capacity to 2.4Mt/yr from 1.5Mt/yr. The upgrade was originally announced in late 2012.
Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has appointed Michel Puchercos as its new group Managing Director and chief executive officer. He assumed his post on 1 April 2016. He replaces Peter Hoddinott.
Puchercos, a French national, started his career in 1982 at the French Ministry of Agriculture before working at other companies in the biochemistry and food industry. He joined Lafarge as Head, Strategy and Purchasing in Orsan, Lafarge Biochemistry, and in 1998 became Director of Cement Strategy and Information Systems, Lafarge Gypsum. Puchercos became the Director of Cement strategy, Lafarge Group in France in 2003 before becoming the CEO for Lafarge operations in Kenya and Uganda in 2005. He then became the CEO of Lafarge South Korea in 2009.
Puchercos is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique, and the National School of Rural Engineering, Waterways & Forests, France.
Switzerland: LafargeHolcim has appointed Caroline Luscombe as the group’s new Head of Organisation and Human Resources and member of the Executive Committee. Her role starts from 1 July 2016 and she will be based in Zurich. She succeeds Jean-Jacques Gauthier.
Luscombe joins LafargeHolcim from Syngenta where she has been Head of Human Resources since January 2010 and a member of the Executive Committee since 2012. Prior to joining Syngenta, Luscombe held senior human resource roles in the financial and healthcare businesses of the GE Group, and in the speciality chemical company, Laporte.
Having led the human resource integration between Lafarge and Holcim, Jean-Jacques Gauthier will be appointed as the Country Chief Executive Officer in Algeria from 1 September 2016. On taking up his new role, Jean-Jacques will relinquish his position on the Executive Committee.
Lafarge Malaysia’s profit plunges 72% 24 May 2016
Malaysia: Lafarge Malaysia, part of LafargeHolcim, saw its net profit fall by nearly 72% to US$5m in the first quarter of 2016, from US$17.9m in the same period a year earlier. It reported lower contributions from its cement segment, following prolonged price competition. The one-off costs of integrating Holcim Malaysia within the company also affected earnings. Lafarge Malaysia’s quarterly revenue slipped by 3.8% to US$162m from US$168.8m in the first quarter of 2015.
LafargeHolcim opens new Barroso line in Brazil 24 May 2016
Brazil: LafargeHolcim will strengthen its cement production network in Latin America today, with the opening of a new cement line at its cement plant in Barroso, Brazil. The group says that the construction of the new line at the existing Barroso site is part of the group’s strategy to reduce the cost per tonne of its cement, while improving quality and efficiency, in order to operate profitably in a low investment environment.
The new line in Barroso, which LafargeHolcim claims to be the most modern in Brazil, will increase operational efficiency and cost competitiveness based on its state-of-the-art technology. Equipment includes the world's largest vertical cement mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer and an FCB Horomill for raw materials. The plant’s total capacity will rise to 3.6Mt/yr and the new line will allow the total cost per tonne of cement to fall by around 25% from 2014 to 2017.
Eric Olsen, CEO of LafargeHolcim, said, “The opening of Barroso is key to our strategy in Brazil and will allow us to further improve our cost structure while we continue to supply our customers with our high-quality solutions.”
Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission appeals court judgement on accessing CRH files 23 May 2016
Ireland: The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has appealed against a High Court judgment preventing the CCPC from accessing or reviewing certain electronic documents seized by the CCPC during a search conducted in May 2015.
The High Court judgment arose from a court action taken by CRH against the CCPC following the seizure of hard copy and electronic documents by the CCPC during an unannounced search at the premises of CRH’s subsidiary, Irish Cement, on 14 May 2015. The search related to an investigation by the CCPC into alleged anti-competitive conduct in the bagged cement sector. The orders made by the High Court prevent the CCPC from accessing or reviewing material in the mailbox of Seamus Lynch, a director of Irish Cement, unless the CCPC and CRH agree to appoint an independent third party to ‘sift’ the seized documents for material relevant to the investigation.
The CCPC’s investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Irish Cement in the supply of bagged cement continues.
Iraq to remove ban on Iranian cement import 23 May 2016
Iraq: Iraq intends to remove a ban on import of Iranian cement according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, the secretary of Iran's Cement Industry Employers Association. In comments reported by the Fars News Agency, Sheikhan said that Iranian and Iraqi officials had held several meetings on the issue.
He added that Iraq had banned cement imports due to security problems in the country and the falling oil price. Iraq’s cement demand is currently met by its own domestic production. Previously, Iraq took 60% of Iran’s exports of cement. However, in the last year Iraq increased its import tax on Iranian cement to US$13/t from US$4/t.