September 2024
FLSmidth signs Euro200m contract to supply cement plant in Algeria 09 February 2016
Algeria/Denmark: FLSmidth has signed a Euro200m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with SARL Amouda Engineering for the supply of a greenfield cement plant. The plant will be located in El Beida, Laghouat.
The order includes engineering, equipment supplies, construction, commissioning and training. Once completed, the cement plant will have a capacity of 6000t/day.
"EPC solutions are increasingly requested by the industry and we are very happy that SARL Amouda Engineering chose FLSmidth as the preferred supplier based on a very close collaboration and our extensive knowledge of the region,” said Group Executive Vice President of the Cement Division Per Mejnert Kristensen.
Production resumes at JK Cement plant in Baglakot 09 February 2016
India: Production has resumed at the 3Mt/yr JK Cement plant in Baglakot, Karnataka. It was temporality stopped following the sudden caving-in of the clinker silo roof in January 2016.
"Production of clinker and cement has resumed with operation of the kiln by making an alternate arrangement using two belts conveyors for feeding the clinker directly to the cement mill," said the company in a statement.
While production was suspended the company has been supplying the market using supplies at its depots. Normal levels of production are expected to be achieved by late February 2016. The clinker silo is expected to be repaired within six months.
Cementos Argos launches CO2 capturing concrete in Atlanta 09 February 2016
US: Cementos Argos has started incorporating and capturing recycled carbon dioxide (CO2) in several of the concrete mixtures it produces at its US plants, specifically the ones in Atlanta, Georgia. The CO2 is collected, stored and taken to the plant by the Canadian company CarbonCure, which developed the batching technology. The gas chemically reacts with the calcium hydroxide and the water of the concrete, making insoluble calcium carbonate.
“We are extremely proud of being the first company in the United States to be able to offer its customers a product with CO2-capturing and incorporating properties. This concrete, even when demolished, never releases the CO2 contained within its structure, allowing us to close the gas’ cycle and contribute to making the construction sector more and more sustainable and eco-friendly,” said Jorge Mario Velásquez, CEO of Cementos Argos.
Holcim Mexico launches updated version of Holcim Fuerte 09 February 2016
Mexico: Holcim Mexico has launched an updated version of Holcim Fuerte, a cement product aimed at the self-construction and housing sector. It is being advertised as providing better performance and savings of up to 30% per cubic meter placed. More than US$7m has been spent on developing the product including two years of laboratory studies and field trials. A national multi-channel advertising campaign in Mexico has been launched to raise awareness of the product.
LafargeHolcim receives revised approval from Competition Commission of India for sale of Lafarge India 09 February 2016
India: LafargeHolcim has received a revised order from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the sale of its stake in Lafarge India. This includes three cement plants and two grinding stations with a total capacity of around 11Mt/yr. The company also markets aggregates and is one of India’s leading ready-mix concrete manufacturers. The proposed transaction is an alternate remedy for the merger of the Group’s legacy companies and now forms part of the company’s Euro3.18bn divestment target in 2016.
“We will operate in India through our subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cements with a combined cement capacity of around 63Mt and a distribution network that extends across the entire country. We see opportunities to further build our business in India through our network of over 100,000 dealers and retailers, and by meeting the infrastructure needs of a country that is experiencing significant urbanization,” said Eric Olsen, CEO of LafargeHolcim.
The conditional clearance by the CCI for an earlier divestment proposal was received in April 2015, including the divestment of Jojobera and Sonadih plants in Eastern India with a cement capacity of 5.1Mt. LafargeHolcim subsequently entered into a letter agreement with Birla Corporation Limited, subject to CCI approval, in August 2015. However, due to the current regulatory issues relating to the transfer of captive mining rights and critical to the two plants, LafargeHolcim was obliged to submit an alternate remedy to the CCI to ensure compliance with the order.
As a result, LafargeHolcim will now launch a new divestment process for Lafarge India.
Sberbank sells 6.12% LafargeHolcim stake 08 February 2016
Russia: Sberbank has sold a 6.12% block of shares in LafargeHolcim Limited it received under a repo deal with Eurocement. The shares have been sold to a group of investors from the UK, Switzerland, the US and other countries. Sberbank's stake, amounting to 37,172,910 votes, was worth roughly Euro1.5bn based on LafargeHolcim share quotations on the Zurich exchange. Sberbank CIB said in a press release previously that the deal was organised to provide financing for Eurocement Holding.
LafargeHolcim workers at Saint-Constant cement plant go on strike 08 February 2016
Canada: LafargeHolcim cement plant workers at Saint-Constant went on strike on 6 February 2016, according to CJAD radio. A collective agreement for 68 workers at the plant, members of the United Steelworkers union, expired in September 2015. No new contract has been agreed after nine negotiation meetings. The principal disagreement concerns a change to the workers' pension plan.
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Cement Company has decided to temporarily stop producing clinker on one of its production lines and postpone replacing three cement mills due to poor market conditions and a cement export ban. The company will stop its 3500t/day clinker kiln 6 until market conditions improve. The stoppage is not expected to affect the cement producer's financial results as its inventory currently stands at 4Mt. A plan to replace three 360t/hr cement mills with two 440t/hr mills has also been delayed due to market conditions. The upgrade was expected to add 0.6Mt/yr cement grinding capacity to the plant.
Dangote to build two new Nigerian plants 08 February 2016
Nigeria: Dangote Cement has announced that it will build new cement plants in Nigeria, in Okpella in the northern part of Edo State and Itori in Ogun State. Dangote said that the new plants are expected to add 9Mt/yr to the company’s current output of 29.25Mt/yr, raising it to a total 38.25Mt/yr.
The Group’s Managing Director Edwin Devakumar, made the announcement in Lagos. He explained that the Okpella plant will have one 3Mt/yr cement line and that the Itori plant will deliver 6Mt/yr from two production lines. Both plants are expected to come on stream within the next three years.
Devakumar said the company’s expansion drive was targeted at expanding its nationwide presence and reducing the transportation cost component of its operations. He added that the new investments will also lower the cost of production, bring about a future reduction in the price of cement and generate employment opportunities in the host communities.
Group Managing Director for Cement Onne van der Weijde said the demand for cement was still high considering the population growth in Nigeria. He observed that Nigeria’s consumption of cement, at 100kg/capita was relatively low by international standards, indicating growth potential.
Van der Weijde added that Dangote Cement can supply the entire western and central Africa region. Dangote Cement currently exports cement to Niger, Ghana and Togo, with plans to also move into the Ivory Coast.
Pakistan cement exports in decline since July 2015 05 February 2016
Pakistan: Data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) show that exports have been in decline since July 2015. Exports declined by 24% year-on-year to 3.4Mt in the seven month period between July 2015 and January 2016 compared to 4.5Mt in the same period in the previous year. However, domestic cement consumption has risen in the same period, according to local press.
"A substantial reduction in the exports has drastically affected foreign exchange earnings of the country and cement makers are finding it difficult to maintain their existence in export markets because of high costs of business in Pakistan and the absence of export incentives," said an APCMA spokesman.
Cement despatches between July 2015 and January 2016 increased by 6.4% year-on-year to about 21Mt compared to about 20Mt previously. Cement plants sales volumes in the north of the country grew by 14% year-on-year to 14.8Mt from 13Mt. These producers saw exports fall by 22.4% to 2.2Mt from 2.8Mt. Cement plant sales volumes in the south grew by 23% year-on-year to 3Mt from 2.5Mt. These producers saw exports fall by 29.2% to 29.2% from 1.8Mt.
The APCMA recommended that the government should impose an additional 20% duty for cement imports alongside the existing customs duty to protect the local cement industry. It added that taxes on energy inputs such as a gas and coal should be reduced and measures put in place to make exports more competitive.