September 2024
Cement companies to invest US$18m in NAICM cluster 22 September 2015
Mexico: A group of 20 Mexican cement companies included in the association of independent concrete companies (AMCI) have announced plans to invest US$18m in the installation of a sector cluster to supply concrete for the construction of Mexico City's new international airport (NAICM).
The companies seek to provide 48% of the concrete required for the project and are currently negotiating with the Mexican construction industry chamber (CMIC) in order to obtain the association's support for the initiative. The cluster would encompass the installation of 20 concrete plants with an estimated annual production of 384,000m3. The facilities would be operative while the construction of the terminal lasts, between three and four years.
Independent concrete companies seek to reach a market participation of 80% in Mexico, as big companies like Cementos Cruz Azul, Corporacion Moctezuma and Holcim Mexico sell their non-profitable assets to small and medium sized-enterprises. A total of 50 concrete plants have been taken over by independent firms in 2014 - 2015.
President inaugurates fourth Holcim Village in Akmeemana 22 September 2015
Sri Lanka: The Holcim Village in Akmeemana, Galle, which was constructed by Holcim under its Sustainable Development Project and following its pledge for Livable Communities, has been inaugurated by president Maitripala Sirisena.
The president unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the Holcim Village and distributed deeds to recipients. The village consists of 14 households and is the fourth of its kind. The Galle project was constructed after Holcim's similar projects in Medirigiriya, Eluwankulama and Puttalam and was designed to cater to the needs of the community surrounding the Ruhunu Cement plant.
The CEO of Holcim Lanka, Philippe Richart, said that the newly-established village was proof of the company's commitment to serve surrounding communities and support their needs.
UltraTech Cement commissions grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana 22 September 2015
India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a 1.6Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Jhajjar, Haryana.
Philippines: San Miguel Corporation will invest US$1bn to build five new cement plants in different parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The amount is higher than the earlier announced US$800m due to the addition of three new cement plants to the two previously disclosed facilities.
San Miguel president and COO Ramon Ang said that the five new plants would have a total capacity of 10Mt/yr, 2Mt/yr at each plant. The plants are expected to be operational in 2017. The projects will be undertaken by affiliates Northern Cement and Eagle Cement in Pangasinan, Bulacan, Quezon, Cebu and Davao. San Miguel owns a 35% stake in Northern Cement, while Eagle Cement is privately-owned by Ang.
Ang said that now is a good time to invest in cement because a lot of people are investing in real estate. He added that if ever there were ever oversupply, the market would correct in two to three years. The additional 10Mt/yr capacity would bring San Miguel's cement capacity to roughly 16Mt/yr. Ang said that the cement industry of the Philippines currently has 33Mt/yr of cement capacity, which would increase to 43Mt/yr once San Miguel's new cement plants are in place.
Cement shortages in Argentina blamed on gas shortages 21 September 2015
Argentina: Cement producers are reportedly facing difficulty with gas supplies that are causing cement shortages, according to iProfessional. Local media reports a 70% fall in cement supply in some locations. Shortages are being recorded in Jujuy, Formosa, Misiones, Santa Fe and Chaco.
Ohorongo Cement supplying cement to build St Helena airport 21 September 2015
St Helena/Namibia: Ohorongo Cement has supplied 24,604t of cement towards the construction of the first-ever airport at St Helena island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It will continue to supply cement until the project is finished. The US$419m project is being developed by Basil Read and covers construction of the St Helena Airport and Permanent Wharf. Completion is planned by February 2016, according to local media.
Other projects the Namibian cement producer is supplying include the Husab Mine, Neckertal Dam, Walvis Bay Namport Harbour Project, an acid plant at Tsumeb and construction projects in Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The company enjoys infant industry protection awarded by the Namibian government in 2013 for eight years. It recently announced that the Development Bank of Namibia had increased its stake to 11.72%.
Lafarge Malaysia to buy Holcim Malaysia for US$77.3m 21 September 2015
Malaysia: Lafarge Malaysia plans to buy Holcim Malaysia, for US$77.3m according to a regulatory filing. The acquisition of the subsidiary of Holcim Indonesia, is expected to be completed the fourth quarter of 2015. It will be paid for using internal funds and borrowing. Holcim Indonesia originally bought the unit for US$37m in 2009.
"The acquisition is also expected to deliver synergies through operational efficiencies, including the increase in economies of scale and bargaining power and reduction or elimination of duplicative functions," said a Lafarge Malaysia spokesperson. The acquisition of Holcim Malaysia will increase the cement production capacity of Lafarge Malaysia from 12.95Mt/yr to 14.14Mt/yr.
Italcementi sells minority stake in West China Cement for Euro39m 21 September 2015
China/Italy: Italcementi has sold its 5.24% stake in West China Cement for Euro39m. The price is subject to further adjustment, the group said in an announcement on 18 September 2015. Italcementi has sold the stake through its CimFra Limited subsidiary in China, and said the transaction would have no impact on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) generation capacity at group level.
Van Beek develops new Sample Screw for in-line sampling 18 September 2015
The Netherlands: Screw conveyor specialist Van Beek has developed the Sample Screw in order to allow a representative sample to be taken without halting the production process.
According to Van Beek, the machine is ideal for taking representative product samples from containers, hoppers or in-line (for example, after an outlet or in a discharge pipe). Using a small screw conveyor, a sample of the material is taken safely from the product stream without disrupting the process. Even materials with poor running qualities can be controlled in this way because a screw is used.
The sampler is easy to dismantle for quick and complete cleaning. Samples can be taken of powders, flocks, granules, flakes, pellets and slurries. It can also be used in the dairy, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. The sample size and frequency can be adjusted.
The sampler is driven by an air motor or electric motor with gear unit. Whether this involves bunkers, silos, hoppers or bulk transfer, in most cases few or no adjustments need to be made to the existing system.
UltraTech Cement to expand Maharashtra cement plant 18 September 2015
India: Aditya Birla's UltraTech Cement has got the Environment Ministry's clearance to increase the capacity of its Awarpur plant in Maharasthra, which would entail an investment of US$37.7m.
The company plans to increase its clinker capacity to 4.5Mt/yr from 3.3Mt/yr and to increase its cement capacity from 4.48Mt/yr to 6Mt/yr.
"Based on the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Environment Ministry recommendation, the Environment Ministry granted the final clearance subject to certain conditions. The EC was issued to the company on 11 September 2015," said a senior Environment Ministry official.
The company has been asked to comply with specific conditions like developing green belt over 33% of the total project area, installing air monitoring devices to monitor air emission and continuous stack monitoring of facilities to monitor gaseous emissions, among others. The company has also been asked to earmark at least 5% of the total cost of the project towards enterprise social commitment and prepare a detailed corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan for every five years for the existing expansion project.
UltraTech Cement has informed the Ministry that the proposed expansion will be carried out within the existing plant area. The additional power required for the proposed expansion will be 5.1MW.