September 2024
Uzbekistan to launch two new cement plants in 2016 25 February 2015
Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan is planning to commission two new cement plants in 2016, according to Islom Arslonov, department head at Uzstroymateriali (Uzbek Construction Materials). A 0.4Mt/yr plant is being built by Karakalpak Cement in Karakalpakstan for launch in 2016. A 2.2Mt/yr plant being built by Surkhoncementinvest in Jarkurgan district of Surkhandarya.
Arslonov noted other cement projects that have been built in Uzbekistan recently including a 0.75Mt/yr plant commissioned in Jizzakh in 2014, the Ferghana Cement 0.15Mt/yr plant in Ferghana, the SingLida 0.12Mt/yr plant in Andijan and the Keer 20,000t/yr plants also in Andijan.
Accoridng to Arslonov, eight cement plants are operating in Uzbekistan with a total production capacity of 8.8Mt/yr.
South Africa Competition Commission refers Natal Portland Cement to competition tribunal 25 February 2015
South Africa: The Competition Commission of South Africa has referred Natal Portland Cement (NPC) to the Competition Tribunal. The referral follows the Commission's investigation, between 2008 and 2012, of collusive conduct in the cement cartel against the four main cement producers, NPC, Pretoria Portland Cement Company Limited (PPC), Lafarge Industries South Africa (Lafarge) and AfriSam Consortium (Pty) Ltd (AfriSam).
PPC was granted conditional leniency in terms of the corporate leniency policy of the Commission. AfriSam settled with the Commission and agreed to pay an administrative penalty of US$11.2m representing 3% of its annual turnover in 2010. Lafarge also settled with the Commission and agreed to pay an administrative penalty of US$13m representing 6% of its annual turnover in 2010.
The investigation found that the four cement producers agreed to collude and to divide the cement market by allocating market shares and indirectly fixing the price of cement during a legal cartel in South Africa that ended in 1996. The Competition Commission allege that they subsequently reinforced these collusive arrangements through a series of other agreements, which NPC's representatives were party to, including an agreement to progressively exchange competitively sensitive sales data through the Concrete and Cement Institute of South Africa.
The Commission is pursuing a maximum penalty of 10% of NPC's annual turnover and a Tribunal order that NPC contravened the Competition Act.
Mangalam Cement director Shri K K Mudgil dies 25 February 2015
India: Mangalam Cement has reported that Shri K K Mudgil, a non-executive independent director of the Company died on 20 February 2015 in New Delhi.
Persio Morassutti appointed as director of Shree Digvijay Cement 25 February 2015
India: Shree Digvijay Cement Company has reported that Persio Morassutti has been appointed as a director. He will replaces Osvaldo Ayres Filho following his resignation.
Mykolaiv Cement appoints Andrii Zvyrynskyi as a board member 25 February 2015
Ukraine: Mykolaiv Cement has appointed its commercial director Andrii Zvyrynskyi as a board member. He replaces Ruslan Koliada who occupied the post since September 2013 and has now been dismissed. Zvyrynskyi will hold the position until the recall of his candidacy by the supervisory board or a general stockholders' meeting. Previously he had been the commercial director of Mondy Packaging Behs Ukraine.
Aumund Fördertechnik announces Robert Gruss as new Managing Director 25 February 2015
Germany: Aumund Fördertechnik has announced that Robert Gruss has been appointed as its new Managing Director. He is responsible for sales, service and technology as well as for research and development. He has been in post since 1 November 2014. Gruss will also join Volker Brandenburg on the managing board.
Gruss, aged 49 years, joined Aumund from SMS Siemag AG. He started his professional career with SMS in 1995. For several years he worked in Italy, China and Belgium in managing positions.
During 2015 Aumund's president, Franz-W Aumund, will gradually retire from operational business. He will continue as managing director of Aumund Holding and as member of the advisory boards of the product and daughter companies. Primarily he will dedicate himself to steering and controlling the Aumund Group. Gruss will take over additional responsibilities from the managing Franz-W Aumund.
Europe: Holcim's cement and clinker sales fell by 10.5% in Croatia and by 5.4% in Serbia in 2014. In Croatia, sales prices rose by 0.5%, while in Serbia, they rose by 0.3%. In contrast, Holcim's cement and clinker sales rose by 7.8% in Romania and by 2.4% in Bulgaria. In Romania domestic prices fell by 1.2%, while they rose by 1.1% in Bulgaria.
Ventika wind park in northeast Mexico to open in quarter two of 2016 24 February 2015
Mexico: Cemex expects its Ventika wind power project in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon to start operations between April and June 2016, according to Luis Farias Martinez, vice president of Energy and Sustainability. The construction of the project, which was initiated in the middle of 2014, is about half complete.
The Ventika project, comprised of two 126MW wind farms, is located some 128km from Nuevo Leon's capital city of Monterrey and approximately 56km from the US border. The project requires investments of a total US$650m, which will come from US investment company Fisterra Energy, majority owned by funds managed by Blackstone Group, Cemex and other private investors. The investments are structured as 75% debt and 25% capital investment, of which Cemex has provided 5%.
Martinez, who is also head of the newly-established Cemex Energia, added that the Ventika project, as well as all previous Cemex projects, are fully independent and are not included in Cemex Energia's plans to develop 1000MW renewable power projects in Mexico by 2020 in cooperation with Pattern Energy Group.
Pakistan: Lucky Cement Limited has reported a considerable rise in its net profit for the first six months of its 2015 financial year, which ended on 31 December 2014.
It net profit rose to US$54.9m, some 8.54% higher than in the same period of its 2014 financial year. Lucky Cement's gross profits increased by 9.03% during the period and its net sales revenue improved by 9.37% to US$210m, up from US$192m in its 2014 financial year.
Lucky Cement's local sales volume grew by 9.20% year-on-year to 2.02Mt, compared to 1.85Mt in the same period of its 2014 financial year. Its export sales volume grew by 2.24% to 1.23Mt compared to 1.21Mt in the same six months of its 2014 financial year. Lucky Cement maintained its market share at 19%. During the period, its combined sales revenue increased by 9.37%, which was mainly contributed to by increased sales volumes.
Clean water for Malawi and Bangladesh 24 February 2015
Bangladesh/Malawi: Germany's Loesche has been supporting the non-profit organisation Charity: Water. The first result of the engagement was a water well in Lutarupara-Molliktola, Bangladesh.
After more than a year's preparation, at the end of 2014 an additional well was completed in Chiphwafu village, Malawi. The drilled well allows the village community year-round access to clean drinking water that is free of pathogens and pollutants. Alongside the construction of the well, the people in the village were taught about safe and sustainable ways to use water. Of Malawi's 15.9 million inhabitants, around 3 million have no access to clean water and 92% have no access to sanitation facilities.