September 2024
Meesak appointed to new VP Human Resources role at FLSmidth 27 August 2013
Denmark: Cement plant manufacturer FLSmidth has announced that Virve Elisabeth Meesak has been appointed to a newly created position in Group Executive Management as Group Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources. She will take up her new position on 1 September 2013. The new role has been created in an effort to effectively strengthen the FLSmidth Group's competitiveness by focusing more on strategic human resource management.
Meesak, 53, is a Swedish citizen and has been an independent Human Resource consultant specialised in change management, leadership training and executive coaching since 2010. Between 2008 and 2010 she was Human Resource Director for Alstom Power Services (North East Europe) and from 2005 to 2008 she held the position of Vice President (Human Resources) at Sandvik Mining and Construction AB. Prior to 2005 Meesak had a number of other vice president roles.
FLSmidth orders down in first half of 2013 27 August 2013
Denmark: The Danish cement plant manufacturer FLSmidth has announced that its total order intake fell by 22% to Euro1.43bn in the first half of 2013 from Euro1.83bn in the first half of 2012. However, its revenue increased by 16% to Euro1.62bn from Euro1.41bn.
Earnings before amortisation and impairment of intangible assets (EBITA) decreased by 45% to US$72.5m from Euro131.9m in the first half of 2012. FLSmidth's profit decreased by 62% to Euro23.7m from Euro62.2m in the first half of 2012.
Looking towards the rest of 2013, FLSmidth said that, over its entire operations (which now includes recent acqusition Cembrit), it expects consolidated revenue of Euro3.5 - 3.75bn. The launch of an efficiency programme is expected to create a sustainable EBITA improvement of Euro100m with full-year effect from 2015.
Boral hampered by construction union action 27 August 2013
Australia: Cement maker Boral is claiming that Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) officials in Victoria have defied court orders and are blocking it from accessing sites in an attempt to pressure it not to deal with construction firm Grocon. The CFMEU is in a bitter legal dispute with Grocon over its blockade at a different site in 2012.
Boral says that members of the CFMEU parked their cars across the entrance to the Regional Rail Link site in Footscray, near Melbourne, Victoria, stopping the company from making deliveries. In a letter to staff on 22 August 2013, Boral manager Paul Dalton said that the union had 'banned' Boral from accessing sites because it supplied Grocon.
Dalton said that the blocking of delivery trucks by the CFMEU had increased, saying, "At present, we have no fewer than three injunctions from the Supreme Court in Victoria ordering the CFMEU to stop unlawfully interfering in our business."
Azerbaijan takes more Georgian cement in first half of 2013 27 August 2013
Azerbaijan/Georgia: A total of 249,770t of cement, worth US$18.5m, was exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan in the first half of 2013, according to a report by the National Statistical Service of Georgia. For comparison, in January to June 2012 196,080t of cement worth US$14.4m was exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan.
Kesoram setting up new grinding plant 27 August 2013
India: Kesoram Industries, a BK Birla Group company, has committed US$38.7m towards setting up a grinding unit at Sholapur, Maharashtra.
The first phase of the new 1.5Mt/yr grinding unit would be completed in the next 20 months, according to Kesoram's CEO Arvind Kumar Singh. When completed, the plant will be its first standalone grinding unit outside its main production bases in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
India: The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has ordered closure of India Cements Limited (ICL) factory at Yerraguntla and initiated action against four more cement plants in the state's Kadapa district, for non-compliance of its directions and standards and causing severe air pollution in surrounding areas.
The APPCB said that it issued closure orders in the interest of protecting public health and the environment, in accordance with a decision taken at a hearing conducted by the APPCB on 5 August 2013. The electricity authorities were directed to disconnect the ICL factory from the grid.
The ICL factory closure was ordered due to: non-compliance with regard to upgrade requirements to its electrostatic precipitators (ESP); failing to meet emissions standards; storing limestone in an open area, leading to excessive dust in nearby public roads and villages; not disposing solid waste correctly; inadequate water sprinkling systems.
Along with the ICL plant, Kadapa district officials investigated the district's four other cement plants. These are an ICL plant at Chilamakul, Zuari Cements at Yerraguntla, Bharti Cements at Kamalapuram and Dalmia Cements at Mylavaram. Bharti Cements must provide an automatic water sprinkling system along its roads to minimise dust emissions by 23 September 2013. The APPCB issued warnings to Zuari and Dalmia to conform to regulatory standards.
East African cement firms to benefit from construction boom 27 August 2013
Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda: Cement makers in east Africa are set to get a major lift from an expected surge in demand driven by double-digit growth of the construction sector in the region, according to stockbrokerage firm Kestrel Capital.
Kestrel's analysts say that the construction sector is likely to outpace economic growth, expanding by up to 13%/yr compared to expected GDP growth of 6.0%/yr, 5.5%/yr and 7.0%/yr in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania respectively.
The growth is expected to boost sales for regional cement makers and reverse the fortunes of Kenya's East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC), the performance of which has been damaged by management wrangles at the company.
CCNN to raise US$280m for new line 27 August 2013
Nigeria: The Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) has disclosed plans to raise US$280m for the establishment of a new 1Mt/yr cement production line.
According to the chairman of CCNN, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, the board of the company is now ready to implement the resolution passed at the 32nd AGM (in 2011) that authorised it to raise the necessary funds.
To help the expansion, the investment includes new coal grinding mill and accessories to help it produce more electricity. CCNN currently produces 90% of its required electrical energy requirements due to high prices and unreliable national network provision. The chairman added that the company had previously implemented an alternative fuel strategy by using rice husks. This has already cut its production costs by 15%.
CCNN made a net profit of US$7.4m in the year to 31 December 2012. This was down by nearly 50% compared to the US$14.2m that it made in the year to 31 December 2011.
Eurocement to invest heavily in Ryazan plant 27 August 2013
Russia: Eurocement Group has announced that it will invest Euro203.9m on the upgrade of its affiliate company Mikhailovskcement, which is located in the Ryazan Region in the west of Russia.
Eurocement said that the upgrade will see the plant's capacity rise to 3.6Mt/yr from 1.9Mt/yr via the addition of a new dry-process cement kiln line. The plant currently has four wet process kilns. A time-scale for completion of the upgrade was not given.
Çimsa’s operating profit up by 13% 23 August 2013
Turkey: Çimsa Çimento has announced that its consolidated net profit surged to Euro82m in the first half of 2013 from just Euro18.5m in the first half of 2013, a rise of 343% year-on-year. Its first-half performance was mainly driven by income from investment activities of Euro53.9m compared to just Euro3.4m a year earlier.
Çimsa's operating profit rose by 13% to Euro26.8m in the six months to 30 June 213 as revenue increased by 18% to Euro176.7m. Its first-half domestic sales rose by 22% to Euro125.9m, while sales abroad were up by 9.0% to Euro50.8m.
The company's second-quarter consolidated net profit jumped to Euro72.8m from Euro15.7m, in the second quarter of 2012. This represents a rise of 363%. Second-quarter revenue increased by 5.7% year-on-year to Euro105.2m.