September 2024
Dalmia Cement to open Belgaum plant in March 2014 14 August 2013
India: Dalmia Cement has announced details about the 2.5Mt/yr cement plant it is currently building in Belgaum, Karnataka. Mumbai newspaper DNA has reported that the Indian cement producer predicts that the plant will create over 1000 jobs when it opens in March 2014. Dalmia has invested over US$210m on the project.
"Though we have had a good presence in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Karnataka has not been a great market for us so far. We have to address this state seriously by ramping up our presence here," said chief executive officer of Dalmia Cement, Vipin Agarwal. He added that the Indian cement producer intends to become one of the top three producers in the state. Currently, the top three cement producers in Karnataka are UltraTech, Zuari and ACC. The company's market share through sales is about 5% from Karnataka, compared to about 14% each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Dalmia has three other cement plants in southern India, including two in Tamil Nadu (Dalmiapuram and Ariyalur) and one in Andhra Pradesh in Kadapa.
Votorantim cancels IPO plans due to market conditions 14 August 2013
Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has cancelled a US$4.8bn initial public offering (IPO) due to poor market conditions. According to Dow Jones, the leading Brazilian cement producer had initially delayed its IPO in July 2013 to September 2013.
"The IPO continues to be the company's plan and we will continue to monitor the evolution of the capital market conditions to be able to resume the offer," said chief financial officer Lorival Luz.
Suez Cement profit soars by 46% to US$56m despite market uncertainty in first half of 2013 14 August 2013
Egypt: Suez Cement Company has reported that its consolidated revenue rose by 7% year-on-year to US$368m in the first half of 2013 from US$343m in the same period in 2012. Despite continued energy-supply uncertainties and increased energy prices, the Italcementi subsidiary managed to increase its profits by controlling and improve costs and improving manufacturing efficiency.
Suez Cement's recurring earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 15% year-on-year to US$93.3m from US$81.3m. Net profit rose by 46% to US$55.7m form US$38.0m.
For the second quarter of 2013 Suez Cement's revenue rose by 11% to US$186m from US$168m. EBITDA rose by 18% to US$45.1m from US$38.3m. Net profit rose by 19% to US$20.2m from US$24.0m.
In its outlook, Suez Cement issued caution over ongoing market uncertainty in the second half of 2013. If the country stabilises politically the cement producer expects cement demand to improve as public and private construction spending resumes. Given growing supply shortages for energy, Suez Cement will continue to focus on industrial and environmental efficiency and postpone any capacity expansion projects.
China: China Resources has reported that its net profit rose by 80.4% year-on-year to US$148m for the first half of 2013. The major Chinese cement producer's revenue rose by 16.5% to US$1.66bn. Gross profit rose by 29% to US$383m.
China Resources expects that its cement production capacity will reach 76.5Mt/yr by the end of 2013. Clinker production capacity is expected to reach 51.8Mt/yr.
Itacamba to build 0.85Mt/yr cement plant in Bolivia 14 August 2013
Bolivia: Itacamba Cement intends to build a 0.85Mt/yr cement plant costing US$180m at Yacuses near Puerto Suarez, Santa Cruz. According to Bolivian local media, the project will start once President Evo Morales approves state-owned oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos to install a gas line. Itacamba intends the new cement plant to reduce its reliance on imported clinker from Brazil.
Currently based in the Santa Cruz region of Bolivia and established in 1991, Itacamba operates a cement grinding plant. It is majority owned by Votorantim (66%) and other entities including Bolivia's Tumpar Group. The new plant is expected to create 540 jobs when it is opened.
Australia: Cement Australia and Cement Australia (Kandos) (CA Kandos) have been fined a total of US$172,843 for the death of Colin David Fuller at the Kandos cement plant in 2009. Fuller was fatally injured when he was crushed between two hydraulic rams while working at the factory on 13 September 2009, according to the Mudgee Guardian.
The North South Wales (NSW) Industrial Relations Commission found that CA Kandos and Cement Australia had breached the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000, by failing to install fixed guarding along the entire length of a feeder and conveyor system as required by Australian safety standards and failing to provide adequate supervision and instruction to Fuller. In the judgement Commissioner J Backman found that the systems in place at the time of Fuller's death were comprehensive but defective in a number of respects.
Taiheiyo sales rise by 12% to US$1.91bn in Q1 2013 14 August 2013
Japan: Taiheiyo's sales revenue rose by 12% year-on-year to US$1.91bn for the first quarter of the 2012 - 2013 Japanese financial year that ended on 30 June 2013. In the quarter ending on 31 March 2012 it was US$1.70bn. The Japanese cement producer attributed the increase to rebuilding following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, increased private sector construction investment in urban areas and favourable policies by the Japanese government.
The company returned to a net profit, making US$20.8m from a loss of US$54.8m in the same period as the prior year. For Taiheiyo's cement business sales of cement to external customers rose by 10% to US$1.20bn from US$1.09bn.
Yovon cement plant set for August 2013 opening 14 August 2013
Tajikistan: A new 1Mt/yr cement plant in the Yovon district, Khatlon province is expected to start operation in late August 2013, according to the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MoEI). The US$100m project has been built by the Tajikistan-China joint venture Huaxin Gayur Cement.
"The construction of the plant has practically been completed and it just remains to complete the commissioning process," said an official source at a MoEI. It added that the plant will create 1000 new jobs. The Yovon cement plant will be powered by coal which will be delivered to the plant from the Fon-Yaghnob and Ziddi coalfields.
Huaxin Gayur Cement was established by Huaxin Zhongya Investment (Wuhan), a subsidiary of Huaxin Cement, and Gayur Limited Liability Company. Huaxin Zhongya Investment (Wuhan) holds 75% of the ownership and Gayur holds the remaining 25%.
According to the data from the MoEI, eight cement plants with a total cement production capacity of 1.5Mt/yr now operate in Tajikistan. Tajikistan's largest cement plant is OJSC Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant) with rated capacity of 1.1Mt/yr. However, this plant has not been in operation since January 2013 due to a lack of natural gas. Tajikistan's annual requirements in cement have sharply increased in connection with construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant, highways and other national infrastructure projects.
Star Cement starts river exports to Bangladesh 14 August 2013
Bangladesh/India: India's Star Cement has started exporting clinker to Bangladesh by river. According to a report by the Times of India, the cement producer aims to export over 50,000t/month of clinker to Bangladesh by this route.
"Exporting clinker to Bangladesh by the river will give an edge to the company to encounter the stiff competition it is likely to face from manufacturers of Southeast Asian countries, all of whom cater to 99% clinker requirement of this country," said a Star Cement official.
In a pilot project in 2012 Star Cement had started clinker exports to Bangladesh by road. The company has deals with several leading cement producers in Bangladesh to meet their clinker requirements and is planning more.
Ethiopia overestimates cement demand in 2012 - 2013 13 August 2013
Ethiopia: Ethiopia has produced 12Mt of cement, double its domestic demand, in the fiscal year that ended on 7 July 2013, according to a report released by Ministry of Industry (MoI). The country's current domestic demand for cement is estimated to be around 5.4Mt/yr.
The government expected a significant rise in cement demand in its Growth & Transformation Plan (GTP) that plans for per capita consumption of cement to increase from 35kg to 300kg. It had predicted that the demand would grow to 27Mt/yr, exceeding the 12Mt/yr cement production capacity of the country's 18 plants in the 2014 – 2015 fiscal year.