September 2024
Thailand: German steel and engineering group ThyssenKrupp has won a Euro150m contract to build a cement plant in Saraburi near Bangkok for TPI Polene. The plant will have a cement production capacity of 10,000t/day and is scheduled to start production in 2015.
"With domestic cement demand expected to reach 45Mt/yr by 2015, Thailand is an important market and production location in Southeast Asia," commented ThyssenKrupp.
Lafarge Jordan cement plant protest escalates 30 May 2013
Jordan: Local residents are protesting against the use of coal at Lafarge's Rashadiyeh cement plant in Jordan. Despite an agreement being reached on 27 May 2013 between the protesters and Tafileh Governor Hashem Suheim, the protesters blockaded the plant, leading police to intervene with tear gas.
According to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, protestors have demanded that an alternative fuel be used to operate the Rashadiyeh cement plant, as the coal or petcoke used has a serious impact on the health of workers and the surrounding environment.
The Rashadiyeh cement factory was established in 1983 by the Southern Cement Company. In 1985 this was merged with the Jordan Cement Factories Company, which was subsequently privatised and bought by Lafarge.
Arabian Cement Company asks Egyptian government to help producers switch to coal and alternative fuels 30 May 2013
Egypt: Jose Maria Magrina, chief executive officer of Arabian Cement Company (ACC), has asked the Egyptian government to help cement producers move to using coal and alternative fuels. In an announcement Magrina explained that ACC is ready to substitute all the natural gas used at its 5Mt/yr cement plant in Ain Sokhna to coal and refuse derived fuel (RDF) and had applied for the necessary government permits to do so on 14 March 2013. However until late May 2013 no answer had been received from the government.
"The investment needed to substitute natural gas or mazot (heavy duty fuel oil) with coal ranges from US$6-8m/Mt, while converting to RDF costs around US$8-12m/Mt. However for private companies to be encouraged to commit to such a huge investment, the government should look into incentivising this initiative by putting together a solid policy that includes governmental support," commented Magrina.
Magrina added that the government should remove the operating license fee imposed on new companies, as this was intended to cover the cost of subsidised natural gas, and that it should be granted an environmental permit. ACC is still waiting for the permit to use coal, which will replace 70% of its gas supply. Once the company is granted the permit, it will be ready to make the conversion by the fourth quarter of 2013.
Since February 2013, energy shortages have caused the cement industry in Egypt a loss of 20% (3.7Mt) in production capacity, while ACC has lost 25% (350,000t) of its cement production capacity in the same period. Losses of over 50% are expected during the summer of 2013. Until late 2010, the Egyptian government encouraged cement producers to switch to using natural gas. However, the current energy crisis has seen the government promote the use of coal and alternative fuels instead.
Pouring into the Philippines cement industry 29 May 2013
Three stories this week from the Philippines build a complex picture of a booming cement industry. San Miguel purchased a 25% stake in Northern Cement, Lafarge Republic announced its capital expenditure budget for 2013 and the country's on-going price probe reported on its progress.
San Miguel's entry into the market should raise the most interest since its president stated that the company intends to spend US$750m on the construction of three cement plants. Each plant will have a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr with construction timed to start in 2013 and finish by the end of 2015.
This level of investment, if it happens, surpasses the last major build announcement in the Philippines. In May 2013 Holcim released details of a US$550m plant in Bulacan with a capacity of 2.5Mt/yr. Some indication of the viability of San Miguel's plans may be gleaned from the comparative costs of the projects. San Miguel's plans will cost US$125/t of installed capacity, less than half of Holcim's US$220/t. Possible reasons for this difference may lie in San Miguel releasing the wrong figures or a reliance on lower build quality. However San Miguel's sheer size - its net income was US$2.25bn in 2011 - may itself herald the start of a major player in the domestic cement industry.
Meanwhile the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has continued to investigate why the price of cement has risen since 2012. Currently prices are about 5% above the suggested retail price for cement. Cement producers blamed the increases on a higher cost of coal.
The Philippines is currently experiencing massive cement sales increases. In 2012 sales rose by 17.5% to 18.4Mt from 15.6Mt in 2011. With a total capacity of 21Mt/yr and a capacity utilisation rate of 85% in 2012, this growth looks set to continue in 2013, as confirmed by more rises in sales in the first quarter.
Power Cement announces new directors 29 May 2013
Pakistan: Power Cement, formerly Al Abbas Cement Industries, has released the names of its directors for the period to 2016. Kashif Habib, Samad Habib, Muhammad Ejaz, Nasim Beg, Syed Salman Rasheed, M Yousuf Adil and Muhammad Yahya Khan are all set to be elected unopposed at the company's extraordinary general meeting to be held on 4 June 2013 in Karachi.
Indonesia: PT Semen Baturaja is seeking to raise up to US$163m in an initial public offering (IPO) in June 2013, officials have said. It will use the proceeds to increase its cement production capacity to 2Mt/yr.
The state-owned cement producer plans to sell 2.34bn shares, equivalent to 23.8% of the company after the issuing. It will sell the shares in an indicative price range of US$0.05–0.07 each, according to State Enterprises Ministry strategic planning deputy Wahyu Hidayat.
"We're targeting production to reach 2Mt this year from 1.2Mt in 2012. We will invest about US$270m in a new 1.85Mt/yr plant. We aim to start operation of the additional capacity in the fourth quarter of 2016," said chief executive Pamudji Raharjo. The offering is scheduled for between 20 June 2013 and 24 June 2013.
Tanzania: Dangote Cement has started construction of a US$500m cement plant in Mtwara, Tanzania. The 3Mt/yr plant is expected to be completed by March 2015. Company president Aliko Dangote said commencement of the Tanzania plant is part of the strategy of the group's strategy to increase its cement production capacity to at least 29Mt/yr by 2015.
"Our investment in this sector, which is outside the traditional mining sector, is to take advantage of the abundance of limestone in the country and work towards making Tanzania self-sufficient in cement production. We must commend the government and people of Tanzania for recent public sector and banking reforms as well as revamped and new legislative frameworks, which have spurred private sector-driven investment," said Dangote.
Lafarge prepares US$47m expansion in 2013 29 May 2013
Philippines: Lafarge Republic has set aside US$47m for capital expenditure in the Philippines in 2013 to increase cement production capacity to meet demand. President Renato Sunico made the announcement at the company's annual stockholders' meeting in response to a profit of US$23.6m in the first quarter of 2013, a 35% increase year-on-year from US$17.5m in 2012. He added that the industry expects total demand for cement to increase by 6 to 8% in 2013.
Lafarge Republic is increasing its capital expenditure for a new mill at its plant located in Teresa, Rizal which will have a capacity to produce 850,000t/yr from 2015 onwards. It is also automating the processes of some of its plants, including that in Norzagaray, Bulacan. Sunico added that various productivity improvement projects are also expected to deliver additional capacity to supply the rising cement consumption. He noted that the company is planning to add an additional 2.3Mt/yr in cement milling capacity by 2015 to its current capacity of 6Mt/yr.
"We are predominantly strong in Luzon because all our four plants are here. We wanted a national footprint so we are moving to Davao, Iloilo, Batangas and mostly to Cagayan," said Sunico. He added the company is relying on the growth of high-rise real estate projects, increasing remittances of overseas Filipino workers and increases in the call centre industry to boost cement demand.
In 2012 Lafarge Republic spent US$35.3m on improvements at its cement plant in Danao City, for its Iligan City pre-heater project and the construction of the feeding system for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) at its Bulacan plant.
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked cement producers in the Philippines to justify recent price hikes that led prices to exceed the suggested levels set by the agency.
Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C Maglaya said the three largest cement firms in the country - Holcim Philippines, Lafarge Republic, Cemex Philippines - have started submitting documents to support adjustments in their prices. Eagle Cement is set to meet with DTI and Board of Investment (BOI) officials to explain its pricing scheme. Maglaya said one of the large cement manufacturers had made a submission but had yet to complete all requested data due to 'antitrust issues', referring to laws addressing anti-competitive behavior among corporations.
In April 2013, Maglaya said that cement companies had increased their prices due to the higher cost of coal, a raw material that accounted for about 25% of the cement industry's manufacturing costs. Holcim reportedly raised its price by 11%, Lafarge by 7%, Cemex by 15% and Eagle Cement by 5%.
In 2012, the Cement Manufacturers' Association of the Philippines (Cemap) reported record-high sales of 18.4Mt, up by 17.5% from 15.6Mt in 2011. This was due to the boom in public and private construction projects. In the fourth quarter of 2012, 4.4Mt of cement were sold compared to 4Mt in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Cimpor Q1 results benefit from asset swap 29 May 2013
Portugal: Cimpor has seen its turnover and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grow in the first quarter of 2013, due to the assets brought in from an asset swap with InterCement.
Turnover grew by 22% to Euro636m from the same quarter in 2012. EBITDA rose by 15.2% to Euro147m from Euro128m. The Portugal-based cement producer gained new operations in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay from the asset swap while it lost assets in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, China and Peru.
Total cement and clinker sales increased by 5.9% to 6.4Mt from 6.1Mt. However, operations that remained with Cimpor suffered a 4.6% drop in sales due to continued demand retraction in Portugal and increased competition from imports in South Africa.