September 2024
Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has appointed Ernesto Julián Benítez Petters as president. In his inauguration speech, he expressed his intention to continue the work of his predecessor for the company as a pillar of the Paraguayan economy.
Siam City Cement approves Benjamin Birks for board of directors 25 September 2019
Thailand: Siam City cement has appointed Benjamin Birks to its board of directors. The appointment will take effect on 1 October 2019. Birks will also assume membership of the company’s Nomination and Compensation Committee (NCC).
Siemens appoints Roland Busch Deputy CEO 25 September 2019
Germany: Siemens has selected Roland Busch as its new CEO amidst a raft of appointments to senior positions aimed to ‘set a new direction’ for the company. Busch’s appointment emphasises “the importance of the industrial digitalisation of the company for the next generation,” said Supervisory Board Chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe.
Wonder Cement appoints Sanjay Joshi executive director 25 September 2019
India: Rajasthan-based Wonder Cement has announced that Sanjay Joshi will become its executive director. Joshi brings 17 years of marketing and operations experience to the RK Group subsidiary, whose integrated cement production capacity is 6.8Mt/yr.
Canadian court fines Lafarge Canada US$0.3m for worker’s death 25 September 2019
Canada: Lafarge Canada has received a US$0.3m fine for failing as an employer to ensure that safety measures and procedures in the workplace were upheld. This follows the 2017 death of an employee who fell from a corroded catwalk at the company’s Beachville quarry.
South Africa imports 293% more cement year-on-year in July 24 September 2019
South Africa: South Africa imported 0.1Mt of cement in July 2019, 293% more than in July 2018. The Algeria Press Service has reported the value of July 2019’s imports as US$4.85m. This represents a decrease from the June 2019 figure of US$6.73 of 28%. Vietnam continues to be the main contributor to the June and Julyimport figures, with Pakistan notably absent in both months. In the record seven months to 31 July 2019, South Africa imported 0.6Mt of cement at a total cost of US$29.6m.
Njobo Lekula, managing director of PPC, has stated that cement prices are ‘critically’ low for domestic producers, whose 18Mt/yr capacity faces a domestic demand of 13Mt/yr. In August 2019, South Africa’s major cement producers applied to South Africa’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) for a tightening of cement standards, which may take the form of a blanket tariff on imports.
Morocco: LafargeHolcim Morocco’s net profit in the first half of 2019 was Euro90.6m, representing an increase of 8.6% year-on-year from Euro83.5m in the six months to 30 June 2018. Its revenue held steady year-on-year with a 0.2% increase to Euro366m from Euro365m. It continues its ambitious renewables plan with an 80% increase in its use of wind power.
HeidelbergCement’s Moroccan subsidiary Ciments du Maroc improved its net profit restated for exceptional items by 3.4% year-on-year to Euro55.3m from Euro53.6m in the first half of 2018. Its 2019 first-half revenue improved by 5.0% to Euro191m from Euro183m in the same period of 2018, which it said was due to a record year-on-year increase in clinker sales of 55% due to increased exports and operational improvements.
South Valley Cement reports loss-making first half of 2019 24 September 2019
Egypt: South Valley Cement has reported losses of US$6.19m in the first half of 2019, down by 587% from a US$1.27m profit in the same period of 2018.
Raysut Cement signs deal with Port of Duqm for grinding plant 23 September 2019
Oman: Raysut Cement, Oman’s leading cement producer, has taken a step forward in the implementation of its 1Mt/yr Duqm grinding plant plans by securing a land lease and port of terminal services agreement from the Port of Duqm. Raysut chief executive Joey Ghose has said that the Duqm unit will help to secure Raysut’s presence ‘in Oman and the neighbouring Gulf markets,’ as well as support strategic investments oversees. Raysut’s 6.4Mt/yr integrated capacity extends from East Africa to the Caucasus. The company has India as its next phase expansion target.
EAPCC sacks management 23 September 2019
Kenya: East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) dismissed its entire management staff except managing director Simon Peter Ole Nkeri with one month’s notice on 19 September 2019. Business Daily has reported that the company will seek to rehire a small proportion of the personnel with a 60% pay cut. The downsized management team will oversee the redundancy of its entire junior staff, some of whom will be taken back on with a view to reducing the total employees by 25% to 600 from 800.
EAPCC’s staff costs in the second half of 2018 were US$38.5m, 80% of its net revenue for the period. Its anticipated sales of land, if successful, are expected to exceed the US$52m needed to clear its outstanding debts. Shareholders in the company include LafargeHolcim (42%) and the Kenyan government (52%).