September 2024
First clinker shipment arrives at Port of Ngqura for Osho Cement 21 September 2018
South Africa: A ship carrying clinker and gypsum has arrived at the Port of Ngqura. The raw material is intended for Osho Cement, a company setting up a grinding plant at Coega special economic zone, according to the Herald newspaper. The imported clinker and gypsum was transported by truck to the new plant.
The joint venture between South Africa’s Osho ventures and Germany’s Heidelberg Cement plans to market cement from its new unit to South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean. The plant is scheduled to open the new plant in late 2018.
India Cements chief predicts upturn for southern market 21 September 2018
India: N Srinivasan, the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, predicts that cement demand is improving in the south of the country. At the company’s annual general meeting in Chennai he said that demand for cement is expected to improve the 70% capacity utilisation rate recorded in the 2017 – 2018 financial year, according to the Financial Express newspaper. The region had a cement production capacity of 160Mt/yr but demand was only up to 80Mt.
He added that India Cements reported a utilisation rate of 71% in the previous financial year and that this had improved to 80% in the first quarter of the current year. He also expected that the second quarter would be better despite floods in Kerala and a transporters' strike.
Cemex Balcones quarry celebrates 50th anniversary 21 September 2018
US: Cemex has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Balcones Quarry in New Braunfels, Texas with an event attended by Cemex USA Regional President - Texas and New Mexico Region Joel Galassini, and which included a planned quarry blast.
Balcones Quarry began operations in 1968. Cemex purchased the quarry along with the neighbouring cement plant in 1994. The quarry currently processes more than 10Mt/yr of crushed limestone annually and supports infrastructure, residential and commercial projects across Texas. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently ranked the quarry as the top crushed stone producer in the country in terms of volume.
In 2016 the site opened a water recycling plant at the quarry to cut reliance on local water sources. Recently, Cemex opened its Wildlife Habitat Centre adjacent to the quarry to promote conservation and sustainability. The centre includes about 17 acres of restored prairie, pollinator gardens and meadows planted with native plants. An education centre and wheelchair-accessible produce garden are also on the site.
Oman Cement launches new brand identity 21 September 2018
Oman: Oman Cement has launched a new brand identity and logo. The changes to its marketing are intended convey its strong brand value proposition that is synonymous with quality, strength and reliability, according to the Muscat Daily newspaper. The new brand identity is hoped to help the company’s sales and market share.
Lipetskcement adds Eurocem 500 Extra to product portfolio 21 September 2018
Russia: Lipetskcement, a subsidiary of Eurocement, has added Eurocem 500 Extra to its product portfolio over the current construction season. The CEM II / А-W 42.5Н strength cement uses mineral additives to offer lower production costs, higher strength and higher corrosion resistance and water resistance. The product is offered in bagged and bulk consignments.
PSK to build cement plant in Tambov region 20 September 2018
Russia: Pervaya Stroitelnaya Kompaniya (PSK) plans to build a 1.2Mt/yr cement plant in the Petrovsky district of the Tambov region. The project has an investment of Euro126m, according to the Kommersant newspaper. The unit will use the Borisovsky deposit for its raw materials. PSK previously purchased the licence to develop the mine from Tambov-Cement company. The project is scheduled to be built from 2019 to 2025 in several stages.
Cement export volumes growing in Tajikistan so far in 2018 20 September 2018
Tajikistan: Average monthly volumes of cement exports have grown by 37% year-on-year to 115,000t in the first eight months of 2018 compared to 84,000t for the whole year in 2017. Data from the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies shows that 920,000t of cement was exported from January to August 2018, according to the Asia Plus agency. 520,000t was exported to neighbouring Uzbekistan, 340,000t to Afghanistan and 60,000t to Kyrgyzstan.
Extent of Afghan ban on Iranian cement imports unclear 20 September 2018
Afghanistan/Iran: The Afghanistan Customs Department has banned imports of cement at the Farah border crossing from Iran’s South Khorasan Province. Mozaffar Alikhani, the Secretary-General of Iran-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce, said that the ban had been implemented at the border point due to a lack of an online monitoring system, according to Eghtesadonline. The ban also includes oil products, steel products, tiles and ceramics.
Afghan officials have made contradictory statements about a ban of imported commodities from Iran. Ali Shariati, a member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, told the ILNA news agency that the Afghanistan Customs Department had banned cement imports and those of other materials from 16 September 2018 to bring it into alignment with US sanctions on Iran. However, Alikhani dismissed this and said that the goods in question continue to be exported as usual from Iran to Afghanistan through the border crossings of Dogharoun in Khorasan Razavi Province and Nimrouz in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Sakhi Ahmad Peyman, the president of the Afghanistan Industrial Association, has also described the ban as temporary.
DG Khan Cement’s sales and profit up 20 September 2018
Pakistan: DG Khan’s sales rose by 3% year-on-year to US$271m in the year than ended on 30 June 2018 from US$263m in the same period in 2017. Its profit increased by 14% to US$72.4m from US$63.6m.
Raysut Cement joins list of Sharia-compliant companies in Oman 20 September 2018
Oman: Raysut Cement has been added to a list of Sharia-compliant companies for the second quarter of 2018 compiled by the Muscat Securities Market. It joins Oman Cement, which was listed in the first quarter of 2018, according to the Oman Daily Observer newspaper. The list includes 31 publically listed companies that conform to the requirements of Islamic Sharia according to the rules approved by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, Companies on the list cover a cross-section of industrial sectors.