Displaying items by tag: Australia

Australia: Industry groups, including cement producers, are lobbying against a new import tax, the Biosecurity Imports Levy. They allege that that new tariff will increase costs by 3000 - 5000% on the inputs for cement, steel and aluminium production, according to the Australian newspaper. The new levy was introduced in the May 2018 budget for implementation in July 2019. It intends to tighten the country’s biosecurity.

Industry lobbyists complain that it will impose a US$0.7/t levy on ‘non-containerised’ cargo for biosecurity inspections, dramatically increasing the cost of inspection for bulk imports of materials. They also deny that it will improve biosecurity outcomes.

Cement Industry Federation chief executive Margie Thomson said that the tax unfairly punished non-containerised cargoes. “It shouldn’t be a tonnage levy, when the biosecurity risk is not­associated with the product.”

Australia: Boral Cement’s proposed 1.3Mt/yr grinding plant at Geelong in Melbourne is expected to be operational by 2020. Construction work on the US$94m unit is planed to start soon, according to the Geelong Advertiser newspaper. The plant will be connected to Lascelles Wharf at the Port of Geelong via a conveyor system.

The cement producer and the port have signed a 25-year agreement supporting the facility. Boral has operated at the port for the last seven years. The new grinding plant is intended to allow Boral to reduce the cost and time of transporting its products from its Waurn Ponds plant. It will also support an anticipated growth in infrastructure demand in Victoria.

Australia: Adelaide Brighton is seeking damages from a former credit manager over US$9m in missing funds. The cement producer has accused former employee Glenda Ivy Burgess of the embezzlement following an internal audit, according to the Advertiser newspaper. Burgess worked for Adelaide Brighton for 18 years but was dismissed in February 2018.

The allegations include misallocating customer payments, falsifying accounts, increasing customer credit limits without authority and providing false information.

The construction company launched a civil lawsuit against Burgess at the same time that a police investigation was ongoing. This has subsequently led to a clash between civil and criminal proceedings as the accused successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to delay the civil case whilst the criminal investigation continues.

Australia: Cement fibreboard maker James Hardie has picked its president of international operations Jack Truong to succeed Louis Gries as its new President and CEO. Dr Truong, who currently heads the firm's Asia Pacific fibre cement business and the Europe building products unit, will become global president and CEO for a six-month transition period as Mr Gries winds down his 13-year spell in charge. A former chief executive of Electrolux North America, Dr Truong has held his current role since April 2017.

“Jack offers the ideal combination of commercial expertise, operational excellence, and leadership in order to continue to grow the business and maintain the industry-leading performance, across the multiple geographies established by Louis over a long period," said chairman Michael Hammes.

Australia: Boral’s cement business, Boral Australia, reported a 2% year-on-year rise in cement sales volumes in the financial year to 30 June 2018. Its external sales fell but this was compensated for by growing local sales in support of its concrete business. It’s said that the earnings and margins for its cement business improved due to an improvement programme. However, these benefits were partly offset by cost inflation and higher energy costs.

Overall, Boral Australia’s sales revenue rose by 34% year-on-year to US$2.62bn in the financial year to 30 June 2018 from US$2.40bn in the same period in 2017. Boral Australia’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) increased by 15% to US$462m from US$402m. Total group sales rose by 34% to US$4.28bn and EBITDA grew by 47% to US$770m due to the acquisition of Headwaters.

“We have continued to optimise our networks and grow volumes in Australian east coast markets, where demand is very strong, and we continue to focus on full cost recovery through price and strengthening margins through improvement programs,” said chief executive officer and managing director Mike Kane.

Australia: Adelaide Brighton’s cement sales volumes rose in the first half of 2018 due to new infrastructure projects and ‘strong’ markets in Melbourne and Sydney. Its sales rose by 11.7% year-on-year to US$593m from US$531m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit after tax increased by 17.7% to US$62m from US$53m.

Chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Martin Brydon said that the company had benefited from improved demand across residential, non-residential and infrastructure sector in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, with ‘stable’ demand in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The building material producer’s cement prices increased in most markets. However, it said that import costs were ‘adversely’ affected by higher shipping and material procurement costs, and negative currency effects. Demand for lime was stable with sales similar to the first half of 2017. Margins were hit by increased energy costs, although this is expected to be recovered through price increases.

Australia: Wagners’ sales revenue grew in its 2017 financial year due to ‘strong’ growth in cement volumes as well as better utilisation of its transport, quarry and pre-cast assets. Its sales revenue rose by 20.2% year-on-year to US$170m in the year that ended on 30 June 2018 from US$142m in the same period in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 25.4% to US$37m from US$29.5m. Its cement sales volumes rose by 14.8% year-on-year.

“We have experienced strong cement sales as a result of increased concrete consumption and increased activity in the renewable energy projects in South East Queensland. We have also seen significant improvement across the balance of the construction materials and services business compared to the previous financial year,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Cameron Coleman.

Australia: James Hardie Industries increased its net profit by 58% year-on-year to US$90.6m in the three months to 30 June 2018. Adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were up by 21% to US$107.1m. Net sales were up by 28% to US$651m.

CEO Louis Gries said, "Our North America Fibre Cement Segment delivered solid top line growth of 10% for the quarter. Volumes increased by 5%, with our interiors business having only marginal growth and our exteriors business returning to growth above our addressable market. While we have returned to growth above our market index in our exteriors business, increased traction will be required to hit our 2019 financial year targeted range.”

“Within our Asia Pacific Fibre Cement Segment, net sales increased 15% for the quarter, primarily due to the strong growth in our Australian business,” added Gries. “Furthermore, EBIT increased 7% for the quarter, driven by the strong performance of our Australian business, partially offset by the performance of our New Zealand business.”

Australia/Bangladesh: Australian Bauxite has negotiated a letter of intent with Bangladesh’s Aziz Group. As part of the agreement it will use Aziz Group as its agent to market cement-grade bauxite in the country. The deal will also see Australian Bauxite supply chemical-grade bauxite to Aziz Group for the manufacture of polyaluminum chloride to be used in the treatment of industrial waste water.

"There is a real opportunity for our well established trading and manufacturing relationships to be of significant support in the marketing of this specialised Australian Bauxite cement-grade bauxite. We look forward to jointly developing a good market base for real supply opportunities,” said Johnny Chowdhury, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aziz Group

Australian Bauxite operates a bauxite mine in Tasmania. It also holds mining tenements in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania for future development.

Australia: Boral has appointed Kathryn Fagg as chairman with effect from 1 July 2018. It follows the resignation of Brian Clark as chairman and a non-executive director due to health reasons. Clark has been a director of the company since 2007 and was elected chairman in late 2015.

Fagg, who joined the board in 2014, holds more than 25 years of executive and management experience across a range of industries in Australia and Asia, including steel based building products at BlueScope Steel, transport and logistics at Linfox Logistics Group, banking at ANZ and professional consulting services at McKinsey & Co.

Fagg commenced her professional career as a chemical engineer with Esso Australia, now Exxon Mobil. She holds a number of board positions, including as a non-executive director of Incitec Pivot and a non-executive director of Djerriwarrh Investments. She is the current president of Chief Executive Women and only recently completed a five year term as a director of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Boral has also appointed Peter Alexander as its first North American-based non-executive director, with effect from 1 September 2018. Alexander has spent eight years as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Building Materials Holding Corporation and then the merged company BMC. He was president and CEO of ORCO Construction Distribution from 2005 to 2009 and was managing partner of KinderOaks Business Services from 2002 to 2005. He holds a BA from the Ohio State University and an MBA from the Pennsylvania State University.