Displaying items by tag: Belarusian Cement Company

Belarus: Belarus Cement Company (BCC) has begun selling its cement in 15kg bags in addition to its usual 25kg. BCC general director Alexsandr Dovgalo has said the company intends the move to increase the ability of its product to meet consumer demand.

Belarus: The Council of Ministers has received a recommendation from the State Control Commission (SCC) that punitive measures be taken against officials responsible for cement production in the midst of another disappointing year. Belapan has reported that members of the SCC blamed the failure to secure efficient performance on untenable costs due to intermediaries. Investigators from the SCC’s Financial Investigations Department (FID) found that Russian intermediaries were selling cement produced in Belarus to Belarusian state-owned companies at a marked-up price. A total of 13 criminal cases have been opened in connection with the findings, including one against an executive of a Belarusian cement company.

In 2013, Belarus completed the modernisation of its three state-owned cement producers, Belarusian Cement, Krasnoselsktroymaterialy and Krichevcementnoshifer to a total capacity of 2.3Mt/yr, at a cost of US$1.1bn. In 2018, the companies missed eight of their 10 key performance targets. Besides cost reduction, capacity utilisation and labour productivity targets were not met.

Elsewhere, Krasnoselsktroymaterialy has tendered for the supply of gas cleaning equipment, including the replacement of bag filters at two of the mills in its grinding facility.

Belarus: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has issued an edict supporting loan deferments for the country’s three major cement producers. The total amount includes loans totalling about US$550m that were provided by China’s Eximbank in 2008 – 2009 for upgrades to the company’s plants, according to the Belapan news agency. The loans were repaid to the Chinese bank by the Belarusian government in the period from 2015 to 2019.

Under the edict, Belarusian Cement Plant should repay its debt to the government in the period from 2029 to 2038, Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly’s debt should be repaid in 2030 - 2037 and Krychawtsementnashyfer’s debt should be repaid in 2038 - 2049. The edict also sets out a repayment schedule for interest on the loans with a total of US$370m to the mid-2020s.

In addition, the energy ministry has been ordered to grant the cement companies a deferment until the end of 2019, followed by a repayment plan to 2023 for late natural gas bills.

Belarus: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has demanded that the local cement industry improve its efficiency and increase its exports. He made the comments following the approval of the appointment of Alyaksandr Dawhala as the new chief executive officer of Belarusian Cement, according to the Belapan news agency. He noted that export sales were improving with a focus on the European Union although key markets also include Poland, Latvia and Ukraine.

Belarus: The government has issued a directive ordering an increase in its stake in 12 large companies including Belarusian Cement. The government’s stake will be increased by amounts equal to the financial support the companies have been given, according to the Belapan news agency. The government reportedly invested around Euro70m into the companies.

Belarus: The Belarusian Cement Company increased its exports of cement by 42.6% year-on-year to 1.4Mt/yr in 2017. The exported cement had a value of US$682.m, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency. The company has attributed the rise on an efficiency drive that it says has reduced the cost of production by 50%. The company mainly exports to the Commonwealth of Independent States region but it has started selling its product in parts of the European Union, including Poland and Latvia. It plans to increases its exports by 4% in 2018, partly by introducing 35kg bags.

Belarus: The Belarusian Cement Company and Eurocement Group have signed a contract concerning deliveries of cement in 2017. In line with the agreement the deliveries will satisfy the demand for Belarusian cement on the Russian market. The deliveries in 2017 will be at least as large as in 2016, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency. The deal was signed by Eurocement Group President Mikhail Skorokhod, Director General of Belarusian Cement Plant Igor Lozhechnikov and Director General of Krichevcementnoshifer Vladimir Korchevsky.

Belarusian Architecture and Construction Minister Anatoly Cherny said that the Russian market is the key target market for Belarusian cement producers. He added that despite falling demand in Russia that the share of Belarusian cement on Russian Federation markets would grow larger.

Belarus: The Council of Ministers has ordered Belarusian Cement Plant and Krychawtsementnashyfer to hand over the government-owned stakes to Belarusian Cement Company. The move comes as part of a merger of all of Belarus' cement plans to create a new holding company, Belasrusian Cement Company.

Belarusian Cement Company is to receive 7,723,192 shares from Belarusian Cement Plant and 196,697,461 shares from Krychawtsementnashyfer. Belarusian Cement Company was initially expected to control Belarusian Cement Plant, Krychawtsementnashyfer and AAT Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly. However, it is still unclear whether Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly will join the holding company.

Belarus' president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, approved the merger, which was proposed by Pyotr Rudnik, head of the Mahilyow Regional Executive Committee. Uladzimir Kisyalyow was appointed as director general of Belarusian Cement Company. Prior to the appointment, Kisyalyow served as first deputy head of the Mahilyow Regional Executive Committee.