Displaying items by tag: Brazil

Brazil: The National Cement Industry Union (SNIC) has estimated a 3.7% year-on-year increase in total cement sales to 26.9Mt in the first half of 2020 from 25.9Mt in the corresponding six months of 2019. Export sales rose by 56% to 84,000t from 54,000t. Sales increased by 7.7% month-on-month in June 2020, however SNIC president Paulo Camillo Penna expressed worries about demand going forward into the second half of 2020.

“The cement industry is responsible for more than 70,000 jobs, generates an income US$4.94bn and an annual net collection of US$562m. We are very sensitive to the macroeconomic scenario and government stimuli. For this reason, the cement industry is anxiously awaiting the launch of the new government housing project, ’Casa Verde Amarela,’ which is expected to leverage the real estate and renovation market more strongly, and restarting works on 100,000 housing units,” said Penna.

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos España has appointed Juan Aguilera as the new Industrial Director of Cementos Cosmos. He will supervise the management of the four integrated and two grinding plants the company operates in Spain, according to the Diario de León newspaper. Aguilera has worked for Votorantim and related companies for nearly 20 years spending time managing plants at Córdoba, Niebla and Malaga. He has also worked as the Director of Operations for Votorantim Cimentos in Brazil. Aguilera started his career at the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Sciences and he holds a doctorate in chemical sciences.

France: Vicat says that group business activity increased month-on-month between April and May 2020. In a special update on business in the context of the coronavirus, the company said that the outbreak’s impacts varied across the 12 countries in which it operates, all of which locked down due to the pandemic.

In France, the level of business is “slightly lower” than in May 2019 following a steady recovery from a “strong slowdown in mid-March 2020.” Macroeconomic and competition issues continue in Egypt and Turkey, not however due to the coronavirus outbreak, while volumes and prices have generally increased in Switzerland, the US, Brazil and Western Africa, except in Senegal, where the government has cancelled infrastructure projects. Following the pan-Indian lockdown between 24 March 2020 and 17 April 2020, business in India has resumed, albeit at a “level significantly below that of the same period of 2019.”

The group says that it is planning cost-cutting measures and has postponed a planned US price rise to late 2020.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has joined in the global condemnation of racism by encouraging its employees and external stakeholders to use its Ethics Line ‘in case of any lack of respect in the work environment.’ The line is open for 24 hours a day. Votorantim Cimentos reminded people that they can also speak to a member of its leadership, the Business Ethics Agency or the Ombudsman ‘with anonymity and without fear of retaliation’. Votorantim Cimentos said, “Not being racist is not enough: we need to be anti-racists. We count on you to transform Votorantim Cimentos and our society into a more respectful, humane and inclusive place.”

Brazil: The Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP) has joined with the Brazilian street cleaning, waste management and biogas associations in launching the Brazilian Waste Energy Recovery Front for the reuse of waste in energy production. The partners estimated that some 14.5GWh/yr of energy is available for generation from Brazil’s 79Mt/yr of solid urban waste alone. The ABCP said that it was enthused by the possibilities the waste holds for cement producers, and urged the Environment Ministry to ‘reduce regulations that hinder its use.’

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos recorded a loss of US$68.4m in the first quarter of 2020 compared to a loss of US$2.71m in the corresponding period of 2019. However, sales rose by 2.4% year-on-year to US$465m from US$454m.

Votorantim Cimentos said that it is ‘closely monitoring the situation’ resulting from the coronavirus outbreak and is ready ‘to institute new measures should they be needed.’ It said that it has ‘a solid liquidity position, reinforced by available revolving credit facilities, amounting to US$500m.’

“The company is in a strong position to combat the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis,” it said.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has said that it will end 2020 with an agricultural lime production capacity of 1.0Mt/yr, up by 25% year-on-year from 0.8Mt/yr in 2019 following a US$12.6m investment in two new plants in Itapeva and Nobres and upgrades to plants in Itau de Minas and Nobres. SABI News has reported that the expansion will bring Votorantim Cimentos’ diversified products capacity to 4.3Mt/yr. The company says that it is ‘targeting value-added products’ to insure itself against a fall in demand for cement.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has said that no employee will lose their job before July 2020 as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. It joins 3300 other employers across the country as part of the No Dismissals Movement. Votorantim Cimentos CEO Marcelo Castelli said, “Our goal is to reassure our employees and their families, and to help minimise the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos earned revenues of US$2.47bn in 2019, up by 3.0% year-on-year from US$2.39bn in 2018. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation rose by 1.1% to US$513m from US$507m in 2018. Throughout the year, the company says that it paid off approximately US$570m of debt and contracted with a syndicate of banks for a new committed credit facility (CCF) for its alternative fuel substitution and CCF reduction initiatives of US$55.1m, due in August 2024.

On 30 March 2020 Votorantim Cimentos donated US$5.5m to fighting the effects of the coronavirus in Brazil.

Brazil: Germany-based Aumund subsidiary Aumund Brazil has appointed Paulo Lima its chief executive officer (CEO). Lima brings many years’ mechanical engineering experience, specialising in conveying technology in cement and other industries. He previously worked for Aumund Brazil in leading sales positions between 1996 and 2000 and from 2004 to 2008.