Displaying items by tag: Capacity

Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has closed its Athi River plant for a US$3m upgrade to boost production capacity.

Oliver Kirubai, EAPCC's managing director, said "We are doing the second phase of our machines upgrade, which is basically targeting to increase our output. Our target is that by June 2026 we should be able to produce 1Mt/yr of cement." He added "Seven local contractors are spearheading the upgrade of this plant. They will work with us during the 25-day closure of this facility." The current production capacity of the plant is 310,000t/yr.

EAPCC recorded a loss of US$9.8m for the financial year ending June 2023, despite making a profit of US$4m in the previous year. This shift was due to increased costs elevating the firm's cost of sales to US$29.4m from US$29.9m, despite a 37% increase in revenues to US$21.9m from US$15.9 in the previous year.

Pakistan: Fauji Cement Company Limited (FCCL) reports that it has become the country's third-largest cement producer by capacity, after expanding its annual production from 3.6Mt/yr to 10.6Mt/yr. The company achieved this through strategic mergers and capacity increases at its Nizampur and DG Khan plants, enhancing its industry presence and pushing into the southern market.

JS Global reports that FCCL's growth strategy includes a strong focus on cost optimisation. Operational efficiency has improved with a shift to more economical fuel sources, such as local and Afghan coal, and increased reliance on self-generated power, now at 60%. The addition of an 11MW solar plant in Nizampur and waste heat recovery plants has boosted FCCL's green energy capacity to 40MW, substantially lowering costs.

This strategy is expected to strengthen financial health in future quarters. Financial results for the second quarter of the 2024 financial year show profits of US$9.7m.

India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned 1.8Mt/yr of new cement capacity at its Kotputli cement plant in Rajasthan. The expanded plant will help the producer to serve markets in Rajasthan and the National Capital Region. Projects Today News has reported that the expansion is part of a 22.6Mt/yr capacity growth drive, first announced in June 2022. The latest commissioning has raised UltraTech Cement’s all-India capacity by 1.3% to 137Mt/yr, and that in Rajasthan by 11% to 18.9Mt/yr.

India: JSW Group’s new upcoming cement plant in Odisha will have a capacity of 10Mt/yr, the Hindu Business Line newspaper has reported. The plant will be situated in an upcoming steel complex, complete with a 900MW power plant and a 52Mt/yr port.

JSW Group’s cement subsidiary JSW Cement operates 19Mt/yr in installed capacity across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal. The producer plans to invest US$2.17bn to more than triple its capacity to 60Mt/yr by 2028. It has reportedly entered talks with financial institutions to raise US$723m through an initial public offering (IPO). JSW Group has invested US$3.61bn in Odisha to date, and is committed to investing
US$7.83bn there.

India: Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech Cement has commissioned its new 2.6Mt/yr Rajpura grinding plant in Punjab. The producer says that it made the investment in order to enhance its service to markets in Punjab.

The Rajpura grinding plant raises UltraTech Cement's installed grey cement capacity in India by 2% to 135.59Mt/yr.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos plans to invest US$1bn in expanding its Brazilian operations in the period up to the end of 2028. US$304m-worth of the investments are already underway at the start of 2024. Reuters has reported that the investments include cement plant projects to raise Votorantim Cimentos’ Brazilian cement production capacity by 8.8% to 37Mt/yr. These include a US$162m investment in a 20% capacity expansion to its Votorantim cement plant and a US$60.8m, 1Mt/yr expansion to its Salto de Pirapora plant. Further aims are to ensure structural competitiveness, raise energy efficiency and digitise operations, including applying artificial intelligence (AI) to freight. The producer expects its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to eventually rise by US$263/yr between 2023 and 2028 as a result.

India: Wonder Cement says that it has completed the construction of its new Tulsigam grinding plant in Gujarat. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the new grinding plant will integrate with Wonder Cement’s existing facilities, including the Nimbahera cement plant in Rajasthan, and grinding plants in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The Tulsigam grinding plant will raise Wonder Cement’s capacity to 18Mt/yr, following the expansion of the Nimbahera cement plant to 11Mt/yr and the inauguration of the new Aligarh grinding plant in 2023.

Wonder Cement director Vivek Patni said "Each strategic move, including our new Tulsigam grinding unit, is aligned with our commitment to cater to India’s evolving infrastructural demands. We're poised for continued growth and are deeply committed to quality, innovation and societal impact."

India: Shree Cement inaugurated its new 4.2Mt/yr Nawalgarh cement plant in Rajasthan on 14 December 2023. The plant boasts an 11,500t/day kiln, which is among the largest in India, according to the company. Following the inauguration, Shree Cement’s installed production capacity now stands at 53.4Mt/yr.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said “In our pursuit to become an 80Mt/yr company by 2028, we are excited to announce commissioning the kiln in our new integrated facility at Nawalgarh, Rajasthan. This facility is well suited to cater to the high consumption cement markets of National Capital Region, Punjab and Haryana, besides strengthening the company’s customer servicing capability in Rajasthan.”

China/India: Research organisation Fitch Ratings has forecast continued ‘steady’ growth of 6 – 8% year-on-year in cement demand in India in 2024. Meanwhile, it expects demand in China to remain ‘weak,’ amid low activity levels in the residential construction sector. Nonetheless, Fitch Ratings said that rising installed cement capacity will limit growth in producers’ profit margins in India, while producers’ profit margins will stabilise in China.

US: Mexico-based GCC has hired ThyssenKrupp Polysius North America to build a 3000t/day clinker production line at its Odessa plant in Texas. When commissioned in late 2025, the line is expected to more than double the plant’s clinker capacity to 2Mt/yr across three kilns. The supplier says the project will also lower the plant’s annual CO₂ emissions by 13%.

GCC chief executive officer Enrique Escalante said "We remain strongly committed to delivering strong stakeholder value, while investing in the future growth of our business. With the expansion of the Odessa plant, we will ensure GCC is prepared for a new phase of the industry cycle."