Displaying items by tag: Dangote Cement

UK: Nine cement and concrete companies have launched the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA), a new association that intends to develop the sector’s role in sustainable construction. The association also wants to build innovation throughout the construction value chain, in collaboration with both industry associations and architects and engineers.

The GCCA will be led by international cement companies and headquartered in London, complementing and supporting the work done by existing associations at national and regional level. Membership of the GCCA is available for cement manufacturers from all over the world that share the organisation’s values, and partnerships will be developed with organisations that share its vision. GCCA’s founding members are Cemex, CNBM, CRH, Dangote, Eurocement, HeidelbergCement, LafargeHolcim, Taiheiyo and Votorantim. They represent 1046Mt of cement production capacity, according to the Global Cement Top 100 Report.

Nepal: The Department of Mines and Geology has technically disqualified Nigeria’s Dangote Cement from applying for three limestone mine licences in an open bidding process. The Investment Board Nepal (IBN) had approved the investment in 2013 before passing the application to the mining department, according to the Republica newspaper. Department deputy director general Ram Prasad Ghimire claimed that Dangote's proposals lacked essential documents on the required skilled manpower and it was not considered qualified for the next financial proposal.

Dangote Cement had applied for three mines: two in Dhading and one in Palpa. However, China’s Huaxin and United Cements recently won two limestone mining licences. Previously, Dangote Cement purchased a limestone mine in Makawanpur that was later found to be a substandard. The Nigerian company has also faced opposition from local producers who have described the country as being self-sufficient in cement.

Nigeria: Devakumar Edwin, the executive director of Dangote Cement, has accused BUA Group of illegally mining limestone at a site near Okene in the south of Kogi state. He made the comments at a press conference in response to public comments by Abdulsamad Rabiu, the chief executive officer (CEO) of BUA Group, that Dangote Cement had ‘sabotaged’ its operations, according to the This Day newspaper. The dispute between Dangote Cement, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and BUA is currently pending before the Federal High Court.

According to Edwin, Dangote Group first acquired an interest in the mining lease in 2014 after a previous company obtained the rights in 2007. However, BUA claimed access to the lease when it later purchased Edo Cement, a company also operating in the area. BUA Group responded to Edwin’s claims by stating that it does not have any operations in Okene, Kogi State where the disputed lease is located.

Liberia: The government is reviewing an Investment Incentive Agreement between the Government of Liberia and Dangote Cement Liberia worth over US$41m. The review by the House of Representatives follows a letter from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf urging the legislature to ratify the agreement, according to the Daily Observer newspaper. The agreement covers a 15 year period whereby the Nigerian company will build and operate a 1000t/day cement grinding plant at Monrovia. The deal also includes the option to double the production capacity if the unit.

Senegal: Aissatou Sophie Gladima, the Minister of Mines and Geology, says that the government will only issue new operating permits to cement producers if there is evidence that existing plants are unable to meet local demand. Gladima made the comments on a visit to the Dangote Cement plant at Pout in Thies, according to the Senegalese Press Agency. The minister added that the country’s Plan Senegal Emergent (PSE) requires lots of minerals.

Nigeria: The head of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has publicly rebutted accusations by Abdulsamad Rabiu, the chief executive officer (CEO) of BUA Group, that the ministry and Dangote Cement have ‘sabotaged’ operations at the company. Rabiu made the allegations in a letter sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, according to the This Day newspaper.

Rabiu says that the rival cement company and the ministry colluded in a legal dispute about operations at Okpella in Edo State and mineral resources. Allegedly, a militia attempted to damage the cement plant before security forces intervened. Later government officials and police tried to stop work at a BUA Cement mine despite on-going legal action.

Mohammed Abass, the head of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, responded by describing Rabiu’s accusations as, “…an unwarranted campaign of calumny against the ministry.” He added that the cement company was attempting to blackmail the ministry into granting a ‘free pass’ for illegal operations. The ministry says that it issued a Stop Work Order for the disputed mine in 2015 but that BUA Group ignored it and has continued to work at the site whilst the legal case was pending. Later, the staff of BUA Group resisted an attempt to shut the site down in mid-November 2017.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has signed a deal with retail firm Jumia Nigeria to sell cement online. Individual and corporate customers can buy a minimum of 300 bags of 50kg of Dangote Cement and have them delivered via the new service. The pilot initiative will cover Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja at launch.

“Dangote Cement decided to work with Jumia Nigeria based on its credibility and excellent performance over the years in online shopping management,” said Dangote Cement, Key Account Director, Chux Mogbolu. He added that the new scheme is intended to help stop online scams selling cement.

Congo: Dangote Cement commissioned its new Mfila plant in the Republic of Congo on 23 November 2017. The 1.5Mt/yr integrated facility, which cost US$300m to construct, will employ around 1000 direct workers and contribute to the creation of many indirect jobs. It is the largest cement plant in the country.

At the inauguration ceremony, Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso said that the construction of the plant marked part of an ‘industrial revolution’ in the Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC). He said that Congo was happy to host Dangote Cement, which he had observed operating to the benefit of other sub-Saharan African countries. He said that the timing of Dangote’s investment was fortunate as the country needed to diversify its economy in light of falling oil revenues.

The Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari was represented at the event by a delegation led by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi. He commended Aliko Dangote for contributing to the economic development of Africa and said that his ‘sterling accomplishment’ made Dangote Cement a ‘worthy ambassador’ of Nigeria.

Congo: Dangote Cement will officially open its 1.5Mt/yr capacity cement plant in Congo on Thursday 23 November 2017. Constructed for around US$500m, the plant is expected to directly employ more than 1000 people, while thousands of indirect jobs will also be created. The plant, which is now the largest in Congo, rolled out its first bag of cement on 7 August 2017. The company's third quarter unaudited results showed that the Congo plant, which recently began operations, has almost doubled cement capacity of the country.

The Congo plant commissioning will bring the number of Dangote Cement’s fully operational plants across Africa to 10. The company is currently active in 17 African countries.

The third quarter financial results for HeidelbergCement are out today. They aren’t perfect but the company is hanging in there following its acquisition of Italcementi in late 2016. As one would expect both cement sales volumes and sales revenue are up on a double-digit basis. After all, HeidelbergCement has absorbed a major competitor, including assets, staff, cement plants and all. Its volumes and revenue have improved, more importantly though, on a like-for-like basis, even if it is modest. With the US and Europe driving sales the cement producer has time to make its promised synergies following the Italian acquisition and hopefully wait out recovery in places like Indonesia and Egypt.

Graph 1: Cement sales volumes for selected multinational cement producers during the first nine months of 2017. Source: Company financial reports.

That growth on a like-for-like basis is crucial compared to HeidelbergCement’s big rival, the world’s biggest cement producer, LafargeHolcim. As Graph 1 shows sales volumes data for the major multinational cement producers shows quite a varied picture. LafargeHolcim’s sales volumes have fallen by 12% year-on-year to 156Mt but the company has also been reducing its production capacity. Despite this, a rough calculation of its production utilisation rate suggests that it is selling less cement proportionally, although the company’s like-for-like figures disagree, positing a rise of 1.8%. Cemex’s sales volumes declined slightly to 51.3Mt. The larger regional companies show interesting trends. UltraTech Cement has managed to increase its sales volumes by 5% to 40.4Mt overcoming a poor third quarter in 2016. What to watch here will be whether this will be enough to overcome the effects of demonetisation that rocked India’s economy in late 2016.

Graph 2: Sales revenue for selected multinational cement producers during the first nine months of 2017. Source: Company financial reports.

The stronger regional positions of those last two companies really hits home when sales revenue is examined. As can be seen in Graph 2 both UltraTech Cement and Dangote Cement are growing their sales revenue, the latter despite dropping sales volumes. UltraTech Cement is suffering from falling profits due to rising fuel costs and it may yet suffer from ‘corporate indigestion’ as it digests its acquisition of 21.2Mt/yr cement production capacity from Jaiprakash Associates that took place in June 2017. Dangote Cement seems to have increased its earnings and profits despite problems at home in Nigeria by improving its fuel mix. Yet, flirtations with South Africa’s PPC aside, its expansion plans remain in a holding position. Dangote Cement presents another fascinating situation. Its overall sales volumes have fallen but this reflects a failing market at home in Nigeria and doesn’t show the company’s booming sales in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Results from CRH and the Brazilian companies Votorantim and InterCement will further flesh out the situation when they are released. Yet, the difference between worldwide producers and regional producers seems to be clear. The likes of LafargeHolcim and Cemex with a global presence are generally battling stagnation in the cement markets overall with a couple of key markets holding them back. Meanwhile, larger regional producers in the right locations are growing. However, the absence of the Brazilian producers is critical here as their experience of the floundering market in Brazil is very different to that of, say, UltraTech Cement’s in India. Looking ahead, the next quarter will be particularly interesting to see how demonetisation skewed UltraTech Cement’s performance, to start to see the first results from HeidelbergCement a year after its purchase of Italcementi and how well LafargeHolcim’s new chief is doing.