Displaying items by tag: GCW184
What next? Expect the unexpected…
21 January 2015On 15 January 2015, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned the Euro1.20 cap on the Swiss Franc. The effects of the decision were immediate, with the value of a Franc dropping from Euro1.20 to just Euro0.99. The decision caused turmoil for currency brokers and big business in Switzerland's normally bullet-proof finance sector, with some brokers out of business by the end of the same day.
It is not hard to see why these brokers were caught out by the sudden change in the SNB's position. On 18 December 2014 Thomas Jordan, Chairman of the SNB's Governing Board, stated in no uncertain terms that, "The SNB remains committed to purchasing unlimited quantities of foreign currency to enforce the minimum exchange rate with the utmost determination." In research conducted by Bloomberg News on 9 - 14 January 2015, not one of 22 economists questioned expected the SNB to abandon the cap in 2015. That's quite an about-turn by the SNB in less than a month.
The decision to 'scrap-the-cap' shows the potential of outside influences to suddenly unseat even the most secure of businesses. Such companies include Holcim, the share-price of which went on a rollercoaster on the SIX Swiss Exchange in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. At one point on 15 January 2015 Holcim had lost 20% of its value before closing 11% down on the day. It has since recovered somewhat, although a whopping Euro3bn of its capital has been swallowed up due to the plummeting Franc.
Following the sudden changes to its circumstances, Holcim immediately reinforced its commitment to its merger with Lafarge. "Regarding a possible impact on the combination with Lafarge, what we can say is that we remain committed to the merger," said spokesman Eike-Christian Meuter. There was an almost simultaneous reciprocal statement from the French producer, also stating its commitment. No change there then.
The calmness of Holcim's statements was broadly in line with commentary from bankers, which stated that large deals were unlikely to be affected by the change. This is because Swiss firms can insure themselves against the effects of such moves. Another 'get-out of jail free card' could have been a material adverse change (MAC) clause. If in place a MAC would allow the merging parties to terminate a transaction if an external event significantly changes the outlines of the deal. It is not possible to know whether Lafarge and Holcim have such a clause due to confidentiality issues.
Despite the fundamentals of the LafargeHolcim merger appearing to be unaffected, the scrapping of the Franc cap is an excellent example of how external policy makers can have a direct and unexpected impact on the underlying conditions of the global cement industry. Another major external influence at present is the low oil price, mainly affected by the oil producing cartel OPEC. HeidelbergCement said this week that it expects the oil price fall to have a positive impact on its profit in 2015. It makes 80% of its revenue in oil-importing countries, which should see reduced transport and production costs. This will result in improved economic conditions, higher levels of construction and hence cement production. For HeidelbergCement 2015 could be a case of costs down, sales up.
That surely sounds like good news, for some stagnant 'old' developed economies at least. However, in the world of 'new normals' it is the IMF that has sounded the biggest warning this week. It dropped its 2015 global economic growth forecast from 3.8% to 3.5%. As fuel prices slump, so too has inflation. In the EU this has resulted in deflationary pressures that could yet stump the recovery. Consumers (and construction firms alike) may go from a position of not being able to afford things, to not wanting to buy them. In the longer term, this may be yet more bad news for the cement sector in established markets.
Green Building Council of South Africa appoints new chairman
21 January 2015South Africa: The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has appointed Seana Nkhahle from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) as its new Chairman. Nkhahle takes over the reins from long-time Chairman Bruce Kerswill, who played a leading role in the formation of the council.
The GBCSA was established in 2007 to promote green building development in the country. It is a member of the World Green Building Council (World GBC) and is today one of the most active councils worldwide.
Nkhahle is an Executive Director at SALGA, responsible for 'Corporate Strategy and Research.' Prior to this, he was the Executive Manager and National Programmes Co-ordinator at the South African Cities Network from 2005 to 2009. In 2004, Nkhahle received a recognition award issued jointly by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction.
BaselCement makes 37% more cement in 2014
21 January 2015Russia: BaselCement Holding produced 2Mt of cement and clinker in 2014, 37% more than in 2013. At the Serebryansky Cement Plant, production reached 1.02Mt, 95% more than in 2013. (The plant was only commissioned in the middle of 2013). The shipment of cement and clinker from Achinsk Cement increased by 5% and exceeded 0.9Mt.
India: Sanghi Industries Limited will invest US$40.5m over next couple of years with a focus on sustainable development, innovation and energy conservation. The company plans to invest US$24.3m to develop a 15MW waste heat recovery system (WHR) and another US$16.2m to further develop its facilities at Navlakhi Port in Gujarat State.
Sanghi Industries has signed a contract for installation of a WHR system at its cement plant in Kutch, Gujarat, whereby 15MW of power will be generated from the waste gases released. With the technology, valuable fossil fuel savings will be made, foreign exchange costs will be saved and there will be a significant reduction in the emission of pollutant gases. Sanghi will recover more than 70% of the waste heat generated from its cement plant.
For the conservation of coastal soil, the company will undertake a mangrove plantation spread over 2km2 on the Gujarat coast. The initiative will protect the ecology of the coast and improve socio-economic development.
"Our focus is on increasing efficiencies at our manufacturing facilities as well as reducing our carbon footprint by cutting down on pollutants that affect the environment," said Alok Sanghi, director of Sanghi Industries. "Also, in line with the Ministry of Shipping agenda to increase transportation through the coastal sea rout, Sanghi has set up a terminal with an investment of US$8m at Navlakhi Port. We will invest an additional US$16m to further develop the terminal at Navlakhi as the sea route reduces our transportation cost considerably."
Germany: HeidelbergCement expects the falling oil prices to have a positive effect on its earnings in 2015, according to a company spokesperson. Low fuel prices are expected to have a positive impact on HeidelbergCement's energy costs. It generates as much as 80% of its revenue in oil-importing countries, which should further improve its results.
CCI to decide on LafargeHolcim merger in February 2015
20 January 2015India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) will soon decide on the proposed merger of Lafarge and Holcim, according to CCI chairman Ashok Chawla on 19 January 2015. "The final order on the case should be out within a month," said Chawla.
The CCI is examining the merger as it raises competition concerns. In a joint filing to CCI, Lafarge and Holcim had said that they would continue to face aggressive competition from Indian cement makers such as UltraTech, Shree Cement and Jaypee at a pan-India level.
The total installed capacity of cement in India is about 350 Mt. Domestic consumption, which stood at 242Mt in 2011 - 2012, was expected to increase to 265Mt in 2012 - 2013.
Building material production increases by 22% in Azerbaijan
20 January 2015Azerbaijan: Construction materials producers manufactured goods worth US$585m in 2014, some 22.2% more than in the same period of 2013, according to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee's report. During the period, Azerbaijan produced 2.98Mt of cement, a 40.5% increase compared to the same period of 2013 and 192,800t of gypsum, 23.3% more than in 2013.
Cement dispatches increase by 6% in six months
20 January 2015Pakistan: Cement dispatches during the six months that ended on 31 December 2014 increased by 6% to 17.1Mt, compared with dispatches of 16.1Mt during the corresponding period of 2013, according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).
"The most pleasant aspect of this growth is that it is led by domestic consumption, which increased by 9.10% during July - December 2014," said the APCMA.
Analysis of the dispatches revealed that the plants located in north of the country showed robust growth in domestic consumption, selling 10.9Mt in the domestic markets from July - December 2014 against 9.9Mt during same period of 2013, a 10.5% increase. The southern plants witnessed 2.4% growth in domestic dispatches, supplying 2.10Mt of cement to local markets from July - December 2014, compared to 2.05Mt during the same period of 2013.
Iran stops producing clinker for 30 days
19 January 2015Iran: Iran's cement plants have all stopped producing clinker for 30 days, as of 14 January 2015. Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official with Iran's Cement Producers Association, said that the country currently has 17Mt of clinker in store.
"We have stopped producing clinker in order to turn the current inventory to cement," said Sheykhan, adding that the country's need is only 10Mt until the end of the current Iranian calendar year on 20 March 2014. The Iranian oil ministry will pay US$7/t of cement to production plants to compensate for their loss. "Iran's current cement output is around 6.5Mt/month," said Sheykhan. "The country's need, however, is around 4.5 – 5Mt/month."
Iran exported nearly 9.25Mt of cement in the first eight months of the current Iranian year, which started on 21 March 2014. This is 8.5% lower compared to the same period in the previous year. Sheykhan had previously said that the insecurity in Iraq and reduction in the number of destination markets for Iran's cement are the major reasons behind the fall in exports.
"Azerbaijan was one of the major importers of Iran's cement, but the country has now reached self-sufficiency and reduced its imports from Iran," said Sheykhan. He named Russia and African countries as new markets for Iran's cement exports, adding that by taking the mentioned markets, Iran can increase its cement and clinker exports by 1.5Mt/yr.
JSW to boost cement capacity to 30Mt/yr by 2025
19 January 2015India: JSW plans to expand its cement production capacity to 30Mt/yr from 5Mt/yr by setting up grinding units closer to its steel plants. As part of its diversification, it is also considering the production of aluminium, if the government allocates bauxite mines to it.
Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director of JSW Steel, said that the company's presence in the cement business is small compared with other companies with 60 – 70Mt/yr of production capacity. JSW's plan is to become a significant player in the sector, with 30Mt/yr of production capacity by 2025, he added.
For instance, a grinding unit installed closer to the Dolvi steel plant in Maharashtra State could source clinker from Gujarat State, mix it with slag available from the plant and tap the vibrant western market. "Alternatively, we could also set up grinding units closer to the cement market and take our slag there," said Rao. "We would source clinker from the closest available location so that we remain competitive."
The Tamil Nadu State Government recently notified a scheme whereby cement companies are asked to quote their factory gate price. Contractors were given the price list to source cement for their projects. JSW Cement has also placed its bids under the scheme. "I believe that other State Governments will also emulate the Tamil Nadu Government model to make cement available for their projects at a competitive price without any subsidy," said Rao.