Displaying items by tag: GCW346

Saudi Arabia: Yanbu Cement has signed an agreement to export 1Mt of clinker and 0.5Mt of clinker for one year from 1 April 2018. The arrangement is expected to add around US$27m to the company’s revenue.

Oman: Raysut Cement has inaugurated a new packing unit at its Salalah cement plant. The upgrade doubles the plant’s packing capacity. This will allow the cement producer to export an additional 1Mt/yr of bagged cement to markets in Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere in East Africa. The company spent just under US$4m on the project.

Ukraine: Eurocement Ukraine has reduced its loss by 14% year-on-year to Euro4.47m in 2017. It nearly doubled its production to 1.12Mt of cement, according to Nezavisimy Stroitelny. Of this total 1.1Mt was shipped to consumers.

Nigeria: Cement Company of Northern Nigeria’s (CCNN) sales revenue rose by 39% year-on-year to US$54.7m in 2017 from US$39.3m in 2016. Its profit after tax more than doubled to US$9m from US$3.5m, according to This Day newspaper. However, its cost of sales also rose, by 18% to US$33.4m from US$28.3m.

Italy: Bedeschi has won an innovation award from Smau. The award was given to the bulk materials handling systems manufacturer for its use of virtual and augmented reality to display its products to customers at trade fairs. Bedeschi has worked with Airlapp to create 3D models and virtual reality simulations to allow it to visualise its models. Together the companies have used a smartphone app, Regiverse, to presents tours of its models that can be used on both Android and Apple iOS platforms.

China: China National Building Material’s (CNBM) revenue from its cement operations rose by 22% year-on-year to US$12.4bn in 2017 from US$10.1bn in 2016. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) rose by 27% to US$2.94bn from US$2.32bn.

Cement production volumes from the group’s four main divisions – China United, South Cement, North Cement and Southwest Cement – remained stagnant at 258Mt in 2017. However, the group’s cement production capacity for the four divisions was 411Mt/yr giving it a capacity utilisation rate of 63%. Overall the group said it had a cement production capacity of 525Mt/yr.

As well as following government-mandated structural reforms, including environmental changes and production peak shifting, CNBM said that China United started production at a new plant in Mongolia. North Cement completed a merger between its Harbin and Longbei subsidiaries. Southwest Cement completed a merger between Southwest Sichuan Cement and Chongqing Southwest Cement to form Chuanyu Southwest Cement.

China: Anhui Conch has spent over US$7.9m on a 50,000t CO₂ capture and purification pilot project at its Baimashan cement plant in Anhui province. The unit is scheduled to start operation in the first half of 2018. The group has started the project in order to participate in the government’s ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ CO₂ emission reduction initiative.

Philippines: Phinma Group has returned to the cement industry bringing its ‘Union Cement’ brand back to the market. Its cement production subsidiary, Philcement, is also building a new 2Mt/yr cement plant in Bataan, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. The new plant is expected to be operational in early 2019. No cost for the plant has been disclosed.

Phinma sold its majority interest in Union Cement in 2004 and the business eventually became part of Switerland’s Holcim. However, Phinma subsequently required the Union Cement trademark after Holcim Philippines abandoned it.

The cement producer’s head is Eduardo Sahagun, the former boss of Holcim Philippines from 2013 to 2017. At present Philcement is distributing cement from third parties.

Niger: Nouvelle Cimenterie de Niger (NCN) plans to start operation at its new US$90m integrated cement plant at Malbaza. Minister of Industry M Mallam Zaneidou Amirou visited the site to assess its progress, according to the Niger Inter Media Group. Work on the unit started in mid-2011 but was subsequently abandoned.

Egypt: Titan Cement Egypt is planning to spend US$8m towards building a 8MW solar power plant next to its Beni Suef cement plant. Surplus energy from the unit will be sold to the national grid, according to the Al Borsa newspaper. The project is at the bidding stage with contractors but the cement producer is believed to be in ‘advanced talks’ KarmSolar.