Displaying items by tag: GCW469

Turkey: Germany-based Körfez Engineering’s Körfez foundry in Dilovasi, Kocaeli Province, has announced that it is now exporting its cast steel products, including cement kilns, preheaters, clinker coolers and mills, to 70 countries spanning five continents. Exports account for 85% of sales. Foundry general manager Çağdaş Alan said, “We are proud to export to different geographies and to increase the number of countries we export to during this difficult period the world is going through. We hope to overcome this difficult period with the least loss for our business and the country.” He added, “We continue to invest in information technologies, develop our facilities in line with industry 4.0, and create a dynamic business environment with innovative trainings for continuous development of our expert staff.”

India: Aditya Birla subsidiary Grasim Industries recorded a loss of US$36.0m in the first-quarter of the 2021 financial year (1 April 2020 – 30 June 2020), compared to US$26.9m profit in the first quarter of the 2020 financial year. The company attributed this to a 61% year-on-year fall in sales to US$260m from US$668m due to ‘lower realisation and weak demand’ during coronavirus lockdown. Consolidated cement sales over the period were US$228m, down by 29% year-on-year from US$320m.

Uzbekistan: Uzbekqurilishmateriallari deputy chair Ulugbek Abrayev has said that Uzbek cement production capacity will total 20.0Mt/yr before 1 January 2021, up by 60% year-on-year from 12.5Mt at the start of 2020. Abrayev added that, due to growing demand, Uzbekistan will produce 14.5Mt in 2021, corresponding to 73% utilisation of projected capacity. A total of ten cement plant projects across eight of the country’s 12 regions are due for completion in 2020 and 2021.

China: China Tianrui Group Cement says that it has secured a loan worth US$14.4m. Reuters has reported that a Chinese bank granted the loan, which will support capital expenditure projects in the current fiscal year.

US: Mexico-based Cemex supplied 15,000t of cement to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, for the construction of a 3770m runway and taxiway by McCarthy Improvement Company. Replacing an existing runway, the new runway is the longest at Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport.

Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro said, “Infrastructure in the US needs improvements and updates so that Americans can remain connected and get where they need to go quickly, safely and efficiently. At Cemex, we are proud to securely support essential infrastructure projects that help achieve those goals and provide products that will enhance the experiences of travellers for years to come.”

South Africa: PPC has said that it may issue a rights offer for US$68.7m-worth of shares in order to raise funds to ‘repay and restructure debt locally and in other African markets, and to refinance after the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.’ Pretoria News has reported that PPC has forecasted a 20% year-on-year drop in earnings in the year to 31 March 2020 due to ‘a slump in domestic demand and an influx of cheaper Chinese imports, even prior to lockdown.’

India: Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech Cement said that it will spend US$200m in capital expenditure (CAPEX) during the 2021 financial year, which ends on 31 March 2021. The plans consist of a capacity expansion to 118Mt/yr from 115Mt/yr, including the completion of the 4.0Mt/yr Bara grinding plant in Uttar Pradesh and 1.2Mt/yr-worth of brownfield projects in Bihar and West Bengal. Solar and wind power capacity will increase to 350MW from 95MW, while waste heat recovery (WHR) capacity will increase to 185MW from 118MW.

Chair Kumar Birla said, “While 2021 will be a challenging year, Birla remains confident that the economy will revert to the 6 - 8% growth trajectory in 2022.”

Russia: Eurocement subsidiary Kavkazcement produced 0.89Mt of cement in the first seven months of 2020, up by 10% year-on-year from the corresponding period of 2019. General director Nikolay Muradov said, “Despite the difficult epidemiological situation in the region and in the country, Kavkazcement ensured the stability of production processes and increased production. This was made possible by product quality control and systematic work aimed at increasing efficiency at all stages of production, introducing advanced technologies and the high-quality servicing of equipment.”

Russia: Vostokcement subsidiary Teploozorsky Cement has engaged FLSmidth to complete two hot kiln alignments at its integrated Teploozorsky Cement plant in Oblu, Khabarovsk Krai following inspections. Vostokcement said that the plant’s second and third rotary kilns will need to undergo the process of adjustments to their axis and axial balance, in order to eliminate stresses to the kiln body.

Dominican Republic: Domestic cement production declined by 24% year-on-year to 2.1Mt in the first half of 2020 from 2.8Mt in the first half of 2019, corresponding to 62% capacity utilisation. Domestic consumption over the period also fell, by 20% year-on-year.