Displaying items by tag: GCW606

India: UltraTech Cement has transported a shipment of 57,000t of phosphogypsum by coastal and inland waterways to its Gujarat plant at Kovaya in Amreli district. The subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group says this is the first operation of its kind in the country, according to Orissa Diary.

K C Jhanwar, the managing director of UltraTech Cement, said "The cement industry plays a pivotal role in driving the circular economy in India through the use of industrial and municipal waste in cement manufacturing. This industry-first initiative of UltraTech Cement in using inland and coastal waterways for transport of phosphogypsum will help to further strengthen the role of the cement sector in driving the circular economy in India."

The cement company sourced the phosphogypsum from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative and Paradeep Phosphates. Legacy stock of the by-product from fertiliser plants in the country are estimated to be about 70Mt.

Ireland/US: Albert Manifold, the chief executive officer of CRH, has described the company as a ‘de facto’ American company at it its annual general meeting. "This is a golden age of construction in the US," said Manifold, according to the Irish Times newspaper. He added that moving the group's main stock market listing to the US made it "more of an American company, which de facto we actually are". He also noted comments by US president Joe Biden in February 2023 that the country was planning “to buy American” as part of its infrastructure spending. North America accounted for 75% of the group’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in 2022 compared to around a half in the early 2010s.

CRH said in March 2023 that it was preparing to move its primary listing of shares to a US-based stock exchange.

North Korea: Upgrades to two cement plants have been reported by the Korean Central News Agency. The Sunchon cement plant near Pyongyang has installed a multi-channel pulverised-coal burner. The upgrade has allowed the unit to both save coal and increase cement production. The Chonnaeri cement plant in Hamgyongnam province has started operating a new clinker cooler. The companies supplying the new equipment to either plant have not been revealed.

Spain: Heidelberg Materials’ subsidiaries HeidelbergCement Hispania, Cementos Rezola and Hanson have rebranded as Heidelberg Materials. HeidelbergCement Hispania used the Hanson brand for the production and sale of concrete and aggregates. Cementos Rezola (also known as FYM) was used for the manufacture and sale of cement. The marketing exercise follows the change in name of parent company Germany-based Heildelberg Cement to Heidelberg Materials in September 2022.

Heidelberg Materials in Spain operates two integrated cement plants, six quarries and four ready-mixed concrete plants.

UK: Germany-based Beumer Group has opened a new local head office at Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire. The previous head office in the country, near London, will continue to operate as a satellite office.

David McGarry, the chief executive officer of Beumer Group UK, said “The opening of the new UK head office reinforces our strong partnership and commitment to our customers in the UK and Ireland, this will enable us to provide an even more seamless service to support them in their continued growth investing in local expertise in the long term.”

Beumer Group sells products for conveying, loading, palletising, packaging, sortation and baggage handling.

India: Dalmia Bharat says its has executed definitive agreements with Jaiprakash Associates to buy cement, clinker and power plants. The latest part of the acquisition process has cleared Dalmia Bharat to buy the JP Super Cement plant in Uttar Pradesh for US$183m, subject to various clearances and approvals. In addition, Dalmia Bharat has also agreed to buy a 74% share of Bhilai Jaypee Cement for an enterprise value of US$81m and is in the process of signing a seven-year lease agreement with Jaiprakash Power Ventures for its 2Mt/yr Nigrie Cement grinding plant in Madhya Pradesh. Dalmia Bharat will have the option to purchase the Nigrie unit anytime within the lease period for an enterprise value of around US$30m.

Dalmia Bharat agreed to buy selected assets from Jaiprakash Associates for US$684m in December 2022. Cement and grinding plants under the deal are situated in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the deal in February 2023.

India: Mahendra Singhi, the head of Dalmia Cement (Bharat), says that the company has past the peak of commodity price inflation. Its income from operations grew by 10% year-on-year to US$1.66bn in the 2023 financial year from US$1.38bn in the 2022 financial year. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 5% to US$283m from US$297m. Its sales volumes of cement increased by 16% to 26Mt from 22Mt.

Mahendra Singhi, the managing director and chief executive officer of Dalmia Cement (Bharat), said “Our persistent efforts, on enhancing sustainability of our operations and rationalisation of our operating costs, have enabled us to mitigate the adverse impact of inflation and deliver stable earnings performance.” He added “With robust demand outlook, steady cement prices and the peak of commodity price inflation behind us, we are expecting profitability to gradually improve from here on.”

Sustainability targets that the group promoted in its fourth quarter results statement included reaching a carbon footprint of 463kgCO₂/t of cement. Its renewable energy capacity increased to 166MW in the 2023 financial year from 100MW.

Australia: Adbri says that the cost of an upgrade at its Kwinana grinding plant is now estimated to be US$255 – 277m following an engineering design, schedule and budget review. The original estimate for the project in December 2020 was US$130m. The cement producer has blamed the increase in cost on mounting construction costs, a labour shortage and supply chain issues. Commissioning for the upgrade remains scheduled for the second quarter of 2024 with full operation forecast for the third quarter.

Adbri’s chief executive officer Mark Irwin said, “While we are disappointed the project cost is materially higher than initially forecasted, we remain confident the Kwinana Upgrade will support solid returns over the long term. The project continues to have a positive net present value. We have used this review period to also strengthen our project delivery team, adding experience and capability.” He added “The consolidation of Adbri’s two existing cement production sites in Western Australia into a single, world class facility at Kwinana positions Adbri to take advantage of continued growth in the local market. We also expect to deliver greater operational savings than originally forecasted.”

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has opened a new terminal in Fortaleza. The 19,000m² unit replaces a previous site in the city in Ceará state. The new terminal location is close to a railway line operated by Ferrovia Transnordestina Logística (FTL) to support logistics. It will supply the northeastern market with cement from the Poty brand and adhesive and mortars from the Votomassa product line. Sustainability features of the new terminal include a recycling system for the water used to wash forklift trucks.

Votorantim Cimentos operates two integrated cement plant in Ceará, at Sobral and Pecém respectively, as well as three terminals.

Ethiopia: Berenta Cement has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China-based Sinoma Cement to build a cement plant at Shebele Berenta in Amhara region. The two companies will form a joint venture to work on the unit, according to the Ethiopian News Agency. The regional government will support the initiative. The wider scope of the project also includes plans to supply products and services such as gypsum, gypsum wallboard, glass and glass fibre.