Displaying items by tag: Import
Chile: Cementos Bío Bío is to stop producing clinker at its Talcahuano cement plant. The cement producer has also laid off a third of its workforce, according to Pura Noticia. It now plans to import clinker from Asia instead, which it says, will reduce its production costs by US$19/t. The company started cement production at Talcahuano in 1961.
Qatar: Mohamed Ali al-Sulaity, the general manager of the Qatar National Cement Company, says that a blockade of the country by neighbouring states has not effected its cement production. Al-Sulaity said that the cement producer has secured supplies of raw materials and is importing gypsum and iron oxide from Oman, according to the Al Sharq newspaper. He added that bags are being imported from Kuwait.
The company says that it has a surplus of cement production and is able to meet the country’s demand. It plans to operate its 5000t/day kiln number 5 in September 2017 that will increase its clinker production capacity to 19,000t/day and its cement capacity to 21,000t/day.
Several Middle Eastern countries – including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – cut diplomatic links and implemented trade and travel embargos with Qatar in June 2017 over alleged links to terrorist groups and links to Iran.
Bhutan: A broken gearbox at a coal mill at the Penden Cement Authority plant in Gomtu has reduced its production. The plant has had intermittent mechanical issues with the gearbox in one of its two coal grinding mills since April 2017 leading to a breakdown in May 2017, according to the Kuensel newspaper. Then in June 2017 a similar problem occurred with the main drive gear in its other coal mill. The plant has been producing cement using imported clinker since then although it shut down completely for several days in late June 2017.
So far the cement producer has been unable to procure replacement parts. It has also been reported that the company has had difficulty importing clinker from India following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
India: The Delhi High Court has rejected an appeal by Dalmia Bharat in a coal import deal with Glencore that went wrong. The cement producer will now be required to pay US$4.3m in damages and US$0.27m in interest, according to the DNA newspaper. Dalmia Cement, part of Dalmia Bharat Group, originally arranged a deal to import coal in multiple consignments. However it later refused to accept some of the shipments citing poor quality. Glencore then won damages at an arbitration tribunal that ruled that Dalmia had breached its contract.
Bolivia: Cement producers have called for a ban of cement imported from Peru. The producers met and then asked government for the measure in order to protect the local industry, according to the El Mundo newspaper. They have also suggested that import tariffs be raised at the very least as well as other measures.
New Zealand: Holcim New Zealand has reported a loss of US$8.9m in 2016 as it changed its business from production to importation and distribution. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim made a profit of US$58m in 2015, according to the Business Desk news agency. Its distribution costs also rose to US$54m from US$45m. A company spokesperson attributed the rising distribution costs to a transition away from manufacturing.
The company’s results in 2016 benefited from its sale of its lime business to Canada’s Graymont. It also closed its Westport cement plant and invested in import terminals. It operates terminals in Auckland and Timaru and depots in Dunedin, Lyttelton, Nelson, Wellington and Napier.
Mexico: A delegation of the Mexican housing development and promotion chamber (Canadevi) in Baja California has warned that construction companies are considering increasing imports of cement due to the high price of the material in the local market. Jose Luis Padilla, president of Canadevi in the state, said that the chamber had asked LafargeHolcim and Cemex to stop rising prices, according to the El Financiero newspaper. He added that the price of cement rose by 32% year-on-year in 2016, by 15% in January 2017 and by 12% in July 2017. Padilla also said that the chamber and building material firms had signed an agreement to prevent prices rising above the level of inflation.
Nepal: Data from the Nepal Rastra Brank shows that the value of cement imports have doubled year-on-year to US$155m in the first 10 months of the current financial year from US$77m in the same period in 2015 – 2016. The surge in imports has coincided with a fall in the capacity utilisation rate of most cement plants to 60%, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. The fall in local production has been blamed on difficulties importing clinker, coal and other raw materials. Reduced electricity supplies have also affected production. The Cement Manufacturers Association of Nepal hopes that, if these impediments are reduced, the country could become self reliant in clinker within two years.
Israel: Danny Tal, the Trade Levies Commissioner at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, is investigating a claim that cement from Turkey and Greece is being dumped in the local market. The Melet Har Tuv Company originally made the claim to the ministry, according to the Globes business newspaper. In its claim Melet Har Tuv alleged that cement normally sold in Greece was being solid for about 85% of the value in Israel.
"The complainant has reasonably proved that it manufactures in Israel goods that are similar to the imported goods regarding the raw materials, manufacturing processes, physical attributes, marketing channels, the use and the treatment by consumers,” said Tal.
The country’s biggest cement producer Nesher supported the claim in April 2017 and this helped initiate the investigation. Data provided by Har Tuv to the Trade Levies Commissioner suggest that the market share the local cement companies have fallen following the increase of imports. Nesher’s market share fell to 65% from 75% and Melet Har Tuv’s share fell to 5.8% from 10%. It is alleged that LafargeHolcim is the main company ‘flooding’ the local market.
Fiji: Pacific Cement has stopped cement production due to a breakdown at its plant. Acting Prime Minister, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said that the cement producer stopped production in late May 2017, according to the Pacific News Agency Service. The government intends to allow people to import cement duty free, as long as it meets the AS3972 standard, in order to prevent a cement shortage.
Pacific Cement supplies about 80% of the market in Fiji and it operates the only integrated plant in the territory. The other local supplier in the market is Tengy Cement. Pacific Cement has also agreed to sell 24,000t of surplus clinker to Tengy Cement following government intervention.