Displaying items by tag: India
Kochi set to emerge as cement hub with new terminals
28 October 2015India: With one more cement terminal set to commence operations in November 2015 on the port premises and two more in the pipeline, Kochi, Kerala is set to emerge as a major cement hub in south India.
Cochin Port Trust sources said that the number of cement terminals at the port would go up to three with the Zuari Cement terminal set to commence operations in November 2015. This is in addition to the UltraTech and Ambuja cement terminals in operation already. Penna Cement has begun construction works and decks have been cleared for Malabar Cements to begin work on its proposed terminal. All of the terminals, excluding one, would be capable of raising their throughput to 1Mt over the years, according to Port Trust.
These terminals will not only increase income for the financially-troubled Cochin Port Trust, but also generate substantial employment involving evacuation of the cargo out of Kochi to various parts of Kerala. For every 10,000t of cement imported, the Port Trust will earn up to US$230,714/yr in both vessel and cargo related charges.
Figures show that cement throughput at the Kochi port has grown substantially between 2010 - 2011 and 2014 - 2015. Cement throughput was 2.59Mt during 2010 - 2011. It has gone up to 7.03Mt during the 2014 - 2015 financial year. Cement throughput almost doubled from 3.11Mt during 2012 - 2013 to 6.04Mt during 2013 - 2014.
Jaypee Group revives talks with JSW to sell cement portfolio
26 October 2015India: To improve its finances, Jaypee Group has revived its negotiations with JSW to sell its entire 20 – 22Mt/yr cement portfolio. The top officials, including Manoj Gaur, Executive Chairman and CEO of Jaypee Group, met Sajjan Jindal, Chairman on JSW Steel, to discuss the acquisition. Jaypee Group has an outstanding debt of around US$11.6bn. The talks are still at early stage.
Amma Cement scheme sold 27,056t in the first nine months of 2015
26 October 2015India: The Tamil Nadu state government has sold 27,057t of Amma cement in the first nine months of 2015.
After cement prices started soaring on the open market, the state government decided to offer a bag of cement at a reduced price of US$2.93. Around 20,000t/month of cement is procured in bulk from major manufacturers for this purpose. Deserving beneficiaries can buy 250 bags of Amma cement for a 500ft2 house, 500 bags for 501 – 1000ft2 structure and 750 bags for structures of 1001 – 1500ft2. Some 10 - 100 cements bags can be obtained to carry out repair works. Beneficiaries for government schemes like 'Green House' and 'Indira Memorial Housing' are also provided with Amma Cement.
ACC’s third quarter 2015 net profit down by 40%
21 October 2015India: ACC has reported a 40% drop in its consolidated net profit to US$17.7m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2015 as it was hit by a sales decline and subdued prices. It had posted a net profit of US$29.5m during the same period of 2014.
ACC's total consolidated income fell marginally to US$428m in the July - September 2015 quarter from US$432m in the same period of 2014. Its total expenses grew to US$405m from US$395m in the 2014 quarter. ACC said that cement sales were poor during the July - September 2015 quarter and added that the pace of India's economic revival has been slower than expected. ACC's cement sales fell to 5.61Mt from 5.62Mt in the same period of 2014.
"With subdued construction activity in most of the monsoon season, the industry witnessed weak off-take of cement in the quarter. As a result, our cement volumes were correspondingly flat. Selling prices were subdued," said ACC. While sales here was almost flat, there was improvement in input and energy costs.
Dalmia Bharat Cement enters Karnataka to boost sales in south
20 October 2015India: Dalmia Bharat Cement expects to improve its share of cement sales from south India by entering the Karnataka market.
"As we enter the lucrative Karnataka market, we expect to do well. The southern region has already witnessed 1.2% growth over the last year compared to the industry's country-wide sales growth of around 5%," said Mahendra Singhi, Dalmia Bharat Cement's CEO.
Dalmia Bharat Cement has commenced operations at its US$200m, 2.5Mt/yr greenfield cement plant in Belgaum and launched its 'superior grade cement' in the Karnataka market. Karnataka accounts for 5% of the total Indian cement market. "The company has engaged 300 dealers in the region, who will be supported with end-to-end marketing, technical and logistics support," said Singhi.
The plant in Karnataka is Dalmia Bharat Cement's 11th manufacturing plant in the country, making it the third-largest cement group in India with 24Mt/yr capacity. "We have a strong market presence in super-specialty cements used for oil wells, railway sleepers and air strips and are the country's largest producer of slag cement," said Singhi.
India: Industries Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and IT Minister K T Rama Rao have held consultations with cement manufacturers in Hyderabad to discuss the supply of cement for white topping roads and other civil works.
White topping is considered a cost-effective and sustainable construction method. The advantage of white topping technology is the reduced thickness, reduced / zero maintenance, and long life of 25 - 30 years without maintenance. It has not been used previously due to the non-availability of cement and mechanised equipment. Using this technology, one inch of the existing road is scraped off, concrete with fibre is laid, sprayed with powder, curing and groove cutting is done to avoid cracks and expansions.
The plan is to lay 400 - 500km road in Hyderabad in two months. The meeting was called to negotiate on the cement prices. The Ministers requested the producers to re-consider and give a lower quote, keeping in view the high amount of work that is being taken up for roads, as well as construction of houses.
The IT Minister also stated that they intended to take this technology to districts and villages and in future would convert all roads from BT to CC Road with white-topping technology.
Orient Cement’s net profit falls by 35%
20 October 2015India: CK Birla's Orient Cement has reported a 35.4% year-on-year decline in its net profit to US$4.32m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2015 due to lower income and higher expenses and finance costs.
Orient Cement's net sales fell to US$54.7m in the quarter compared to US$59.2m in the same quarter of its previous fiscal year. The company's total expenditure rose to US$51m from US$49m in the same period of 2014.
As part of the growth plan to reach 15Mt/yr capacity by 2020, Orient Cement is setting up a 3Mt/yr capacity plant in Chittapur, Gulbarga for US$308m.
UltraTech Cement’s second quarter net profit up by 3%
20 October 2015India: Aditya Birla Group's UltraTech Cement has reported 3% year-on-year growth in its consolidated net profit at US$65.8m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2015, helped by increased sales and better operating margins.
UltraTech Cement's total income rose by 4% to US$927m in the quarter. Its domestic cement sales volume increased by 5% year-on-year. While operating costs were lower due to lower energy costs, the benefit was partially offset due to the District Mineral Foundation levy in terms of provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development) Amendment Act, 2015.
UltraTech said that its capital expenditure programme is on track. During the quarter, it commissioned a 1.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Jhajjar, Haryana and a 1.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Dankuni, West Bengal. "As a result, the cement capacity is enhanced to 64.7Mt/yr in India. The company also commissioned a 2Mt/yr bulk terminal on outskirts of Pune. With the further commissioning of a 5MW waste heat recovery system in Rawan, Chhattisgarh, power generation from waste heat recovery is augmented to 53MW," said the company in a statement.
UltraTech Cement expects cement demand to pick up in the October 2015 – March 2016 period. "With the governments' focus on infrastructure development, housing sector, smart cities and roads, among others, UltraTech Cement is well positioned across the country to meet the expected rise in demand and participate in the next phase of growth in the country," said UltraTech Cement.
Dalmia Cement eyes Goan market
19 October 2015India: Dalmia Cement Bharat plans to increase its market presence in Goa as part of its Indian expansion. The Goa market will be catered to by its newly-commissioned, US$201m, 2.5Mt/yr plant in Belgaum, according to M K Swaminathan, Executive Director - Sales.
Cement consumption in Goa is expected to receive a boost from ongoing infrastructure projects and demand will likely grow by 5 – 6% in the coming year. To grab a larger market share, Dalmia Cement has started beefing up its dealership network in the state through talks with 15 dealers initially. The company will support them with end-to-end marketing, technical and logistics support.
JK Lakshmi Cement to build 1.5Mt/yr grinding plant in Bihar
19 October 2015India: JK Lakshmi Cement has gained approval to establish a 1.5Mt/yr grinding plant with a 1000m3/day 10MW diesel generator (DG) set and autoclaved aerated concrete block unit in Kishanganj, Bihar for US$46.3m.
"Based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee, the Environment Ministry has given environmental clearance to JK Lakshmi Cement's proposed project in Bihar," said a senior Environment Ministry official.
The clearance was given with certain conditions. Among the conditions specified, JK Lakshmi Cement has been asked to develop a green belt in at least 33% of the area in and around the cement plant, as per the norms. The company has also been asked to install air monitoring devices, control secondary fugitive emissions and reduce the impact of transport of the raw materials and end products on the surrounding environment, among others.
JK Lakshmi Cement has more than 9Mt/yr of installed cement capacity in India. In the first quarter of its 2015-2016 fiscal year, the company reported a standalone net loss of US$3.62m due to the subdued market and higher costs, compared to a net profit of US$6.25m in the April - June period of the previous fiscal year.