Displaying items by tag: Lithuania
Akmenes Cementas about to complete modernisation project at Naujoji Akmene cement plant
28 October 2013Lithuania: Akmenes Cementas, Lithuania's only cement manufacturer, is about to complete the modernisation of its Naujoji Akmene cement factory in northwestern Lithuania. It's claimed to be one of the biggest industrial projects implemented in the country since restoration of independence. A new clinker manufacturing line, which cost around Euro107m, should begin operation late in November or early in December 2013, barring delays. The line should operate for around 50 years and investments are expected to be covered within a decade. The company used it's own funds to finance the bulk of investments, while banks provided around one-third of the total funding.
"Representatives of equipment suppliers are visiting the facility now. They are checking, fine tuning, testing the equipment and adjusting the programmes. We keep our fingers crossed and hope that everything goes smoothly," said Arturas Zaremba, CEO of Akmenes Cementas.
Lithuania: The Competition Council has blocked a sale of 51% of shares in Akmene Cement to the Betoneta group. The regulator concluded that the market share, which the potential buyer would obtain after the takeover, would be too large.
Subsequently, Concretus Materials, which sought to acquire 51% of Akmenes Cementas' shares and which, according to the panel, is part of Betoneta group, said that it had withdrawn its application for regulatory clearance and cancelled the deal on the acquisition of the cement manufacturer's shares.
Mexican cement group Cemex owns a 33.95% stake in Akmenes Cementas. Other shareholders include Simonas Vytis Anuzis with 13.67%, Olius Danyla with 13.55%, Arnoldas Mituzas with 12.76% and Edmundas Montvila with 9.8%.
Concretus Materials to buy up to 51% of Akmene Cement
02 January 2013Lithuania: Concretus Materials is planning to buy up to 51% of shares in the cement manufacturer Akmene Cement. According to the regulator Concretus Materials applied to the Lithuanian Competition Council on 27 December 2012 for approval of the deal.
The Mexican cement giant Cemex owns a 33.95% stake in Akmenes Cementas. Other shareholders included Simonas Vytis Anuzis with 13.67%, Olius Danyla with 13.55%, Arnoldas Mituzas with 12.76% and Edmundas Montvila with 9.8%.
Akmenes Cementas is currently implementing a modernisation project, worth Euro101m, moving to a dry production process. The company expects to complete its new production line in mid-2013. The producer's annual revenue rose year-on-year by 37% in 2011 to Euro63.1m as cement sales increased by 19% to nearly 984,000t/yr. in 2011 Lithuania remained its biggest market, accounting for 55% of the total sales. Akmenes Cementas's cement plant is located in Naujoji Akmene, in north-western Lithuania.
Exports drive 10% sales growth at Akmene Cement
03 October 2012Lithuania: Akmenes Cementas, Lithuania's biggest cement producer, is operating almost at full capacity as its strategy to push exports has provide successful. For 2012 Akmenes Cement is aiming for at least a 10% increase in annual sales and a rise of around 15% in revenues thanks to growing exports.
"Today we rely on exports for growth," said Akmenes Cementas CEO Arturas Zaremba. He added a forecast that cement consumption in Lithuania will decline by 5% in 2012.
Akmenes Cementas expects that its Euro101.4m modernisation project will further aid its efforts to gain a foothold in export markets. A new dry production line increasing the plant's capacity to 1.5Mt/yr is due to be completed in mid-2013. This line should reduce fuels costs by almost one third. Two existing lines, with a capacity of over 1Mt/yr, will then be decommissioned.
Akmene Cement takings rise by 22% in first half
21 August 2012Lithuania: Akmene Cement, Lithuania's only cement manufacturer, has posted a revenue of Euro30.3m for the first half 2012, a 22% increase from Euro24.7m in the same period in 2011. The company's cement output rose by 7%, to 423,000t from 396,000t. Akmene has not disclosed its profit for the 2012 period.
"The demand in the export countries is more or less similar to that of 2011. We are exporting slightly more to Belarus," said Akmene Cement representative, Giedre Kundrotiene. In 2011 the company's revenue grew by 37%, year-on-year, to Euro62.8m. Volume sales rose by 19%, to nearly 984,000t.
Akmenes Cementas has completed 60% of an upgrade project worth Euro101m to shift from wet to dry cement production. Work is expected to be finalised by the middle of 2013 at the plant located in Naujoji Akmene, in north-west Lithuania.
Japanese firm scoping out Akmenes
04 April 2012Lithuania/Japan: Japan's Shimizu Corporation, seen as a prospective general contractor of Lithuania's planned new nuclear power plant, has shown interest in Akmenes Cementas, the only cement manufacturer in the Baltics.
Akmenes reported that representatives from the Japanese corporation were informed about the types and quality of cement, as well as delivery methods and supply terms, during their visit to the Akmenes factory in north west Lithuania on 28 March 2012.
Lithuanian producer to be affected by EU Belarus ban
28 March 2012Lithuania: Akmene Cement, Lithuania's only cement producer, says it will be affected by the European Union's sanctions against Belarus. Previously the producer sold cement to the Belarusian company Triple, owned by oligarch Yury Chyzh, which has been affected by the blacklist.
"We discussed it today at our company. It is hard to say what it is going to be like now," Arturas Zaremba, head of Akmenes Cementas, stated. "I do not know myself how those sanctions would work. Does it mean that we will not be able to maintain any business relations with them? We will need to clear that up."
EU foreign ministers decided to impose sanctions against 29 Belarus companies and 12 individuals related with Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Akmenes Cementas exported around 70,000t of cement to Belarus in 2011.
Akmenes reports improved in 2011
14 February 2012Lithuania: Akmenes Cementas, Lithuania's only cement manufacturer, posted a revenue of Euro63.2m for the whole of 2011, a rise of 37% compared to the Euro46.4m it took in 2010. Cement sales increased by 19% to nearly 0.98Mt.
Lithuania accounted for 55% of the company's sales, with sales rising by 14% year-on-year to 0.54Mt. Sales in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad rose by 25% to 0.18Mt, or 19% of total sales, while sales in Belarus fell by 25% to 71,000t. Its sales in EU countries surged by 67% to 185,000t.
Akmenes Cementas is in the process of implementing its biggest-ever production modernisation project, worth Euro101m, which involves shifting from wet to dry cement production.
Akmenes Cementas posts solid upturn in revenue
27 October 2011Lithuania: Akmenes Cementas, Lithuania's only cement manufacturer, posted Euro47.5m in revenue for the nine months from 1 January 2011 to 30 September 2011, a rise of 38% from Euro37.8m litas in the same period of 2010. Its cement sales increased by 23% to 743,000t and production output was up by 21% to 740,000t, according to the company's public relations officer Richardas Sudaris.
Its sales in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad rose by 21% to 133,000t and sales in Belarus were up by 8.6% to 63,000t but sales in Latvia remained weak, at a mere 1000t. Exports to other EU countries almost doubled, increasing to 144,000t.