Displaying items by tag: Pakistan

Pakistan: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has conducted a search of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) headquarters in Lahore, Punjab Province as part of it investigation into alleged anticompetitiveness by cement producers. The Daily Frontier Star has reported that the aim of the search was “to gather evidence of possible communication, arrangement, agreement or understanding between cement producers pertaining to the alleged violation of the provisions of the Competition Act.” The CCP launched the investigation in May 2020 following a request from the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP).

Iran: Data from the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) shows that cement producers exported 5.85Mt of cement in the first five months of the local 2021 financial year, which began on 20 March 2020. The value of cement exports fell by 52% year-on-year to US$128m from US$266m, according to the Tehran Times newspaper. Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan were the top destination for the exports. Cement was also sent to India, Russia, Qatar, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, and Oman.

In its 2020 financial year Iran exported a total of US$7.0bn-worth of building materials and produced 85Mt of cement against a domestic consumption of 65Mt.

Pakistan: Bestway Cement has recorded a loss of US$157,000 in the 2020 financial year, which ended on 30 June 2020, compared to a US$80.3m profit in the 2019 financial year. Its net turnover declined by 31% year-on-year to US$224m form US$324m.

Group chair Sir Mohammed Pervez said, “Despite various challenges, it is a matter of great satisfaction that management’s proactive approach and preparedness meant that the company demonstrated resilience and remains in good financial health.”

Pakistan: The government of the Punjab has constituted a supervisory committee to present recommendations for easing the ‘complicated and lengthy’ processes surrounding the granting of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) in order for the establishment of cement plants. The News International has reported that Chief Minister Sardar Buzdar said, “Investors will be provided every facility and actions will be initiated against the officials concerned for any unnecessary delay.”

Pakistan: Fauji Cement recorded a net loss of US$354,000 in the 2020 financial year, which ended on 30 June 2020, compared to a profit of US$17.0m in the 2019 financial year. MarketScreener News has reported that sales fell by 18% year-on-year to US$103m from US$125m.

Pakistan: Cement dispatches increased by 5% year-on-year to 3.52Mt in August 2020 from 3.35Mt in August 2019. Domestic sales rose by 4.8% to 2.79Mt from 2.67Mt, while exports rose by 5.8% to 0.73Mt from 0.69Mt. Plants in northern Pakistan produced 2.49Mt of cement (52% of total production), while those in the South produced 2.35Mt (48%).

Pakistan: France-based Schneider Electric will provide a ‘comprehensive electrification solution’ to improve the efficiency and sustainability of cement production at DG Khan Cement’s 3.2Mt/yr integrated Hub cement plant in Karachi, Balochistan. The Nation Newspaper has reported that the supplier’s ECOStruxure product will give operators ‘a full view of energy use across the plant,’ according to the company. Additionally, “artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software will help the company to take a predictive approach to maintenance,” it said.

Hub cement plant general manager Arif Bashir said, “Our goal is to monitor and manage power across our infrastructure efficiently, find electrical faults sooner, fix issues quicker and achieve a faster return on investment. Schneider Electric’s energy efficiency solutions that will improve our performance.”

Pakistan: Lucky Cement’s profit for the 2020 financial year ended 30 June 2020 was US$19.9m, down by 68% year-on-year from US$62.4m in the 2019 financial year. The company recorded a 13% sales drop to US$249m from US$285m, which it said was due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan: Leading cement producers have said that prices will rise by 10% before 2021 if a reduction in Federal Excise Duty (FED) to US$5.95/t of cement from US$11.9/t does not materialise. DG Khan Cement owner Nishat Group chair Mian Mansha said, “Failing this, producers will take a US$119m total hit on revenues,” according to the Express Tribune newspaper.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement has appointed Khawaja Muhammad as its chairman. He succeeds Naheed Memon.