Displaying items by tag: Pakistan

Pakistan: Total cement despatches in February 2025 reached 3.6Mt, marking a 10% increase from 3.27Mt in February 2024, according to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).

Domestic cement sales rose by 7% year-on-year to 3.1Mt, compared to 2.9Mt in February 2024. However, growth remained below expectations following a 12% month-on-month increase in January 2025. Exports increased by 34%, rising to 0.53Mt from 0.4Mt in the same month last year. In the first eight months of the current financial year, total cement despatches, including domestic and exports, stood at 30.4Mt, a slight 0.45% decline from 30.6Mt in the previous year. Domestic despatches dropped by 6% year-on-year to 24.5Mt, while exports increased by 32% to 5.9Mt from 4.5Mt.

Pakistan: Cement exports rose by 5% year-on-year to US$188m in the first seven months of the 2024 financial year, while volumes increased by 35% year-on-year to 5.27Mt, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The country's cement exports grew by 40% year-on-year to US$20.6m in January 2025, but fell by 35% month-on-month from US$31.9m in December 2024. This suggests strong international demand, accompanied by short-term fluctuations in global shipments.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based Qing Gong Construction Group to build a 5000t/day production line. They concluded the deal during a state visit by President Asif Ali Zardari to China, according to the Radio Pakistan. Other agreements were also signed in sectors including renewable energy.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement’s has increased its cement dispatches in the first half of its financial year despite a general reduction in the local market. Its cement despatches grew by 12% year-on-year to 254,000t in the six months to 31 December 2024 from 226,000t in the same period in 2023. The company’s net sales rose by 23% year-on-year to US$13.9m in the six months to 31 December 2024 from US$11.3m in the same period in 2023. It attributed this to a “…substantial increase in the retention price.” Its profit after tax tripled to US$4m from US$1.3m.

The cement producer said that it installed a 5MW solar power plant during the reporting period. It also expects to complete a 4.8MW wind farm in early 2025. The company started operating a new pre-crushing system for its cement grinding mills, supplied by Sinoma-Liyang Heavy Machinery, in mid-January 2025.

Pakistan: Cement exports have increased by 23% to US$167m from July to December 2024, compared to US$136m in the same period of 2023, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Export volumes rose by 34% from 3.51Mt to 4.69Mt. In December 2024, exports grew by 45% year-on-year to US$31.9m, up from US$22m in December 2023. The data also showed a 3% month-on-month rise in December 2024 compared to November 2024.

Pakistan: Attock Cement has commissioned a 4.8MW wind turbine project at its Hub site, it stated in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The company says that the project aligns with its commitment to sustainable cement production and aims to reduce power costs.

Pakistan: December 2024 saw mixed results for cement despatches, according to data published by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association. Local despatches declined by 5% year-on-year, falling to 3.37Mt from 3.54Mt in December 2023. Overall, total cement despatches for December 2024 stood at 4.15Mt, up by 2% from 4.06Mt year-on-year. For the first half of the fiscal year, total despatches decreased by 4% to 22.9Mt. Domestic despatches saw a significant drop of 10%, totalling 18.1Mt. Exports, however, witnessed a 32% increase, reaching 4.81Mt during this period. In December 2024, exports reached 0.78Mt, a 49% year-on-year increase from 0.53Mt in December 2023.

Pakistan: Lebanon's Pharaon Investment Group Limited is reportedly considering the sale of its 84% stake in Attock Cement Pakistan, according to Pakistan Today. The holding company recently announced that it was re-evaluating its long-term strategic options in Pakistan, which also include Attock Petroleum, Attock Oil Company and Attock Refinery.

Attock Cement has been 'battered' by low demand in the Pakistani cement industry in recent years, following a period of expansion in the early 2010s. It produced 0.31Mt of cement in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year (to 30 September 2024), an 11% year-on-year fall from 0.35Mt a year earlier.

Pakistan: In November 2024, there was a 6% increase in total cement despatches, reaching 4.15Mt compared to 3.93Mt in November of the previous fiscal year, according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).

Local cement despatches during November 2024 were 3.34Mt, reflecting a 2% year-on-year increase from 3.27Mt in November 2023. Exports rose by 21% year-on-year, from 662,374t in November 2023 to 803,258 tonnes in November 2024. However, the first five months of the current fiscal year saw a 5% decline in total cement despatches, amounting to 18.8Mt, down from 19.8Mt during the same period last fiscal year. Domestic despatches fell by 12% to 14.8Mt, while exports experienced a 29% year-on-year increase, reaching 4.02Mt.

An APCMA spokesperson noted that domestic cement sales could improve if the government reduced duties and taxes, which would lower consumer costs and boost demand, helping to utilise the sector's idle capacity.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement has appointed Muhammad Owais as its chief financial officer. He succeeds Muhammad Abid Khan in the role. Khan will continue to work at the cement producer as company secretary. Owais has worked for Thatta Cement in a variety of managerial finance roles since 2020, apart from a brief period with ready-mixed concrete company Allied Materials in mid-2023. Prior to this he worked for Deloitte Pakistan.