Displaying items by tag: Plant
UniCem to suffer US$45.2m losses in 2015
20 May 2015Nigeria: The management of United Cement Company of Nigeria (UniCem) has disclosed that the company will suffer losses totalling US$45.2m in 2015 due to the economic downturn currently affecting Nigeria, including devaluation of the Naira.
"The devaluation of the Naira impacts negatively on our business because most of our transactions, like procurement of spares and materials, payment of some of contractors (Macmahon and CBMI), energy cost and servicing of foreign creditors, are basically US$-denominated. Cumulatively, we will have a revenue loss of US$45.2m in 2015 due the devaluation of the Naira," said managing director Olivier Lenoir.
The construction of the line II project at Mfamosing, Akamkpa in Cross River State is on course and will provide employment for hundreds of workers. "This project will at peak employ a total manpower of 1915. At this moment the manpower working in the project is 1290. The operations will determine what the manpower need will be when we handover the project," said Lenoir. "The captive power plant is 85% complete and the civil construction of the second line is at 38%." He added that the major challenges in the project are non-technical and include high level of malaria infection, heavy rainfall and customs clearance problems. Lenoir said that, despite these hitches, UniCem is optimistic that the project will be completed on schedule by September 2016.
Philippines: Cemex has announced that it is undertaking a new US$300m investment in the Philippines. The new investment will include the construction of a new 1.5Mt/yr integrated cement production line at its Solid Plant in Luzon. This will double the capacity of the Solid plant and will represent a 25% increase in its cement capacity in the Philippines.
"We see a positive outlook in the business environment and we are committed to be a reliable cement supplier given the growing need for high quality building materials required for public infrastructure, commercial projects and housing," said Fernando A Gonzalez CEO of Cemex.
Earlier this month, Cemex Philippines officially inaugurated the completed capacity expansion in its APO plant in Cebu, as well as a network of logistics centres in Visayas and Mindanao. The US$80m investment increased Cemex's cement production capacity in its APO plant by 40% and helped improve distribution capabilities with additional terminals in Iloilo and Davao.
"We are preparing our facilities for the increasing demand in the Philippines, reiterating our commitment to supporting the development of the country," said Joaquin Estrada, president of Cemex Asia. "We endeavour to be a partner of the Philippine government and the business community in ensuring growth and progress."
In addition, Cemex Philippines has set up a US$18.6m waste heat recovery (WHR) unit that will capture the excess heat in one of its cement production facilities to produce usable electricity. Cemex Philippines already uses alternative fuels like rice husks and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as part of its fuel mix to minimise energy costs.
Cimerwa launches new corporate identity brand
12 May 2015Rwanda: Cimerwa has unveiled its new corporate identity and product packaging. The new identity uses bold blue 32.5 bags and bright red 42.5 bags.
"We have moved from the previous green to a bold blue reflecting the refreshing nature of the business as we go through a rebirth and repositioning of Cimerwa. The previous logo was a closed diamond; the new logo is open, symbolising the bright future of the company and the journey we will be making together towards the top," said Legodi Busisiwe, Cimerwa CEO.
Cimerwa is finalising work on its new state-of-the-art production facility in Bugarama, Rusizi. The plant, which will boost Cimerwa's manufacturing capacity by six times, will commence production early in the second half of 2015. When fully operational, the plant's production capacity will increase from the current 100,000t/yr to 600,000t/yr.
Legodi said that construction of the plant in Bugarama is now complete and is undergoing structured tests in line with global best practice in the cement manufacturing sector. "The testing phase, which is the most important in preparing the plant for production, will take at least two months. Our aim is to certify that the new plant operates efficiently and effectively when it is running fully and produce a quality cement to meet Rwanda's growing demand," said Busisiwe.
According to Francois Kanimba, the minister for trade and industry, Rwanda's industrial and construction sectors are expected to register strong performances by the end of 2015. "Construction and real estate are key sectors and potential major drivers of future economic growth in Rwanda, mainly due to the high demand for residential and commercial buildings," said Kanimba. "Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board puts total housing needs in Kigali alone at 458,265 dwelling units. The government is keen to develop home-grown industries that will offer locally-made, world class products and, in the process, reduce the large bill we spend on imports."
India: Dalmia Cement has commissioned its 7000t/day greenfield cement plant, 5000t/day clinker plant and a coal-based power plant at Yadwad, Belagavi, Karnataka. Out of the total 40MW of power production capacity, 27MW has been commissioned and the remaining capacity will be commissioned in the future.
Cemex opens US$67 cement mill in Cebu
05 May 2015Philippines: Cemex Philippines has recently completed a US$67.3m cement mill at its Apo cement plant in Naga, Cebu as part of its comprehensive expansion plan in the country. The mill increases the capacity of the Cemex Apo plant by 1.5Mt/yr and Cemex's production capacity in the Philippines by 40%.
"We in Cemex are proud improving the standards of life of the people, proud of producing and distributing valuable products and services and doing it in a way that has a positive impact to our communities," said Pedro Palomino, Cemex Philippines president. Aside from the cement mill in Cebu, Cemex Philippines has also finished the construction of new marine distribution terminals located in Manila, Iloilo and Davao amounting to a total of US$22.4m.
CSN Cimentos to build two new cement plants in Brazil
30 April 2015Brazil: CSN Cimentos plans to invest US$608m towards building two new cement plants in Arcos and Romaria in Minas Gerais. The next step is for a letter of intention to be signed by state and municipal authorities, according to local media. Additionally, CSN's existing cement plant in Volta Redonda will be upgraded with a new clinker kiln and three mills. The plants cement production capacity will be increased by 2.4Mt/yr to 5.4Mt/yr.
Ota pozzalana cement plant to be commissioned says Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute
29 April 2015Nigeria: A pozzalana cement pilot plant in Ota, Ogun State is to be commissioned following the installation of the plant. The plant is the first of its kind in Nigeria that can process pozzolana and it is being run by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI).
The NBBRI has coordinated with the Director of Building and Road Research in Ghana on the project through exchange programmes. Two pozzalana cement plants are being built in Nigeria, in Ota, Ogun and Bokkos, Plateau respectively.
Ghana: Savanna Diamond Cement Co has launched operations of a 0.44Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Buipe, in northern Ghana. President John Mahama officially inaugurated the US$90m project, according to local media. The new plant uses limestone from Buipe. The plant holds a partnership with state power company GRIDCo with a 25MW substation from which 7MW is used by the cement plant and the remaining 18MW is used by the local community. Diamond Cement also owns two other cement plants in the country.
Dangote Cement to start Ethiopian production in May 2015
20 April 2015Ethiopia: Dangote Cement's new cement plant in Ethiopia will open in May 2015. Minister of Mines, Tolosa Shagi visited the plant and commented that new plants and upgrades to existing plants will enable Ethiopia to meet local demand, according to local media. The new cement plant in Oromia cost US$400m and it will have a cement production capacity of 2.5Mt/yr making it one of the largest in East Africa.
Currently, cement demand in Ethiopia is estimated to be around 7 – 8Mt/yr with cement production at 5.4Mt/yr. Once fully operational the Dangote Cement plant is hoped to raise the country's cement production to 8Mt/yr.
US: Lafarge and Holcim have announced further details on the package of assets that they propose to divest in the US as part of their planned merger to create LafargeHolcim. The divestments include:
- Lafarge's 1.1Mt/yr Davenport cement plant in Iowa and seven terminals along the Mississippi River. The units will be sold to Summit Materials for US$450m in cash plus Summit's Bettendorf, Iowa cement terminal;
- Holcim terminals in Michigan and Illinois;
- Holcim Skyway 600,000t/yr slag grinding station in Illinois;
- Holcim Camden 700,000t/yr slag grinding station in New Jersey, along with a terminal in Massachusetts.
The proposed divestments have been negotiated with the staff of the Federal Trade Commission and remain subject to review and approval by the commission. The divestments will be completed subject to acceptance by the commission and to the closing of the merger between Holcim and Lafarge.