Displaying items by tag: President

US: It is rumoured that the Trump administration is ‘rethinking’ a US$500m subsidy awarded to National Cement’s Lebec plant in California for a carbon capture and storage project, which had formerly been awarded by the previous Biden administration. The plans intend to make the plant California’s ‘first net zero cement plant’ in line with a 2021 state law to make all cement used in California be net-zero by 2045. It is expected to create 20-25 jobs.

"No final decisions have been made and multiple plans are still being considered," wrote government spokeswoman Andrea Woods in an email to press. She did not mention the cement plant project specifically, nor question the authenticity of a series of spreadsheets, reported on by the US press, which appear to show federal grants for decarbonisation projects that may be being reconsidered.

President Trump has expressed scepticism over his predecessor's focus on addressing climate change, including the use of public funds. National Cement says that it has not been contacted by the government about the project.

Paraguay: The Italian cement manufacturer Colacem has confirmed that it will start construction of a US$200m integrated 2Mt/yr cement plant in the district of San Alfredo, Concepción, Paraguay in early 2020. Representatives from Colacem, along with the Italian Ambassador to Paraguay and Paraguayan Minister for Industry and Commerce made the announcement at a meeting with Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benítez.

Paraguayan Minister for Industry and Commerce Liz Cramer said that the projected investment will benefit the entire northern area of the eastern region in terms of new jobs, incorporation of technology and environmental sustainability.

Construction will take three years and the plant will create 700 jobs during construction. There will be around 500 permanent positions, with a further 2000 indirect new jobs arising from the plant.

Italian ambassador to Paraguay, Gabriel Annis, said, "I thank the Government of Paraguay for its support and I confirm the support of my Government for this investment, which for us is fundamental and strategic.” He added that the investment includes technology transfer, social projects and care of the environment and said that he was confident that they will bring development for a Paraguayan region that needs economic injection.

Iran: President Hassan Rouhani has inaugurated the Mond-Dashti Cement plant. He made the inauguration remotely by video link, according to the Tehran Times newspaper. The unit had an investment of around US$90m and a cement production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. It has created over 170 jobs.

US: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it the policy of the federal government to buy goods locally, including cement, for infrastructure projects. The directive aims to strengthen the ‘Buy American and Hire American’ executive order issues in 2017 by giving a preference for raw materials manufactured in the US for use in government-backed projects.

In June 2016, the polls said that the UK would remain in the European Union (EU), but now we have the prospect of Brexit. Democrat supporters in the US now know how the UK's 'Remainers' feel. The unthinkable has happened: the so-called 'Deplorables' have taken over the asylum. Donald Trump has won the US presidential election and he will be the 45th US president, after confounding all the polls, the media, the analysts and the commentators. He'll be able to appoint a swathe of right-leaning office-holders, including a crucial replacement for the late Antonin Scalia on the US Supreme Court. This will change the direction of US law-making for years, possibly decades, towards a less-liberal and more conservative outlook.

Trump will also be aided by having Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and will actually be able to get things done. President Obama had to fight hard for eight years to achieve anything, and finally had to fall back on enacting laws by presidential dictat or 'Executive Orders.' 'The Donald' will not have to stoop so low, and once he takes office will effectively be 'sweeping with the wind.'

Trump looks set to change US policy in a number of areas, including being less conciliatory towards America's foes ("I'm going to bomb the s••t out of ISIS"), taxing imports and tearing up trade agreements and rolling back US environmental efforts (he has promised to abolish the US Environmental Protection Agency, to cancel the Paris climate change deal, to sanction more drilling for oil and to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline the fourth phase of which was recently rejected by President Obama). Who knows what else he has planned?

Well, one thing that we do know is that Trump's election is very probably great news for the US cement industry.

Early on in his victory speech, moments after receiving a telephone call from Hillary Clinton conceding defeat, Trump laid out the first step of his plan to 'Make America Great Again:' building US infrastructure. Trump said: "We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it." He didn't actually mention cement (nor did he mention a 'big beautiful wall'), but all of these projects will require plenty of cement and concrete. Whether they voted for him or not (and Trump noted that there are those 'who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people'), workers in the cement industry will be celebrating the prospect of fuller order sheets, higher prices, better profitability and more overtime. From a current GDP growth rate of around 1%, some have suggested a surge past 3%/yr and beyond during a Trump presidency. The crucial question, often overlooked, is "How are we going to pay for all this investment?" With the US debt heading towards US$20Tn, perhaps Trump's history as a Democrat - and all the tax-raising territory that comes with that position - might come in handy after all.

Trump has indicated that he's already looking to a second term ("I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years, or maybe even eight years...") based on what he might achieve in his first term. Well, let's see. Donald Trump's deeds now need to speak louder than Donald Trump's words.

US: Lehigh Hanson has named Jon Morrish as its new President and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 15 October 2015 to replace Daniel Harrington after 20 years with the company.

Harrington had been the president and CEO of Lehigh Hanson since 1 January 2010. Lehigh Hanson said in a press release that Harrington had helped lead the company through the economic downturn in 2008.

"Harrington's many contributions and industry knowledge played a key role in positioning the company for future growth," said Lehigh Hanson's press release.

Morrish will join the company's managing board in February 2016 and was appointed to the top post at Lehigh Hanson after being the President of the South Region. He has been with the company since 2009. Before being President of the South Region, Morrish was the Managing Director of the company's UK cement business.

Brazil: COO of Intercement Ricardo Lima has been appointed as company president. He replaces Jose Edison Franco. Lima and Franco have made a strategic company plan, which includes a US$250m investment in a new cement plant in Mozambique.