Displaying items by tag: Production

Vietnam: Vietnam produced 149Mt of cement between January and October 2024, up by 1.7% year-on-year. In October 2024, production was 16Mt, marking a rise of 7.1% from October 2023. Total production in 2023 was 120Mt, down by 4.5% year-on-year.

Zimbabwe: The government is looking at consolidating limestone deposits as part of the new Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan. This plan aims to increase domestic clinker production so that ‘costly’ clinker imports are reduced, according to The Zimbabwean newspaper. The government hopes that the consolidation plan will stabilise the raw material supply chain, providing cement manufacturers with a steady source of limestone to meet demand without production interruptions. Zimbabwe’s cement industry reportedly has an installed capacity of 2.6Mt/yr, but only produces 1.65Mt/yr, with imports exceeding US$59m in 2023. The national demand is estimated at 1.8Mt/yr.

In order to support domestic production, the plan recommends increasing the cement import licence fee from US$100 to US$500 per 30t and reducing the electricity tariff from US$0.16/kWh to US$0.10/kWh.

Spain: Cement consumption in Catalonia slightly decreased by 0.6% year-on-year in September 2024, totalling 151,157t, according to the employers’ association Ciment Català. The association has confirmed stabilisation of the cement market, following a decline that started in November 2022. In the first nine months of 2024, consumption stood at 2.1Mt, down by 4.3% from the same period in 2023. However, cement production saw a 15% increase in September 2024, to 271,718t. Production in 2024 dropped slightly by 0.3% year-on-year to 3.31Mt. Exports of cement and clinker in September 2024 remained stable, with a marginal increase of 0.3%, amounting to 144,601t. In 2024, exports declined by 25% to 1.5Mt.

Ciment Català said that the industry is shifting towards decarbonisation and that "industrial projects associated with sustainability involve extraordinarily high investments", according to Via Empresa News.

Peru: National cement dispatch fell by 2% year-on-year to 1.06Mt in September 2024, according to a report by ASOCEM, the cement manufacturers’ association of Peru. Cement production rose slightly by 0.2% year-on-year to 997,000t, while clinker production dropped by 19% to 661,000t. Cement exports declined by 1% year-on-year to 11,500t, and clinker exports decreased by 45% to 37,400t. However, cement imports increased by 0.5% compared to September 2023 to 21,000t, and clinker imports rose by 34% to 84,000t.

Kyrgyzstan: Cement production in Kyrgyzstan reached 2.06Mt between January and August 2024, marking a 2% increase from 2.02Mt during the same period of 2023. 375,000t of cement was produced in August 2024, marking an 18.7% increase compared to August 2023.

Bolivia: Bolivia recorded a 2.7% year-on-year increase in cement production and sales in August 2024. According to the National Statistics Institute, production reached 2.6Mt from January - August 2024, up from 2.53Mt in the same period in 2023. Santa Cruz produced 699,062t of cement, followed by La Paz with 679,317t, Chuquisaca with 510,841t, Cochabamba with 384,329t, Oruro with 214,660t and Tarija with 150,068t.

Marcelo Morales, general manager of Itacamba Cemento, noted a year-on-year increase of 3% in domestic demand, with 2.6Mt of cement consumed as of August 2024, saying that the growth was positive ‘considering the current economic situation’.

General manager of the Bolivian Institute of Cement and Concrete, Marcelo Alfaro, also mentioned that Santa Cruz, La Paz and Cochabamba collectively account for about 70% of cement sales in Bolivia, according to La Razón newspaper. The cement industry's installed capacity reportedly stands at 10Mt/yr and the country is facing challenges exporting cement, as neighbouring countries already produce their own.

Vietnam: According to data from the General Statistics Office, Vietnam produced 134.5Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2024, marking a 2% rise year-on-year. In September 2024, the country's cement output reached 15.3Mt, up by 9% compared to September 2023.

Egypt: Starting in October 2024, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources will centralise distribution of mazut to cement plants to ensure continued operations amidst the country's power shortages. Deputy PM Kamel El Wazir announced the plan, responding to requests from cement producers for a reliable fuel supply to maintain the stable production and distribution of cement.

Cement plants are required to submit a report on quarry material prices over the past three years, highlighting price increases and their impact on the industry. The Cement Division of the Building Materials Industry Chamber also requested consistent export support payments, the extension of investor rights to quarry resources, and the testing of pozzolanic cement for standard compliance.

Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated the Lemi National Cement Factory, built by a joint venture between West International Holding, the African arm of West China Cement, and East African Holding Company. With a production capacity of 15,000t/day, this facility is now reportedly the largest in Ethiopia, according to Xinhua news. Located 150km north of the capital city of Addis Ababa in the Lemi Building Materials Industrial Park, the project cost US$600m.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said "The project exemplifies the swift and efficient delivery of crucial infrastructure. Congratulations to all those involved in realising this important project, which now produces 50% of the cement made by plants across the country."

Jamaica: Senator Aubyn Hill, minister of industry and commerce, has reported an 8% month-on-month decline in cement production from January to August 2024, citing scheduled maintenance at Caribbean Cement Company as a partial cause. The maintenance took place from 12 August to 3 September 2024. Alongside the production drop, there was also a decrease in total domestic sales during the same period. Senator Hill has urged cement importers to utilise quotas issued by his Ministry to mitigate the industry shortfall.