Displaying items by tag: Qatar
Qatar: The Qatari Investors Group has appointed Faisal Abdulla al-Mana as the managing director of its subsidiary, Al Khalij Cement Company. Al-Mana was elected as member of the board of directors of the group in 2011. He has also been the vice chairman of Redco Construction Company since 2004.
It is hoped that his appointment will bring about further progress and prosperity, enhancing confidence and further development within the cement company. He brings a wealth of experience in the sector, which plays an important role Qatar's economic development, according to an Al Khalij spokesman.
Qatari Investors Group chairman Abdulla bin Nasser al-Misnad expressed optimism and confidence in al-Mana's abilities and visions, as his performance as one of the members of the board of directors of the Qatari Investors Group had been 'outstanding'.
Massive cement growth ahead for Qatar
23 May 2012Qatar: A new report by Commerical bank Capital has forecast massive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for cement consumption in Qatar, one of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East. Investment in Qatar's construction sector on the back of what the report termed 'strong economic fundamentals' will trigger demand for cement, with a forecast CAGR of 12% to 2015.
Qatar's current production capacity stands at 6.2Mt/yr, which meets the country's existing demand. However, Commercial bank Capital expects consumption to peak in 2013 and 2014. The majority of Qatar's large-scale projects that are planned or under construction will be completed by 2015.
The report said that Qatari companies would be 'unlikely' to be able to match the impending demand, meaning that it will have to seek cement imports, likely to come from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Cement producers in Qatar are planning to further expand their capacity in preparation for anticipated massive investment in the country's construction sector. The majority of construction activities will be in relation to infrastructure upgrade and real estate developments. Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC), already the country's largest cement producer with a market share of around 70%, is going to add 0.93Mt/yr to take its capacity to 5.36Mt/yr in the coming years.
"The Cement price in Qatar has been stable as it is controlled by the government," the report said. "Going forward, we do not expect any volatility in the cement price and believe that it will continue to remain stable at current levels."
GCC cement sector revenue jumps 14.2%
27 March 2012Kuwait: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cement companies have emerged from two years of decline following the credit crisis with a strong 14.2% increase in revenue, according to a report by Global Investment House. Sector profits, however, increased by 2.7% in 2011. Revenues reached US$4.6bn in 2011 compared to US$4bn in 2010. Net profits increased from US$1.44bn in 2010 to US$1.48bn in 2011.
By country, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait overturned declining revenues in 2010 and all four countries reported increasing sales for 2011 except Qatar. UAE, which witnessed declining sales revenue since 2008, enjoyed a 5.9% increase in sales to reach US$940m. Yet net profit was negative for the first time since the researchers started to compile UAE cement data.
Oman witnessed a 12.8% increase in sales revenue reaching US$342.3m in 2011, the second highest revenue in Oman's cement history. However Oman reported a 39.4% decrease in profits in 2011. Kuwait reported a 5.4% increase in revenue reaching US$66.9m in 2011, but it posted a 47.1% decrease in net profits compared to 2010. Qatar was the only GCC country reporting declining sales and profits. Saudi Arabia posted a healthy 22.6% increase in sales revenue and a 25.2% increase in net profits in 2011.
According to Saudi government officials, Saudi Arabia will spend an estimated US$400bn on large infrastructure projects from 2012 until 2017. Ever since the country banked upon diversification, the cement sector witnessed a tremendous pick up in demand from less than 20Mt in 2005 to 49Mt in 2011. In the wake of increasing demand locally, the government imposed a conditional ban on cement exports in 2010 that further pushed demand. Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on cement imports in March 2012 and neighbouring exporter nations, Oman and the UAE, are expected to benefit greatly from the change.
QNCC begins trial at Umm-Bab
08 July 2011Qatar: Trial operations have commenced by the Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) on its USD6m calcium carbonate plant at Umm-Bab in southern Qatar. QNCC has signed an agreement with the Stream Industrial Engineering Company to build the plant on a turn-key basis. The plant will be specialised in the production of calcium carbonate for use in water treatment operations and is expected to have a production capacity of 250t/day.
QNCC general manager Mohamed Ali al-Sulaiti commented, "There is an agreement with Kahramaa to buy the calcium carbonate for 25 years. For the plant, Ras Girtas power station at Ras Laffan will be one of the supporting stations." He added "QNCC is carefully growing and expanding to play its national role in supporting the infrastructure development in the state, especially after Qatar won the bid for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup." Al-Sulaiti further stated that the company has set up two new mills with a planned capacity of 130t/h.