Displaying items by tag: Spain

Spain: Coronavirus has forced the suspension of operations at all Cementos Molins facilities, in accordance with a royal decree. Europa Press has reported that the company began the progressive shutdown of the 1.6Mt/yr integrated line at its Sant Vincenç dels Horts cement plant in Barcelona, Catalonia, on 31 March 2020, and switched off the plant on 2 April 2020.

Cementos Molins said that it has already suspended production in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia and Tunisia. It says it has ‘implemented the teleworking model in the areas of the company where its application is possible.’

Spain: Members of the Spanish cement association Oficemen have offered help to the government in the disposal of medical waste contaminated with the coronavirus, for which any kiln line with the right alternative fuel processing capabilities will be made available. Minister for Industry Reyes Maroto said that the plants will be used for waste’s elimination ‘only insofar as companies can continue operating.’

Spain: Andalusian cement demand typified the slight slow down of the Spanish construction sector in the first two months of 2020, with a fall of 4.6% year-on-year to 435,000t from 441,000t in 2019.

Work continues as normal however Arquitectura y Sostenibilidad Online newspaper has reported that Andalusian Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCA) president Isidoro Miranda forecasts a sharp drop in consumption in March 2020. He said, "We support the communiqué of the Spanish Confederation of Associations of Manufacturers of Construction Products (CEPCO), regarding not stopping the works.” He called construction a ‘pillar of the Spanish economy,’ adding, “It is of utmost importance that all current works, including infrastructure works, maintain their activity.”

Spain: Oficemen, the Spanish cement industry association, has joined other voices in the construction sector to advocate for the continuation of construction works, including infrastructure projects, during the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, "The closure of the works is not obligatory, as this activity has not been expressly suspended." However, increasing numbers of local authorities are stopping them, including those in Barcelona, which has ordered the closure of all building work in the city, both public and private.

Oficemen's president, Víctor García Brossa, argued, "Once the service sector is paralysed, construction becomes one of the main pillars of the Spanish economy" asserting that its work is "of the utmost importance… to prepare our country for the way out of this crisis." Regardless of whether works can officially continue or not, García Brossa has confirmed that the current situation predicts a ‘sharp short-term drop’ in cement consumption.

In February 2020, cement consumption in Spain fell by 0.5% year-on-year to 1.17Mt, about 5500t less than in February 2019, according to Oficemen’s latest data. This represented the fourth consecutive month of falls, although in year-on-year terms (from March 2019 to February 2020) consumption increased by 3.9%.

Exports continued their dire performance, falling for the 33rd consecutive month. A decrease of 31.4% month-on-month was seen in February 2020, which was down by 24.2% year-on-year compared to February 2019.

Spain: Cementos Portland Valderrivas has said that it has donated to Cáritas Internationalis’ Samuel Project, which provides values and family workshops and quarterly excursions to disadvantaged people aged between six and 18. Cementos Portland Valderrivas Alcalá de Guadaíra plant environment manager Pedro Lanagrán said that the company is a part of the Alcalareño fabric, and therefore has a ‘responsibility towards society, which includes providing minors with the best education and the best values in order to coexist with society.’

Spain: The Association of cement manufacturers of Spain (Oficemen) attended a debate at the European Parliament Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium that discussed future population trends across the EU.

The Vice President of Cembureau and Oficemen, Isidoro Miranda, was in charge of opening the meeting. He highlighted the role of the industry as an “activity that solidly confers on the economy of a country in terms of wealth generation, employment and the economic and social wellbeing.”

Highlighting that many cement plants operate for 80 or more years, Miranda added that of Spain’s 33 integrated cement plants, 12 are within what is considered to be ‘empty Spain,’ areas that have experienced rapid depopulation in the past 20-30 years.

To end the meeting, the President of Oficemen, Víctor García Brosa, highlighted that, "Depopulation is one of the great political challenges facing Europe today. It affects 80% of the territory and it is necessary to have strategies specific to promote economic development, access to services and connectivity. The decline or disappearance of traditional industries in Europe leads to loss of qualified employment and a mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market. A role for industries is essential to address the challenge of population fixing and combating emptied Europe."

During the event, Oficemen and The Industrial Federation of Food and Beverages (FIAB) presented a 'Manifesto against the Empty Europe,’ which they say is "a call made to the institutions of the EU to strengthen the role of the industry as a brake on the demographic decline.

Spain: LafargeHolcim España says that a planned Euro8m investment to its Sagunto integrated cement plant is dependent on talks with the Valencian local government on the medium and long-term use of its quarry. Plant director José Luis Coleto said that this expenditure is part of a Euro20m package that LafargeHolcim has scheduled for the country until 2022. He added that the plant has spent Euro3.5m on the plant in 2019 on control systems upgrades and installation of an automated laboratory.

Spain: Spain’s cement consumption in 2019 was 14Mt, up by 5.9% from 13Mt in 2018. Exports fell by 23% to 6.2Mt from 5.0Mt in 2018.

President of the national cement association Oficemen Víctor García Brosa attributed the demand growth to homebuilding but said that the housing market had a long way to go towards providing a reliable base for domestic cement production. “The 110,000 new homes that have started in 2019 represent half of the homes that were built annually before the global financial crisis,” he said. “For Spain, the real estate market should average between 180,000 and 200,000 new homes per year.” He estimated that cement consumption growth would slow to 2.0% year-on-year in 2020.

Finland: Machinery manufacturer Metso Corporation has announced plans to consolidate its European warehouse operations, currently spread over Norway, Sweden, the UK, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Russia, into a single location. Metso Corporation customer logistics senior vice president Jarkko Aro said the move ‘would also enable considerable savings in end-to-end freight costs and reduced CO2 emissions.’ 40 employees are potentially affected. Metso Corporation has not disclosed any locations under consideration for the facility.

Germany: Mechanical process engineering company Hosokawa Alpine AG has assumed 100% ownership of Solids Solutions Group and all its operations across three locations in Germany and Spain, which will be reorganised under the brand ‘Hosokawa Solids Solutions.’ Solids Solutions Group employs 100 people and develops and implements bulk solids handling solutions for customers in various industries including cement. Solids Solutions Group founder and departing CEO Hermann Linder said, “I am pleased to be able to hand over the Solids Solutions Group to a strong company in the field of mechanical process engineering and to know that the employees and customers are in good hands.”