Displaying items by tag: Titan Cement

Greece: Titan Cement has signed the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge. In so doing, it joins the UN’s Race to Zero campaign for collaboration towards a global zero-CO₂ future. The Group’s decarbonisation plans consist of an increased reliance on alternative fuel (AF), accelerated energy efficiency improvement efforts and a shift to low-carbon products and processes.

Titan Cement said “Through the participation in European and international consortia, as well as through collaborations in research and development projects, Titan will continue to develop low-carbon cementitious products and pilot carbon capture technologies in its plants, actively contributing to the industry’s ambition for a carbon-neutral future.”

Greece: Titan Cement has received the validation of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for its CO₂ emissions reduction targets. The validation confirms that the company’s targets are in line with a well-below 2°climate change scenario.

The group aims to reduce Scope 1 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 21% by 2030 from 2020, and to reduce Scope 2 emissions by 42% within the same parameters. Additionally, it has committed to drive down the CO₂ footprint of its operations and products with the aim of delivering 100% carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. Methods include increasing the use of alternative fuels, accelerating efficiency-improving initiatives, developing low-carbon products, and adopting innovative technologies and solutions. The company says that it will also monitor and independently verify its supply chain emissions.

It said “Through the participation in European and international consortia, as well as through collaborations in research and development, Titan Group will continue to develop low-carbon cementitious products and pilot carbon capture technologies in its plants, actively contributing to the industry’s ambition for a carbon-neutral future.”

Greece: Titan Cement’s consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7% year-on-year to Euro286m from Euro267m in 2019. Sales remained level year-on-year at Euro1.61bn and net profit after taxes and minorities (NPAT) fell by 97% to Euro1.50m from Euro50.9m. The group attributed the profit slump to one-off charges, namely the full write-off of the Euro46.6m goodwill of subsidiary Titan Cement Egypt and the derecognition of Euro17.3m of accumulated deferred Egyptian tax assets. If not for these, the group says its consolidated NPAT would have increased by 28% to Euro65.4m.

Cement sales were 17.1Mt, up by 1% from 17.0Mt. The group called the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak ‘less severe than expected.’ Ready-mixed concrete sales rose by 3% to 5.4Mm³ from 5.2Mm³.

Construction activity continued under coronavirus lockdown in most of the group’s countries of operation. As a result, sales remained resilient across all markets. US sales fell by 2% to Euro938m from Euro952m due to negative currency exchange effects. Greece and Western Europe sales rose by 1% to Euro247m from Euro245m. Southeastern Europe sales rose by 3% to Euro938m from Euro952m and Eastern Mediterranean sales rose by 1% to Euro152m from Euro150m.

Group executive committee chair Dimitri Papalexopoulos said “In 2020, we delivered strong financial performance while taking care of our employees and those around us, ensuring high-quality, uninterrupted customer service and accelerating progress towards our digital and sustainability aspirations. In the face of uncertainty caused by Covid-19, we remained confident in our business model. We adapted to shifting market conditions and continued to pursue operational excellence while laying the groundwork to capture future growth.” The group anticipates a positive market trend in all regions in 2021.

Greece: Titan Cement group has accelerated its efforts towards sustainability with new environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. The targets include an updated CO₂ emissions reduction target of 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, zero workplace fatalities and a cement industry top-three lost time injury frequency rate, increased female leadership participation and 70% supplier sustainability in line with the producer’s own ESG standards by 2025. It also set a water consumption target of 280L/t of cementitious material produced and 50% certified Zero Waste to landfill production by 2025.

Chief sustainability officer Leonidas Canellopoulos said, “We are building on our strong track record on sustainability and aspire to increase our positive impact on people, society, and the environment. We are committing to ambitious targets that aim to generate more value for all our stakeholders and set the foundations for sustainable growth in a carbon-neutral and digitalised world.”

Greece: Titan Cement has signed a frame agreement with Belgium-based Magotteaux whereby the latter will continue to be the main partner for grinding media for Titan cement plants worldwide until the end of 2021. Magotteaux says that the deal follows the ‘very successful’ implementation of the first phase of a strategic partnership.

The supplier said, “Magotteaux is also proud to supply many more technical solutions to Titan, including ball mill internal cast parts such as liners and diaphragms.” It added, “The aim of this agreement is to improve Titan’s overall cost of production, by increasing the productivity, reducing maintenance cost and downtime, by using the latest technologies for the abrasive and impact applications.”

Greece: Titan Cement has signed a new service agreement with Denmark-based FLSmidth. The agreement covers sustainability, digitisation and productivity support across 17 of the producer’s cement plants in Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Titan Group strategic planning director Antonis Kyrkos said, “We are constantly on the lookout for more efficient ways of running our operation. With this service partnership agreement, we tap into a wealth of knowhow and hundreds of specialists without carrying the full cost. The two-and-a-half-year agreement allows both parties to work strategically on maintenance programmes and upgrade projects based on data and the best allocation of resources.”

FLSmidth Europe, North Africa, Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States regional head of cement sales Carsten Pustelnik said, “The agreement reaffirms our belief in planned maintenance programmes, supported by digitalised processes, as the next level in service optimisations. We have invested heavily in acquiring the skills and infrastructure to provide online condition monitoring and safely handle and analyse data from our customers.”

Greece: Titan Cement recorded earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of Euro229m in the first nine months of 2020, up by 10% year-on-year from Euro208m in the first nine months of 2019. Its sales fell slightly to Euro1.20bn from Euro1.21bn. The group noted “resilient sales volumes across most of our markets, ” including “strong domestic and export growth in Turkey and improving demand in Brazil.”

Dimitri Papalexopoulos, chair of the group executive committee said, “We are successfully addressing several challenges at the same time: taking care of our people and those around us, delivering improved operating results and accelerating progress against our sustainability ambitions. Despite the uncertain context, we remain confident in the solidity of our business model, based on the nature of construction activity, our track record in facing the pandemic and the resilience and dedication of our people.’’

Greece: Titan Group’s profit dropped by 5.5% year-on-year to Euro50.9m in 2019, from Euro53.8m in 2018. The group said that it ‘demonstrated strength’ in ‘sustaining a growth performance’ despite challenges in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Sales were Euro1.61bn, up by 8.0% from Euro1.49bn in 2018, led by Titan Group’s US subsidiary Titan America’s sales growth of 10.7%, to Euro952m from Euro860m. Titan Group’s Greece and Western Europe sales grew to Euro245m, up by 3.3% from Euro237m in 2018, with sales gains from the private sector offsetting the decreased revenue from delays in public infrastructure projects. Cement exports, especially to the US, were also a major regional sales contributor, while clinker exports fell.

Group volumes of cement, including clinker and cementitious materials, were 17.0Mt, down by 7% from 18.2Mt.

US: FCT combustion has announced that it has won an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Titan Cement for the upgrade of its 5000t/d kiln line to 100% natural gas firing. The upgrade consists of the installation of two new burners: a dual-fuel capability Gyro-Therm Mk3 and a back-up natural gas-firing Gyro-Therm Mk3. The company has said that it will also supply accessories, field instruments, burner management system (BMS) and valve train.

Egypt: Alexandria Portland Cement has reduced its margin of loss by 40% year-on-year to US$15.2m in 2019 from US$25.3m in 2018.

Greece-based Titan Cement is the 89% owner of Alexandria Portland Cement via its subsidiary Alexandria Development Ltd.