Displaying items by tag: Vietnam
Vietnamese cement producers see improved results
25 August 2015Vietnam: Cement firms in Vietnam are reported to be 'upbeat' as rising domestic consumption has lifted their profits in the first half of 2015. Tran Viet Thang, General Director of Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), reported that, despite unfavourable exports, VICEM still registered a pre-tax profit of US$62.6m in the first half of 2015. This is 34% more than the US$46.7m posted in the first half of 2015. VICEM expects that its full-year profits will surpass US$93m in 2015.
The most impressive business performance among VICEM members was from Ha Tien 1, which saw its first half post-tax profit spike to US$18.4m, a surge in growth that dwarfs the US$604,650 profit from a year earlier. The company's net revenue rose by 19.4% year-on-year to US$96m. Its gross profit rose by 51.5% to US$20m.
Hoang Mai made nearly US$1.4m in post-tax profits in the first six months of 2015, against US$1.1m a year ago. Its net revenue from sales and service supply in the second quarter came to US$23.2m compared to US$21m in the same period in 2014.
Apart from VICEM member units, other companies in the cement industry have also reported a promising returns, with strong growth in the first half. Cam Pha Cement JSC, based in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh, saw a 21% jump in sales volumes during the period, generating a revenue of US$51m and a profit of US$3.1m.
In 2015 Vietnamese cement consumption is forecast to hit 74 - 75Mt, with a further 19-20Mt earmarked for export.
Holcim uses shoes as alternative fuel in Vietnam
19 August 2015Vietnam: Holcim is using shoes as an alternative fuel in Vientam thanks to its new solid recovered fuel (SRF) plant from shredding specialist Untha, according to Equipment World.
The new SRF plant will use waste from Vietnam's largest shoe factory once it has been delivered. It was pre-assembled and tested in Austria and is currently being shipped by sea to Holcim in Vietnam. Delivery is expected in September 2015. The SRF plant will convert the waste by using an anti-explosive Atex-specification XR3000 Cutter waste shredder with two 113kW motors, conveyor, over-band magnet, control room and water-powered fire suppression technology. The plant can process 10t of material into the 8mm, high calorific value fuel.
Vietnam: Deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai has directed the implementation of solutions to treat waste at thermal power plants for energy conservation and environmental protection.
Trung Hai urged the concerned parties to more effectively implement Government Decision 1696/QD-TTg on measures to treat gypsum, ash and cinder from thermal power, chemical or fertiliser plants for the production of building materials. Special focus should be paid to the Vinh Tan in Binh Thuan, An Khanh in Thai Nguyen, Song Hau in Mekong Delta Hau Giang and Vung Ang in Ha Tinh thermal power plants, where waste treatment is a pressing issue.
He asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Construction to coordinate with localities to disseminate effective waste treatment models while supplementing and completing criteria on the quality of ash and cinder for recycling in cement and construction material production.
Vietnam is home to 19 operating thermal power plants with a total capacity of 14,480MW, which discharge about 15Mt/yr of ash and cinder. After 2020, the country is expected to have 43 thermal power plants with a combined capacity of 39,020MW, discharging over 30Mt/yr of ash and cinder.
Vietnam: Yen Binh Cement's revenue grew to US$12.7m in the first half of 2015, thanks to its expanding markets.
In the period, Yen Binh Cement sold 308,000t of cement and exported 480,000t of clinker, fulfilling 40% of its 2015 target. The company produced 400,000t of cement in the six months, meeting demand in Yen Bai Province and the neighbouring Provinces of Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang and Lai Chau. Yen Binh Cement also exported 480,000t of clinker. In 2015 it aims to generate a revenue of US$33.2m, with a net profit of US$962,640.
Vicem Cement’s sales volumes fall by 0.5%
22 July 2015Vietnam: Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) has said that its cement and clinker sales fell by 0.5% to 10.7Mt in the first half of 2015, according to Vietnam News Brief Service.
Some 9.58Mt was sold to the domestic market, up 7.1% year-on-year, while 1.15Mt was exported, down by 37.7%. In the first half of this year, Vicem produced 8.36Mt of clinker and 9.2Mt of cement, rising by 5% and 6.1% year-on-year, respectively. As of 30 June 2015, Vicem had 1.75Mt of cement and clinker inventory, including 1.41Mt of clinker, equivalent to 28 days of production.
Vicem aims to produce 4.26Mt of clinker and 5.21Mt of cement in the third quarter of 2015. It also aims to sell 5.97Mt of cement in the third quarter, raising the full-year target to 13.1Mt. In 2014, Vicem's clinker production grew by 0.7% year-on-year to 16.5Mt while its cement output rose by 10.3% to 18.5Mt.
Hurdles for Song Lam Cement project
17 July 2015Vietnam: The Vissai Cement Group, which is building the 12,000t/day Song Lam Cement Plant, has announced that ground clearance has already set the project back by US$11m. The group has reported 'facing financial difficulties' as a result of this expense and is also struggling with the costs of clearing the path for a road between the plant site and an existing grinding facility. It was originally expected that the plant would produce its first clinker by September 2016.
Vietnam on target with state-ownership re-definition
16 July 2015Vietnam: The Ministry of Construction looks set to realize its target of allowing all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at its helm to 'go public' at the end of 2015, according to Deputy Minister Le Quang Hung. He said, in a recent report, that seven out of 16 corporations and holding companies under the ministry have undergone equitisation and the remaining nine would go public between now and the end of 2015.
The SOEs subject to equitisation include Vietnam National Construction Consultant Corporation (VNCC), Building Materials Corporation No. 1 (FiCO) and Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), among others.
A revised Enterprise Law, which took effect on 1 July 2015, says that SOEs are now defined as 100% owned by the state, instead of 51% or above as previously. Therefore, in addition to the construction ministry, the new law also helps other ministries complete restructuring and equitisation plans for SOEs under their respective umbrellas.
Vietnam: According to Vietnam News Agency Bulletin, domestic cement consumption and exports both improved in the first half of 2015 despite increased competitive pressure from neighbouring countries.
Statistics from the construction ministry showed that in the first half of 2015, Vietnam's cement consumption grew by 6% year-on-year to 34.2Mt, meeting 47% of the whole year's target. Of this, domestic consumption was 5% higher than in 2014 at 25.9Mt. Vietnam exported 8.19Mt of cement, representing an 8% year-on-year increase. In June 2015, cement consumption was estimated at 5.68Mt, 12% higher than in 2014, including 4.63Mt in the domestic market and 1.05Mt for exports. The ministry said that cement and clinker exports in the first half of 2015 faced difficult conditions in some markets, especially Bangladesh.
Nguyen Quang Cung, chairman of the Vietnam Cement Association, said that there was no concern about the cement consumption in the 2015 - 2016 period thanks to a rising domestic demand. In 2015, domestic cement consumption is estimated to increase by 5Mt. Cung said that cement consumption in the domestic market has risen thanks to improvement in the real estate market, while rural infrastructures have been actively developed. The ministry has calculated that cement consumption in 2015 will grow by 1.5 – 2% to 72 - 74Mt. Of this, local consumption will be 53 – 54Mt, while 19 – 20Mt will be exported.
In 2015 Vietnam will have two new projects, including the 600,000t/yr capacity Song Lam 2 cement plant and the 3.6Mt/yr capacity Cong Thanh Cement plant. This will bring the country's total cement production lines to 76, with 81.6Mt/yr of designed capacity.
Cement production in 2016 is expected to meet domestic consumption demands plus 15 – 16Mt of exports, in addition to a reserve of 10 – 15% to stabilise the market, especially in the southern region. Cung said that there will not be any new cement projects in 2016, although a number of major projects would be carried out during the 2017 - 2018 period.
Nghi Son Cement allowed to continue fly ash imports
02 July 2015Vietnam: According to Vietnam News Brief Service, deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai has agreed to allow Nghi Son Cement Corporation to continue the pilot import of fly ash as a raw material for its cement production.
The deputy prime minister had earlier agreed to allow Nghi Son Cement Corporation to import no more than 200,000t/yr of fly ash in 2015 - 2016. He also requested the company to develop a plan to use domestic fly ash for cement production from 2017.
Vietnam has a huge supply of fly ash. It is estimated that the thermal power plants in Vietnam produce 4.5Mt/yr of fly ash. The figure is expected to hit 35Mt/yr in 2030. According to Vietnam News Brief Service, agencies, companies and localities have not shown their willingness to share interests with others, leading to fly ash sourcing difficulties for many companies.
Vietnam cement production up by 10.5% to 32.1Mt
30 June 2015Vietnam: Vietnam is estimated to have produced 32.1Mt of cement in the first half of 2015, up by 10.5% year-on-year, including 6Mt in June, up by 26.8% year-on-year, according to the government-run General Statistics Office.
In the first five months of 2015, Vietnam produced 26.1Mt of cement, compared to the earlier estimated 26.6Mt, according to the office's revised figure. The country's cement and clinker sales are expected to rise by 1.5 - 4% year-on-year to 72 – 74Mt in 2015, of which domestic sales will rise by 4.5 - 6.5% to 53 – 54Mt, while exports will be 19 – 20Mt.