Displaying items by tag: Vietnam

Vietnam: The Vietnamese Ministry of Construction has recommended that Long Thanh Cement receive a mining licence for clay mines T51 and T52 Nui Nghe. The licence allows for an extraction capacity of 1.1Mt/yr of clay. This initiative aims to provide a stable supply of clay materials for the Long Thanh cement plant in Ha Nam province, which is undergoing expansion from 0.91Mt/yr to 2.3Mt/yr. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reports that these clay mines have a claystone reserve of 4.33Mt and a sandstone and siltstone reserve of 1.6Mt viable for cement production.

Vietnam/US: Several Vietnamese cement companies, including Long Son Cement, Nghi Son Cement, Vicem Ha Tien Cement, Thanh Thang Cement, and Xuan Thanh Cement, raised their exports to the US in early 2024. The reasons for the increase include an ongoing local shortage in the US, Việt Nam News has reported.

In 2023, Vicem Ha Tien Cement and Nghi Son Cement made their first shipments of cement to the US, averaging 40,000t per shipment. Vietnam's cement industry, with a production capacity of 120Mt/yr, is experiencing a surplus of 60Mt. To address this, producers have increased their exports, with the majority of sales going to China, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Taiwan and some Middle Eastern countries.

Vietnam: Financial management company SSI Securities Corporation says that it expects Vietnam’s cement consumption to ‘bottom out’ in the first quarter of 2024, before recovering ‘gradually’ throughout the rest of the year. Việt Nam News has reported that the anticipated recovery is the outcome of intensified investments in infrastructure by the Vietnamese government, beginning in late 2023. The cement sector also anticipates growing demand from export markets, including Australia, the US, Africa and South and Central America, as it lowers its reliance on exporting to China. Challenges persist in the form of protective measures or stricter standards in other markets, including the Philippines and Europe.

US: US cement plants produced 91Mt of cement in 2023, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This corresponds to a year-on-year decline of 2.2% from 93Mt in 2022. The figure places the US in fourth globally in cement production volumes, behind China with 2.1Bnt (in line with 2022 levels), India with 410Mt (up by 7.9% year-on-year) and Vietnam with 110Mt (down by 8.3%).

Philippines: The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CEMAP) has warned that cement sector workers could be laid off due to competition from imports from Vietnam. It stated that local demand for cement has fallen and that the production capacity of the cement industry far exceeds expected demand in 2024, according to the Business World newspaper. The association noted that the cement industry employs 130,000 personnel both directly and indirectly.

CEMAP said in a statement, "As it stands, the Philippine cement industry has been forced to downscale operations as imports continue to cannibalize the market and, in certain cases, lay off workers due to the worsening market situation. With the projected increase of cement imports, manufacturers will be forced to further downscale operations until demand recovers or importers cease dumping and exploiting the local market."

National cement production capacity is reported to be 53Mt/yr in 2024 compared to anticipated demand of 34.5Mt. CEMAP says that 7Mt of cement was imported in 2023 despite selected anti-dumping tariffs. It expects this to rise in 2024 due to a contraction in the Vietnamese market.

Vietnam: State-owned Vicem sold 22.6Mt of cement and clinker in 2023, down by 18% year-on-year from 2022 levels. Việt Nam News has reported that the producer exported 2.85Mt of cement and clinker, 85% of its target volumes for the year. For 2024, Vicem aims to achieve full-year sales of 24.3Mt, up by 7.7%.

Vietnam: Vietnam sold 89Mt of cement and clinker in 2023, down by 6% year-on-year from 2022 levels. Việt Nam News has reported that exports fell less sharply than domestic sales. The country exported 32.6Mt of cement and clinker, down by 2% year-on-year from 2022.

The Ministry of Construction is reportedly contemplating extending a 2% reduction in the rate of value-added tax (VAT) on cement in order to stimulate sales. Additionally, it has called for a reduction in the export tax on clinker back down to 5%, following a rise to 10% in 2023.

US: Shipments of cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico fell by 2.5% year-on-year to 80.7Mt in the first nine months of 2023 from 82.8Mt in the same period in 2022, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Shipments fell in most states with the exception of Texas and Pennsylvania. The USGS estimated that, in September 2023, 98% of all blended cement shipments were of Portland Limestone Cement. Turkey was the biggest exporter of cement to the country during the reporting period at 6.3Mt followed by Canada, Vietnam, Greece and Mexico.

Vietnam: Cement plants produced 110Mt of cement during the 11-month period up to the end of November 2023, Việt Nam News has reported. The government’s General Statistics Office recorded a 4.5% year-on-year drop in national production volumes of cement in the year to date.

Vietnam/Australia: Vietnam exported 412,000t of cement to Australia during the first 10 months of 2023. Việt Nam News has reported that this is more than double the 10-month 2022 figure of 157,000t. The total value of the shipments also more than doubled year-on-year, to US$20.5m from US$8.37m.