Displaying items by tag: debt

India: ABG Shipyard plans to sell Vadraj Cement, which owns a decommissioned clinker unit and grinding unit, as well as quarries and a jetty, in Kutch, Gujarat. The National Company Law Tribunal took over winding up proceedings for the former cement producer in September 2023. The Economic Times newspaper has reported JSW Cement, Adani Group and steel producer ArcelorMittal Group as potential buyers for the business. It expects Vadraj Cement to attract a price of US$240 – 300m, against debts of US$841m.

Brazil: InterCement has hired BTG Pactual to help explore ‘capitalisation alternatives’ as part of a proposed restructuring, possibly involving the sale of the group’s Brazilian business. Valor International News has reported that Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) Cimentos has signalled its interest in acquiring the business, while Votorantim Cimentos may group together with other cement companies to make a bid. This would entail a division of the assets in order to conform to Brazilian competition laws.

InterCement successfully secured a postponement for payment of its outstanding bank debt in September 2023. It owes net debt of US$1.5bn up to 2027, including a senior note of US$548m due in May 2024. InterCement operates 12.2Mt/yr worth of cement capacity, and produced 8.7Mt of cement in 2022.

Uruguay: The government has declared void its tender for offers for Cementos del Plata, the cement business of state-owned Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland (ANCAP). Montevideo Portal News has reported that no bids for the business were forthcoming before the end of the tender period on 12 September 2023. Cementos del Plata has debts of US$33m and made a loss of US$20m in 2022. It expects its losses to increase by 25% to US$25m in 2023. ANCAP president Alejandro Stipanicic said that the outcome marked the close of the latest stage in the efforts to rescue the business, but that “The search for a solution will not cease."

Stipanicic said “Perhaps in Uruguay we overestimated it. Perhaps in Uruguay we wanted to believe that we had something that was worth a lot, but the value of things is not set by those who own them, it is set by those who want something. That price is clearly less than zero." He added "Today is a sad day for ANCAP, because today the anguish of many good people working in the Portland cement business saw the illusion of having a clear and convincing future frustrated."

South Africa: PPC has commenced a buyback of US$10.8m-worth of its registered shares, the Cape Times newspaper has reported.

Chief executive officer Roland Van Wijnen said "We have been very conscious of our capital allocation to ensure our debt levels come to acceptable levels and we have finally achieved that." He added "We believe our share price is well below the true value and therefore we believe it is better for our shareholders to initiate a share purchase rather than a distribution through cash."

India: Adani Group has taken a total US$2.33bn-worth of new loans over the two-and-a-half month period since the publication of a report into the group's activities by US-based shortseller Hindenburg Research on 24 January 2023. The report concluded with a finding of 'numerous issues of suspected fraud' by Adani Group. Adani Group explained at the time that all findings were 'stale, baseless and discredited.' The Times of India newspaper has reported that the group's net debt rose by 17% year-on-year to US$22.6bn on 8 June 2023. Adani Group's energy sector subsidiaries raised US$2.01bn-worth (86%) of the debt.

Adani Group completely paid off loans used in its US$6.4bn acquisition of Holcim India on 6 June 2023.

Kenya: A court has authorised an auction of East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC)'s moveable property to proceed, in order to pay former staff. The Nation newspaper has reported that EAPCC owes the employees US$10m in unpaid wages. The court allowed the auction in favour of 60 claimants. It instructed a further 150 claimants to seek redress by other means, due to insufficient available proceeds from the sale.

Kenya: A court has ruled in favour of Absa Bank Kenya and Kenya Commercial Bank's right to appoint an administrator for Savannah Cement. The banks are seeking to recover US$72.9m owed by the producer. The Star newspaper has reported that a previous court ruling in December 2022 prevented the lenders from appointing an administrator or seizing assets.

Italy: Caltagirone Group subsidiary Cementir Holding reported year-on-year growth in sales of 15% to Euro415m during the first quarter of 2023. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 34% to Euro81.2m. The group ended the period under review with a net debt of Euro32.1m, down by 64% year-on-year.

Cementir Holding said that its cement sales volumes rose in Türkiye, but failed to offset declines in its Nordic & Baltic, Belgium and US regions, resulting in an overall decline of 4%.

India: Jaiprakash Associates has defaulted on loans worth US$482m, which were due for repayment on 30 April 2023. The producer has total borrowings of US$3.57bn, repayable by 2037. It informed the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) that the outstanding debt is subject to on-going restructuring, but will reduce by US$2.21bn upon transfer of property belonging to Jaiprakash Associates to a shareholder-approved special purpose vehicle (SPV).

Spain: Cementos Molins' consolidated sales were Euro342m during the first quarter of 2023. This corresponds to a rise of 25% year-on-year from first-quarter 2022 levels. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 47% to Euro86m, while its profit rose by 70% to Euro37m.

At the end of the period, Cementos Molins had financing lines amounting to Euro642m, 61% with maturity after 2026. It reduced its net debt by 43% year-on-year and by 26% quarter-on-quarter.