Bahrain: The United Cement Company (UCC) has resumed importing cement from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. UCC chief executive Faisal Shehab said that since the Saudi government lifted cement tariffs in February 2018 it had imported up to 60,000t of cement, according to the Gulf Daily news newspaper. Shehab estimated that his company supplies 70% of the construction market in Bahrain.

Imports from Saudi Arabia were disrupted when the Saudi government allowed cement to be exported to other countries in March 2017. However, new tariffs were introduced at the same time. Following the opening of exports the price rose and Bahrain was forced to source cement from other countries including the UAE. Previously, Bahrain had exclusive access to imports of cement from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement’s sales fell by 9.6% year-on-year to US$73m in the first quarter of 2018 from US$80.8m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit fell by 2.9% to US$27.2m from US$28m. It blamed the falling sales and profit on decreased demand.

Spain: The Port of Alicante is undergoing a Euro3m upgrade to build a new dock that can support larger vessels. Once completed the upgrade will allow ships with a length of up to 240m to dock, according to the Diario Informacion newspaper. Previously the port could only support ships of up to 165m. The site processes large volumes of cement and clinker and dust mitigation measures are also being installed.

Philippines: Austria’s Starlinger has installed its 300th conversion line for Ad*Star bags at Sakomoto International Packaging’s plant in Caloocan City near Manila. The ad*starKON line was delivered as part of two sack conversion lines for the client. Sakomoto International Packaging supplies the local cement industry with Ad*Star sacks made of polypropylene fabric.

South Korea: Tongyang Networks plans to sell its stake in Sampyo Cement for US$12.7m, according to Reuters. The sale covers 3,000,000 shares. Tongyang Cement & Energy changed its name to Sampyo Cement in 2017 following its purchase by Sampyo Corporation in 2015.

Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines & Petroleum plans to re-issue a tender for the Jabal Saraj cement plant. The winning company will have to invest US$170m into the project to build 1Mt/yr plant, according to Tolo News. Previously, a local company won the tendering process to renovate the unit but the High Economic Council has decided to find a company with more industry experience.

Philippines: Eagle Cement’s profit for the first quarter of 2018 has grown due to higher sales volume and efficiency gains. Its net profit rose by 3% year-on-year to US$21.3m, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. Its sales revenue rose by 6% to US$77.4m. The cement producer attributed its increase in sales volume to efficient production methods at its cement plant.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement has signed an agreement to buy plant equipment from its parent company Trinidad Cement. The US$118m deal includes kiln and mill equipment being used at Caribbean Cement’s Rockfort plant in Kingston. The equipment was previously leased to Caribbean Cement in 2010.

Pakistan: The Supreme Court has asked cement producers using water near the Katas Raj Temples in Punjab to submit recommendations for a policy on how they should pay for the resource. The court noted that the companies have used water worth ‘billions of rupees’ without any payment, according to the Pakistan Observer newspaper. Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar criticised a local government official, “for giving away everything for free.” The court has been investigating media reports that the pond at the Hindu heritage site was drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement plants.

France: Vicat’s sales in Turkey, the US and Kazakhstan have driven its growth in the first quarter of 2018. Its sales revenue for its cement business rose by 10.9% year-on-year at constant scope and exchange rates to Euro290m in the first quarter of 2018. Its cement sales volumes rose by 6.5% to 5.2Mt from 4.9Mt.

“We posted significant business growth in Turkey, the US and Kazakhstan, excluding currency effects. The gradual recovery continued in France and India was boosted by the start-up of new infrastructure projects. Conversely, we recorded a business contraction in Switzerland during the first quarter as a result of adverse weather conditions, especially in March 2018, and the completion of a number of major projects. The group’s business trends in Egypt were hampered by the military operations underway to restore security in its production area,” said group chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Guy Sidos.