Global Cement News

South Africa: The Concrete Institute says that the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) should impose a temporary ban on cement imports to protect the local industry. The institute is preparing an application to the commission, according to the Business Daily newspaper. Bryan Perrie, its managing director, said that imports from Pakistan dropped in 2016 after tariffs were introduced. However, this has been replaced by imports from China and Vietnam. He added that prices have dropped ‘drastically,’ especially in coastal areas, that this is starting to effect jobs and cement producers are delaying expansion plans. The Concrete Institute represents PPC, AfriSam, Lafarge Africa, Sephaku and Natal Portland Cement.

UAE: Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Cement has purchased the Newtech cement plant and the Al Banna quarry from Mohammed Ali Omar Saleh Al Buraiki for around US$123m. RAK Cement operates an integrated plant at Ras Al Khaimah.

Oman: Raysut Cement has signed a letter of intent with the shareholders of Sohar Cement to buy all of its shares. The terms of the acquisition are being discussed, according to the Oman Daily Observer newspaper. Sohar Cement runs a 240t/hr grinding plant at the Suhar Industrial Estate. Sohar Cement holds a 70% stake in the business, with UAE-based Fujairah Cement Company owning the remaining share.

Russia: Eurocement is spending around Euro5m on upgrades to its Maltsovsky plant as part of its winter repair schedule. The unit is planning to increase its production output and modernise three of its four kilns. Work is also planned for raw and cement grinding mills. The plant has a cement production capacity of 4.7Mt/yr.

France: LafargeHolcim has been awarded contracts worth Euro110m as part of the Euro38.5bn Grand Paris Express (GPE) project. The GPE will improve transport infrastructure in Paris in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games. It will require around 200km of new railway line and 68 new stations.

LafargeHolcim will deliver 600,000t of aggregates and 260,000t of cement to produce 650,000m³ of ready-mix concrete. To support the project’s schedule, the company has added mobile ready-mix concrete plants to its existing Parisian ready-mix concrete network, enabling an average production of 300m³/hr for the GPE. It will remove and treat at least 3Mt of earth from the construction site, then use the excavated material to re-landscape its nearby quarries. For the transportation of both aggregates coming from nearby quarries situated in the Seine valley and the excavated earth, LafargeHolcim will use barges on the River Seine. The company aims to work on the GPE over the next 15 years.

“We are proud to be a key partner on this historic project. With this partnership we are demonstrating our leadership in the building materials industry, making a lasting contribution to improving the transport experience of the people living and working in the Paris area. The project once more shows our capacity and reliability in delivering a large amount of high-quality concrete and our ability to provide efficient logistics and supply solutions,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Jan Jenisch.