Global Cement News

Saudi Arabia: Saudi cement producer Southern Province Cement (SPC) has signed a US$190.1m contract for the installation of a second production line at its plant in Bisha.

The contract will be executed over a period of 20 months. SPC said it will use a combination of Islamic financing and its own funds to finance the project.

In May 2012 the Saudi firm signed a US$188.5m turnkey contract with China's Sinoma for a third production line at SPC's plant in Tuhama. The project is expected to take 24 months to complete.

Vietnam: State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) has sold 1.77Mt of cement and clinker in October 2013, a year-on-year increase of 5%.

1.47Mt of cement and clinker was sold in the domestic market, a year-on-year reduction of 8.3%, while 0.31Mt was exported, a 243.8% increase when compared with October 2012.

The Vietnamese company produced 1.34Mt of clinker and 1.32Mt of cement in October 2013, down by 5.9% and 7.1% respectively compared with October 2012.

During the first 10 months of 2013 Vicem's cement and clinker sales reached 17.7Mt, a 9.2% increase on the same period of 2012. 15.8Mt was sold in the domestic market and 1.8Mt was exported, representing increases of 4.8% and 74.2% compared with the same period in 2012. During the first 10 months of 2013, Vicem's cement output rose by 9.3% year-on-year to 12.39Mt.

Vicem projects that its cement and clinker sales will reach 1.91Mt in November 2013, and aims to produce 1.39Mt of clinker and 1.63Mt of cement in the same period.

Germany: HeidelbergCement said that profit for the third quarter of 2013 fell by 7% due to weaker currencies in emerging markets.

Operating income before depreciation was Euro811m in the third quarter of 2013 compared with Euro872m during the same period in 2012. Sales fell by 1.3% to Euro3.89bn.

The German cement producer said that lower energy and raw material costs and price increases could not compensate for the negative currency effects. A cost-cutting programme dubbed 'Fox 2013' had already exceeded a full-year target of Euro240m, generating cash savings of Euro253m.

India: Continued oversupply coupled with low prices pushed The India Cements Ltd (ICL) into the red in the second quarter of 2013. The South India-based cement company said that it had incurred a net loss of US$3.6m for the quarter ending 30 September 2013, compared with a net profit of US$7.8m during the same quarter in 2012. Weak demand for cement resulted in mounting pressure on cement selling prices.

UK: Lafarge Tarmac has marked the official launch of its new headquarters, Portland House in Solihull, by welcoming Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden, to the facility.

More than 100 employees joined Spelman for a celebratory lunch at Portland House before being briefed on the company's plans and its contribution to the region's economy, as well as its importance to UK construction, by Lafarge Tarmac's chief executive officer, Cyrille Ragoucy.

"This is a big day for us and we were delighted to welcome Caroline to Portland House to mark this special occasion. It was good to meet her and provide her with an overview of our business. She was extremely interested to meet our colleagues and hear about the important contribution that we are making to the regional and national economies and the role that our innovative products are making to the future of UK construction," said Ragoucy.

Spelman said she felt privileged to have been invited to inaugurate the building and visit such an exceptional site. "It's great to see that a business based in the heart of the UK with fantastic transport links is developing products which are making a positive contribution to the sustainability of the built environment,' she said.

Portland House, the company's new low-energy headquarters near Birmingham International Airport, has undergone a major internal refurbishment to allow the offices to accommodate up to 500 Lafarge Tarmac employees. The state-of-the-art sustainable building, which was originally constructed in 2007 using the company's materials, reduces the need for heating and cooling thanks to its innovative concrete design.