Global Cement News

Ghana: Dangote Cement has officially commenced the export of cement from its Ibese plant, Ogun State to Ghana. The Nigerian cement producer will start to export 5000t/week of cement using 50 silo trucks. However upon the completion of all logistics it says it intends to export 50 trucks of cement per day or up to 1.8Mt/yr.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dangote's chairman, had previously commented in an interview with Reuters that his company would start cement exports to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by the end of 2012. Dangote currently says it has a production overcapacity of 20Mt/yr in Nigeria.

Dangote Cement commissioned its first overseas cement terminal in 2011 in Accra Port, Ghana with a bagging capacity of 1.5Mt/yr. Dangote has also commented that there are good market opportunities in other neighbouring countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.

Pakistan/Tajikistan: The Tajik Ambassador to Pakistan, Sherali Jononov, has met with Kalim Ahmad Mobin, president of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) and top managers of Pakistan's largest cement producers in Islamabad, according to the Tajik Embassy in Islamabad.

The meeting participants reportedly included Mohammad Iqbal, general manager of Fauji Cement, Raja Ghayur Ashraf, manager of Askari Cement, Hafiz ur-Rahman, manager of Fecto Cement, Tariq Mahmood Raja, manager of Lafarge, Ahmad, manager of Lucky Cement, Arshad khan, general manager of Cherat Cement, as well as senior representatives of Kohat Cement and Maple Leaf Cement.

The sides discussed issues related to manufacturing and supplying cement, investment in construction of cement plants in Tajikistan, intensification of economic and trade ties and development of transit and logistics infrastructure in Tajikistan, the source said.

Spain: Cementos Molins cut 310 jobs in Spain in 2012. The Spanish cement producer launched a downsizing plan for 165 people and shut down two plants in Leon and Malaga. At present Molins needs to refinance a gross debt of Euro167m in 2013.

Nepal: The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has been inundated with applications for the Nepal Standards (NS) mark from more than 24 cement producers. The rush was prompted by the bureau's April 2013 deadline for cement plants to obtain NS certification or face closure.

The bureau has recently launched a crackdown against cement companies selling their products without the NS logo or using it illegally. In February 2013 it shut four cement plants including Ambe, Butwal, Reliance and Shree for using the NS logo illegally and producing substandard materials. NBSM director general Ram Adhar Sah said that 26 out of the 28 cement plants producing cement without obtaining the NS logo have applied for it.

According to the Cement Manufacturers' Association of Nepal (CMAN), there are 44 cement factories in Nepal producing around 150 brands. However, the bureau said that only 16 companies had received the NS logo so far, and that the rest had been using it illegally or not at all. Even producers who have acquired the certification have been using the branding illegally across different product lines.

CMAN president Atma Ram Murarka said that the bureau's move followed its request to the government. Though imported cement has secured a larger share of the Nepali market, local cement producers conduct transactions worth US$346m/yr, according to CMAN.

Argentina: Loma Negra, a subsidiary of Camargo Correa of Brazil, has reported that its profits fell by half to US$43.9m in 2012 from US$96m in 2011. Sales dropped to US$688m from US$704m following the official currency quotation in December 2012. Cement and lime production fell by 9% to 5.7Mt from 6Mt.

Loma Negra's performance follows a general reduction in the construction sector in Argentina, where the construction index (ISAC) fell by 3.2% in 2012. Loma Negra has confirmed that its results were affected by the acquisition of a 35% stake in Paraguay's Cementos Yguazu at cost of US$19m. Camargo Correa holds a 70% stake in Yguazu, with 30% belonging to Concret Mix.