Global Cement News

Russia: The Danish cement plant manufacturer FLSmidth has won a contract worth approximately Euro27m from the Russian company Kaluga Cement Plant LLC to supply additional equipment for its cement plant currently under construction in the Kaluga province, 300km southwest of Moscow. The contract is an extension of the contract that FLSmidth won in 2011 from Kaluga for the supply of a complete cement plant.

"The award of this order to FLSmidth underlines the strength of our good relations with the customer and the value of our long-standing local presence in Russia," said Group CEO Jørgen Huno Rasmussen. "The order is also a good example of the general signs of a positive development in the cement market."

Somalia: Authorities from the autonomous Somali state of Puntland have impounded a North Korean ship for allegedly dumping cement off the country's coast.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea flagged vessel MV Daesan was captured near to Bossaso whilst it was unloading 5000t of cement. The MV Daesan had originally been heading to Mogadishu but its cargo was rejected due to water leakage.

According to NK News and Radio Gaalkacyo the Somali authorities condemned the dumping as 'illegal' and 'environmentally destructive.' The Somali authorities are reportedly planning to bring the crew before a court.

Israel: Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises CEO Joel Feldschuh has announced to shareholders that he will leave the company on 31 December 2013. Feldschuh has spent nine years in post at Nesher.

"Over the past nine years Nesher met all the economy's needs for high-quality products at competitive and fair prices and most of all, at a high level of service," said Feldschuh.

Zambia: Two Italian managers working for Zambezi Portland Cement have had their residence permits revoked by the Zambian Immigration Department. Operations director Danielle Ventriglia and marketing director Valerio Ventriglia have both returned to Italy.

Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu denied that the managers had been deported. He stated that their residence permits had been revoked and consequently cancelled because the two directors based in Ndola had violated the Immigration and Deportation Act No 18 of 2010. Lungu said the government would deal with people who 'mistreat' Zambian workers and was determined to cleanse all institutions by uprooting 'bad elements'.

Zambezi Portland Cement Operations manager Mwamba Kayula appealed to the government to reverse the decision, saying that Ventriglia was behind the success of Zambezi Portland Cement. "This man has been operations director for the past two years, he was born in Luanshya and we still need to continue with his good work at the company," said Kayula.

Spain: Cemex España, the Spanish unit of Mexican cement company Cemex, will launch a downsizing plan for 280 employees, down from the initial intention to cut 370 jobs. The 25% reduction came as a result of an agreement reached between the company's management and trade unions.

The employees to be affected by the staff-reduction measure account for 16% of all of Cemex's 1740 employees in Spain at present. The laid-off employees will receive severance pays of 30 days per every year of work but not more than 22 monthly salaries.

Cemex's adjustment has had to be carried out due to the continued low demand for cement in the country. Cemex reported a 19% drop in its sales in Spain in 2011. The country is the company's third largest market in terms of the number of cement production plants after Mexico and the USA.