Global Cement News

Pakistan: Kohat Cement’s net sales grew by 22% year-on-year to US$60m in the six months to 31 December 2018 from US$49.1m in the same period in 2017. Its cement production rose by 16% to 1.99Mt from 1.71Mt. The cement producer said that work on a new 7800t/day production line was on schedule with all of the equipment delivered on site.

India: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a show cause notice to UltraTech Cement's Amreli plant in Gujarat for breaching air pollution limits. CPCB inspectors found that the particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions were higher than allowed, according to the Times of India newspaper. The unit has been given 15 days to respond to the notice or face a fine of US$420/day since 31 August 2018.

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cement’s sales fell by 20% year-on-year to US$74.2m in 2018 from US$92.3m in the same period in 2017. Its net loss after tax grew to US$22.3m from US$5.8m. The cement producer blamed this on market competition, poor prices and decreased sales volumes.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has started shipping cement from its Aracaju terminal in Sergipe state to its Manaus terminal in Amazonas state to expand its business in the north of the country. It purchased the Manaus unit from Cemex in 2018, according to the Valor Economico newspaper. A 20,000t cement carrier will be used exclusively for the project.

Puerto Rico: Road reconstruction work, housing and other infrastructure projects are raising cement sales. Over US$0.9bn of local and federal funding is being spent on rebuilding roads and around US$1.5bn has been approved for other projects, according to the El Vocero newspaper. Cement sales rose by 13.5% year-on-year to 1.2 million bags in December 2018.