El Salvador: The Superintendence of Competition (SC) has started investigating the effects of competition in the production and sales of cement upon the local construction industry. The study is being conducted by GPR Economy, an Argentine company, according to the El Mundo newspaper. It will examine any potential monopoly distortions in the local cement, asphalt and heavy machinery industries. The country has two integrated cement plants that are both operated by Holcim El Salvador.

US: Ireland’s CRH has completed its acquisition of Ash Grove Cement. It agreed to buy Ash Grove Cement in mid-2017 for US$3.5bn. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its consent for the transaction on the condition that CRH sell the Three Forks cement plant in Montana. It also forced CRH to sell other assets in Montana, Nebraska and Kansas.

Philippines: Eagle Cement expects to save up to US$9.9m from a three-year income tax holiday for its new cement production line at its Barangay plant in Bulacan. The cement producer says it has been granted the tax exemption from the Board of Investments as it’s the only company expanding its production capacity, according to the Inquirer newspaper. Its competitors have been expanding their distribution capacity instead. Other savings are also anticipated from importing equipment from outside the country.

The company started producing cement on its third production line at its Barangay plant in April 2018. The upgrade added 2Mt/yr to the company’s total production capacity. It expects to reach its full capacity by the third quarter of 2018. The company is also building a new 2Mt/yr cement plant at Cebu is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Coal producer Banovici plans to build a 1.1Mt/yr cement plant for Euro250m. It has already obtained the necessary documents and secured an environmental permit. Work on the plant is planned to begin in 2019, according to Ekapija. The company said that a strategic partner would provide the funds and ‘may’ build the plant or choose the contractor for its construction. Cement from the plant will be used locally and exported to Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.