Global Cement News

China: Wu Xu has been appointed as the chairman of Taiyuan Lionhead Cement. The 54-year old Chinese national is a graduate from the Chongqing Construction Workers College, he holds a master's degree in business administration from Chongqing University and he has attended the China Europe International Business School. From 1982 to 1991 Xu was the chief engineer of Chongqing Building Management Station and was the executive vice general manager of China Chongqing International for Economy & Technology Cooperation in the early 1990s. In 1994 he founded Sincere Group and has since been its chairman and president.

Ukraine: Vitaly Gorgoliuk has been appointed as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Eurocement Group Ukraine. He succeeds Denis Galchev. Eurocement Group Ukraine is a subsidiary of Russia’s Eurocement Group.

Iran: Cement exports from Iran registered growth of 32% during the first four months of the country’s current fiscal year (20 March 2018 – 22 July 2018), according to the Islamic Republic’s Customs Administration data.

The country exported US$107m worth of cement during the period. The volume rose to 2.7Mt, 24% more than in the comparable period of the previous fiscal year. The country also exported 2.2Mt of clinker worth US$60m in the same period of time.

Iran exported cement to 27 countries across the world in the period, including Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, with exports to Oman and Kuwait growing strongly.

The latest data of the Iranian Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade says that the country’s total cement output amounted to 13.36Mt during the same first quarter period, a year-on-year fall of 5.7%.

Algeria: Egypt’s Qalaa Holdings has announced that its subsidiary ASEC Cement is looking to exit from Algeria-based Zahana Cement Factory. ASEC holds around a 35% stake in the Algerian facility and has so far invested US$62m in the plant, taking its capacity to 0.75Mt/yr. A new 1.6Mt/yr production line is currently being constructed at the plant, with commissioning expected in early 2020.

Ukraine: Production of cement in Ukraine fell by 4.7% to 0.96Mt in July 2018 compared to the same month in 2017, according to the State Statistics Service. Production was also 6.1% less than in June 2018.

In the first seven months of 2018, cement production fell by 3.7% to 4.97Mt. Cement production was 9.31Mt for the whole of 2017.