Global Cement News

Australia: Boral’s cement business, Boral Australia, reported a 2% year-on-year rise in cement sales volumes in the financial year to 30 June 2018. Its external sales fell but this was compensated for by growing local sales in support of its concrete business. It’s said that the earnings and margins for its cement business improved due to an improvement programme. However, these benefits were partly offset by cost inflation and higher energy costs.

Overall, Boral Australia’s sales revenue rose by 34% year-on-year to US$2.62bn in the financial year to 30 June 2018 from US$2.40bn in the same period in 2017. Boral Australia’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) increased by 15% to US$462m from US$402m. Total group sales rose by 34% to US$4.28bn and EBITDA grew by 47% to US$770m due to the acquisition of Headwaters.

“We have continued to optimise our networks and grow volumes in Australian east coast markets, where demand is very strong, and we continue to focus on full cost recovery through price and strengthening margins through improvement programs,” said chief executive officer and managing director Mike Kane.

Uruguay: An 88 day strike has reduced cement sales at Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcoholes y Portland (ANCAP). Its cement sales fell by 24.1% year-on-year to 0.12Mt in the first half of 2018 from 0.16Mt in the same period in 2017. Despite this, the loss from its cement business decreased to US$3.4m from US$6.06m. Its earnings were also negatively affected by rising petcoke prices. Overall, the oil and gas company reported a profit of US$52.6m across all business lines.

Brazil: Brazil's antitrust watchdog Cade has approved a joint-venture between Votorantim Cimentos, Tigre Participações and Gerdau Aços Longos for a construction materials products loyalty scheme. The initiative will be called Juntos Somos Mais. Votorantim Cimentos will hold a 45% share of the scheme. The civil construction materials company Tigre and Gerdau Aços Longos, the steel division of the Gerdau, will hold a 27.5% share each.

Cade said that the companies will remain operationally and commercially independent in their main activities, so that the only common ground between them will be the functioning of the coalition's loyalty program. Other companies in the construction industry will be able to join the program as partners.

UK: Lafarge Cement is celebrating 50 years of production at its Cookstown plant in Northern Ireland. The plant opened in 1968 and today it employs almost 100 staff both in Cookstown and at a cement terminal in Belfast. Lafarge Cement was later acquired by Aggregate Industries in 2015 as part of the merger between Lafarge and Holcim that created LafargeHolcim.

“Fifty years is a significant milestone and follows the successful 60th anniversary celebrations that took place at our sister cement plant in Cauldon in 2017,” said plant manager Russell Larmour. “The success at Cookstown is testament to the many generations of people here in County Tyrone who have helped shape the business today. As we now look to the future, and many more years of production, we are committed to maintaining our position as a leading, sustainable business partner at the heart of the UK’s construction industry.”

US: Staff members from Ash Grove Cement, Argos USA and Lehigh Hanson have won awards at the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) 2018 John P Gleason, Jr Leadership Awards. The awards recognise PCA members who have exhibited leadership in advancing industry programs and initiatives. The scheme is named after John ’Jay’ Gleason who served as PCA president from 1986 until his retirement in 2007.

Steve Minshall, Corporate Director, Safety and Health at Ash Grove Cement won the Business Continuity award. He has served on the PCA Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Committee for two decades, where the PCA say he has proven to be a strong safety leader in implementing many programs and initiatives to reduce workplace injuries. He has led efforts to better partnership with regulatory agencies in pursuit of the common goal of safety. Finalists in this category were Brett Lindsay, Environmental & Energy Manager at Salt River Materials Group, and Steve Wilcox, Cement Technical Director at Argos USA.

Lori Tiefenthaler, Senior Director of Marketing at Lehigh Hanson won the Market Development award. As chair of the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) in 2017, Tiefenthaler led efforts to better align the missions of allied cement and concrete associations, including an effort to launch PavementDesigner.org, which is a joint project between PCA, ACPA and National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. She has served on the executive board for the National Concrete Consortium, through which she has helped improve connections and outcomes for the cement and concrete industries with federal and state departments of transportation and academia. Finalists in this category were Bill Asselstine, Vice President Sustainability at St. Marys Cement/VCNA, and David Gray, Market Manager at GCC of America.

Gina Lotito, Vice President, Energy & Environmental, GCC of America won the Young Leaders award. She is an active member of the PCA Environment & Energy Committee, where she has been chair and vice chair of the Sustainable Manufacturing Subcommittee, and served on the Sustainable Development Committee. She has proven a leader in promoting the use of clean alternative fuels for cement production, and in federal advocacy efforts to lower regulatory barriers for using such fuels under the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Rule. Finalists in this category were Ed Griffith, Vice President Sales & Marketing, US at St. Marys Cement/VCNA and Adam Posly, Production Manager at LafargeHolcim US.