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Cimpor suspension sees port of Faro lose business 21 November 2016
Portugal: The commercial port at Faro has seen activity stop since June 2016 following the decision by Cimpor to suspend operations at its quarry in Loulé. The cement producer has been the port’s biggest client in recent years and in 2016 it became the site’s only, according to the Portugal News newspaper. A report by the Authority for Mobility and Transport shows that movement at the port fell by 45% year-on-year for the first nine months of 2016. Cimpor stopped operation at its quarry in September 2016 and laid off 57 workers citing the cancellation of major cement export contracts to Algeria. It hopes to resume operations at the site in 2017.
Arabian Cement to spend US$5.7m on new coal mill 21 November 2016
Egypt: The Arabian Cement Company plans to spend US$5.7m on a new coal mill for its Suez cement plant. The upgrade is intended to increase production capacity at the site, according to the Daily News Egypt newspaper. At present the plant is operating at 60% capacity by using one coal mill. It imports coal from Europe, China and South Africa through the Dekheila Port of Alexandria and Adabiya Port in Suez.
The cement producer reported that its net profits fell by 36% year-on-year to US$8.97m in the first nine months of 2016 from US$14.1m in the same period in 2015. It blamed this on foreign exchange rates and a drop in sales due to technical problems at the plant.
Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua completes purchase of Cemex assets in US 21 November 2016
US: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) has completed its purchase of a selection of assets from Cemex for US$306m. The assets consist of a cement plant located in Odessa in Texas, two cement distribution terminals located in Amarillo and El Paso in Texas and concrete, aggregates, asphalt and building materials businesses in El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico. The acquisition comprises all facilities, equipment and inventories. The purchase was financed with internal funds and an unsecured loan of US$254m.
“This acquisition represents a significant advance in our strategy of sustainable cement growth in the US, in markets contiguous to those of GCC ́s geographic footprint. With these assets and colleagues joining the company, we will enhance the competitive advantage of our logistics system, expand our product portfolio and optimise our operations by sharing best practices,” said Enrique Escalante, chief executive officer of GCC.
Boral to buy Headwaters for US$2.6bn 21 November 2016
US: Boral has agreed to buy Headwaters, a manufacturer of building products, for US$2.6bn subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. Headwaters’ Construction Materials division delivers around US$370m/yr of revenue and is one of the largest marketers of fly ash in the US. Boral has described the acquisition as ‘transformative’ as it will significantly boost its US division, Boral USA.
“The businesses of Headwaters are highly complementary with Boral’s existing US operations – in fly ash, roofing, stone and light building products. It’s this strong alignment that means we can deliver substantial value through synergies – ramping up to approximately US$100m/yr of synergies within four years of closing,” said Boral’s chief executive officer and managing director Mike Kane.
Nepalese cement certification to start by early 2017 18 November 2016
Nepal: The government will start certifying domestic brands of cement with quality grades by early 2017. Cement produced by local companies will be certified under three quality categories: 33-grade, 43-grade and 53-grade cement, according to the Himalayan Times. At present both domestically manufactured Ordinary Portland Cement and Portland Pozzolana Cement are labelled as 33-grade cement as the government provision doesn't allow producers to label their brands higher than grade 33. However, large-scale projects require higher grades of cement that have to be imported.
"We are in the last stage of finalising the draft of quality certification for domestic cement brands," said Bishwo Babu Pudasaini, director general of Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM). Once NBSM finalises a quality certification draft, it will be sent to Nepal Standard Council (NSC) for final approval.