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US: Registration for the 58th annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference is now open. The Conference takes place on 15 - 19 May 2016 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.
The conference features technical presentations, tutorials, state of the industry updates and professional development training sessions, as well as several networking opportunities and a student outreach programme. This year's conference will also feature a new series of training modules called 'Process Training,' which is focused on the cement production process.
Sagar Cements and JSW in talks to buy Andhra Cements 20 January 2016
India: Sagar Cements is in advanced talks to buy Jaypee Group's Andhra Cements. JSW Cement is another potential contender. The enterprise value of the deal is expected to be around US$162 – 169m, a steep discount of about 30% in comparison with recent cement deals.
Andhra Cements has two plants in Andhra Pradesh with a combined capacity of 2.6Mt/yr. It also has a 25MW captive power plant under construction. It had a debt of US$118m at the end of its 2015 fiscal year. If the deal transpires at US$162m, it will translate into an enterprise value of US$64/t of cement capacity. This is lower than the average valuations of US$100/t of the recent deals in the sector.
"We would like to clarify that, though the company does hold discussions internally now and then in an informal way on expanding its operations through organic and inorganic routes, no particular entity has yet been identified for a possible acquisition," said an Andhra Cements spokesperson.
For Sagar Cements, the deal presents several long-term synergies. The acquisition will enhance its current capacity of 3.8Mt/yr by 2.6Mt/yr. Secondly, Sagar Cements will add the capacity at a time when the creation of two new states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, is expected to generate an incremental cement demand of 30Mt in the region in the next five years.
Ahangarancement increases cement production by 4.1% 20 January 2016
Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan's Ahangarancement JSC increased its cement production by 4.1% to 1.77Mt in 2015. Its clinker production grew by 3.4% to 1.28Mt. In 2015 the company sold 1.77Mt of cement, a 3% year-on-year increase.
Vietnamese farmers use cement as fertiliser for rice 20 January 2016
Vietnam: Vietnamese farmers in many localities have used cement as fertiliser for their rice fields after a farmer in Lai Vung, Dong Thap said that the move had helped him raise his yield.
Several months ago, when building a new house, Le Van Nuoi from Long Hau noticed that vegetables planted near a place where building workers washed their utensils grew well without any fertiliser. Nuoi thought that the vegetables developed thanks to the mortar and cement stuck on the utensils of building workers.
Nuoi made a test with rice. He put down urea mixed with cement on a small area of rice and discovered that the trees in this area grew better than others in the same field. Nuoi's initiative was transferred to other farmers in the region, who have reached the same conclusion as Nuoi. The farmers have offered instructions on how long the fertiliser should be used and the ratio of cement and urea.
Mai Quoc Hau, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Lai Vung, said that the local authorities have known about the initiative of local farmers. The division has sent experts to work with the farmers. He said that he would report the case to the higher authorities for consideration because using cement as fertiliser was 'very strange.' Experts have warned that spraying cement to rice fields will make the land unsuitable for crop cultivation.
China National Building Materials expects a four-fold increase in net profit for 2015 19 January 2016
China: China National Building Materials (CNBM) said that it expects a 310 - 360% surge in net profit for 2015 compared with its 2014 net profit of US$22.5m, according to Dow Jones. CNBM said that the rise was due to it having 'cleaned up' asset losses. The exchange rate change between the US Dollar and the Chinese Yuan also contributed to its profit rise.