Global Cement News

Germany: HeidelbergCement has reduced its specific net carbon dioxide emissions by 21% to 607.5 kg/t of cement since 1990 according to its 2011/2012 Sustainability Report. Its alternative fuels rate increased to 21.7% in 2012. This is the fifth sustainability report that the German-based cement producer has published.

"Sustainable business practices are a fundamental condition as well as an integral component of our business activities and therefore central to the activities and decisions of our management teams on the ground," said Dr Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement.

Despite increasing its alternative fuels mix, HeidelbergCement reported changes in its traditional fossil fuels mix for clinker production. Hard coal usage fell but petroleum coke and natural has saw rises in usage. NO_x, SO₂ and dust emissions all fell from 2011 to 2012.

Germany: The Refratechnik Group, a manufacturer of ceramic refractory products to the cement and various other industries, has acquired the facilities of Burton GmbH & Co. KG located in Melle, near Osnabrück, Germany. Burton will continue business operations under the name Refratechnik Ceramics GmbH with immediate effect, maintaining the jobs at the Melle site.

As a result of this strategic takeover, Refratechnik Ceramics will become a market leader and global supplier of refractory products for industrial furnaces in the ceramics industry. In this field, the product range covers wall, roof and car systems as well as furniture for tunnel kilns, in which products such as refractory ceramics, roof tiles, sanitary ware and other ceramic products are fired. Burton Kiln Furniture in Hungary, which was also taken over by Refratechnik Ceramics, primarily produce cast refractory materials.

Refratechnik Group says that Burton's industrial customer base and product portfolio is a contribution to Refratechnik's constant expansion of its business operations, in particular in the fields of primary aluminium and waste incineration.

With the acquisition of Burton, the Refratechnik Group now has 18 sites on four continents. Nine of these are state-of-the-art production facilities for burnt, shaped, and unshaped refractory products. Two other sites are in the raw materials business.

Indonesia: Indonesia's largest cement producer, Semen Indonesia has reported a 16% increase in cement sales year-on-year for the period January to August 2013 to 16Mt. This increase was supported by a 15% sales growth in the domestic market to 15.8Mt. Exports rose by 373% to 191Mt.

Semen Indonesia President Director Dwi Soetjipto said that the sales increase was also supported by the operations of its cement plants, Tuban IV and Tonasa V. In the first eight months of 2013 Semen Indonesia grew its market share to 44% from 40.2% in the same period in 2012. Semen Indonesia contributed to the majority of sales at 51.2%, followed by its subsidiary Semen Padang at 27.5% and Semen Tonasa at 21.2%. Semen Indonesia reported that its profit rose by 22.9% year-on-year to US$227m for the first eight months of 2013. Revenue rose by 31.9% year-on-year to US$1bn.

In 2013, Semen Indonesia aims to increase its cement production by 23.1% to 27.7Mt/yr from 22.5Mt/yr.

Venezuela/Jamaica: Venezuela's Minister of Petroleum and mining Rafael Ramirez is 'listening' to a proposal Jamaica has made to pay for its debts to Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA). Jamaican minister Phillip Paulwell made the offer to tackle debts of US$350m raised under the Petrocaribe agreement between the nations where Venezuela supplies oil. However, Caracas-based newspaper El Nacional has reported doubts that Caribbean Cement Co would be able to meet the level of cement exports to Venezuela required to meet the Gran Mision Vivienda state housing programme.

PDVSA currently ships 26,000 barrels/day of oil to Jamaica's state energy company Petrojam. The Petrocaribe agreement includes Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Belice, Cuba, Dominica, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haití, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic Dominicana, San Cristóbal & Nieves, San Vicente & Granadinas, St Lucia and Suriname.

Pakistan: Lafarge Pakistan and Saif Holdings have signed an agreement to manufacture refuse derived fuel (RDF). The agreement was signed between Pavel Cech, Lafarge's regional vice president of industrial ecology, and Hoor Yousafzai, director of Saif Group.