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Italcementi to upgrade two cement plants in 2015 09 March 2015
Egypt: Italcementi plans to upgrade two of its cement plants in 2015 via its Suez Cement subsidiary, following the two plants that it upgraded in 2014, according to Italcementi managing director Bruno Carrè.
"We will invest US$52.4m/yr for four years," said Carrè. "We finished converting two plants two plants in the first year. Now we have another two plants to complete." Italcementi will not disclose any expectations about their investments in 2015, although it expects the market to grow. In January 2015, Carrè said that its 2014 revenues will exceed US$721m, some 20% higher than in 2013, with 2015 revenues projected to grow by 10 - 15%.
Carrè said that the expansion plans are targeting renewable energy in Egpt and the Gulf. He highlighted that 2015 will see the continuation of investments to convert the energy mix and to improve Italcementi's environmental impact to international standards.
Ecuador: Holcim Ecuador has inaugurated the second phase of its modernisation project at the 4500t/day clinker capacity Guayaquil plant. The expanded production capacity replaces the need for imports. Approximately US$400m has been invested in the modernisation work in the last five years. The project has included a particular focus on limiting the plant's environmental impact. Around 20% of investment has been spent on environmental control equipment. The new clinker line will help Holcim Ecuador to reduce its CO2 emissions by 700,000t/yr.
HeidelbergCement inaugurates 0.7Mt/yr CimBurkina plant 09 March 2015
Burkina Faso: HeidelbergCement has started production at its 0.7Mt/yr CimBurkina grinding plant in Kossodo, Burkina Faso. The plant will be supplied with clinker from HeidelbergCement's new 1.5Mt/yr plant in Tabligbo, Togo, which is currently under construction. The Cimburkina plant is a partnership with two local businesses.
HeidelbergCement's CimBurkina plant means that Burkina Faso now has three cement producers. India's Diamond Cement is the market leader with a 60% share while Morocco's CIMAF also has a considerable share. "Our goal is to capture 25% of the market and create a healthy competitive environment for balancing supply and demand," said CimBurkina's CEO Eric Goulignac.
HeidelbergCement is also considering entering South Africa and Mozambique to tap growing African demand.
MEIC changes to ease rules on cement imports 09 March 2015
Costa Rica: The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) has explained the changes that will be implemented in technical regulations to the market cement, including forced single day sales of bulk cement and the elimination of the 45 day limit of validity for bagged cement.
Welmar Ramos, MEIC minister said that the purpose of the changes is to make product imports more flexible. "These changes allow greater competition in the market and inure the efficiency of the cement industry for the benefit of the final consumer," said Ramos. A period of three months will be given for producers to adjust their labels. The new rules state that each manufacturer must put the expiration date on the package, which is obliged to check through technical studies. The policy of forcing the sales of bulk cement on the same day of its production has been eliminated. According to the MEIC, this will enable the import of bulk cement.
Holcim and Cemex have warned of an alleged loss of cement quality when stored beyond 45 days, which were established in earlier rules. The Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) has also issued warnings about it. However, the MEIC and supporters of the initiative said that different types of packaging, which is already used in Costa Rica, allows older cement to have greater effect.
According to the MEIC, standards and technical regulations consulted in countries like Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, European Union and Central America, only indicate the date of packaging and storage conditions that must be followed.
Votorantim revenue rises by 7% to US$9.3bn in 2014 06 March 2015
Brazil: Votorantim Industrial has reported that its revenue rose by 7% in 2014 to US$9.3bn from US$8.74bn in 2013. Net profit rose to US$600m from US$79.2m. The cement, metals, steel, energy, pulp and agribusiness group attributed the result to high prices in most of its businesses.
Votorantim Cimentos, its cement arm, was responsible for the largest portion of consolidated income. It saw sales volumes decline slightly to 37.1Mt/yr in 2014. Despite this, net revenue grew by 5% year-on-year to US$4.34bn due to higher prices. Notably, its North American operation recorded a rise in sales volume and revenue, driven by the recovery of the US economy.