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Opportunity in Brazil?
Written by David Perilli, Global Cement
11 February 2015
Russian refractory manufacturer Magnezit Group has struck a deal this week with Vamtec to sell product in Brazil. What such a cooperation agreement will actually entail, as ever, remains vague but it is an interesting time for a cement equipment supplier to enter the market. The majority of refractories sales are to the iron and steel industries but cement and lime holds the biggest minority market. Industrial research analysts Roskill placed the cement and lime share at 13% in a recent market report.
Competitor refractory producer RHI placed Magnezit in the same Euro0.5 – 1bn revenue bracket with producers such as a Magnesita, Inerys, Krosaki and Shinagawa. Magnesita is the most relevant company out of that list because it is headquartered in Belo Horizonte in Brazil. It is a global company but some of its major mines and production sites are based in Brazil. In 2013 its revenue grew by 8% to US$937m despite static refractory sales volumes led by falling steel production. In 2013 its refractory revenues came mainly from South America. So far in 2014 it appears to have increased its refractory sales volumes, despite a declining marking in Brazil and South America as a whole, by moving into new markets.
A similar situation has been reported by RHI in the region so far in 2014 with falling steel production hitting refractory revenue. RHI originally planned to build a refractory plant in Rio de Janeiro in 2011 but this was amended in late 2012. In this environment it seems that Magnezit may be testing the market rather than planning a full-scale incursion into Brazil.
For the first half of 2014 the Sindicato Nacional Da Indústria Do Cimento (SNIC) has reported that cement sales were 34.5Mt in Brazil, a rise of 2.8% compared to the same period in 2013. Despite this modest growth, Brazilian cement producers will see this as disappointing following years of higher growth prior to 2013.
However, events may not be that gloomy in Brazil after all. The prospect of CRH's impending purchase of three cement plants and two grinding plants from Lafarge and Holcim in Brazil with a cement production capacity of 3.6Mt/yr may stir up the market. For starters CRH may audit the suppliers the new plants are using and decide whether they want to continue using them. The acquisition will add a new player to compete with the existing producers in the high producing states of Minas Gerais and Rio De Janeiro. Competition authority Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE) set up the terms for what Lafarge and Holcim would have to sell in December 2014, so now that a buyer has been found the move may go smoothly. Needless to say this presents an opening for any, say, Russian-based refractory producers looking for new clients!
Mangalam Cement posts third quarter loss 10 February 2015
India: The B K Birla Group company Mangalam Cement has posted a US$386,116 loss for the third quarter of its 2015 fiscal year due to higher finance costs. This compared to a US$75,614 net profit in the October – December 2013 quarter. Mangalam Cement's board has also approved building a new grinding plant at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, with a capacity of 500,000t/yr.
Mangalam Cement's total income rose to US$34.3m in the third quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, up from US$26m during the same period of 2013. Expenses also rose to US$34.2m from US$28.1m in the prior-year quarter. Mangalam Cement consumed raw materials worth US$6.59m, up from US$4.5m during the comparable quarter of 2013. Finance costs went up to US$1.71m in the October – December 2014 period, from US$371,637 in the same period of 2013.
Polish cement production fell by 0.1% in January 2015 10 February 2015
Poland: Cement production fell by 0.1% year-on-year to 520,900t in January 2015, while sales rose by 15.4% year-on-year to 638,500t, according to Poland's Cement Producer Association. In 2014, cement production increased by 6.8% year-on-year to 15.4Mt, with sales for the same period rising by 6.6% to 15.6Mt.
Italcementi’s consolidated revenues fell to Euro4.16bn in 2014 10 February 2015
Italy: Italcementi generated consolidated revenues of Euro4.16bn in 2014, down by 1.8% year-on-year at current exchange rates and down by 0.7% annually at constant exchange rates. In 2014, cement sales grew in all geographical areas, except from west-central Europe, where they fell by 0.7%. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Italcementi registered a 2.7% rise in cement sales, mainly due to growth in North America, Asia, Spain and Greece. As a result, revenues rose by 2.3% to Euro1.04bn in the fourth quarter of 2014.
HeidelbergCement reports higher fourth quarter revenue 10 February 2015
Germany: HeidelbergCement's core profit rose by 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2014 thanks to strong demand in the US and Asia. HeidelbergCement said that the weak Euro and the mild winter in Europe had also contributed to the profit increase. Operating income before depreciation (OIBD) increased to Euro625m in the three months to 31 December 2014. Revenue grew by 6.4% to Euro3.31bn. HeidelbergCement expressed optimism in view of the economic growth forecasts, but warned of geopolitical and monetary policy risks, which are difficult to estimate.