Global Cement News

Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement Company has announced the start of commissioning of its third mill at its Jazan plant, which started on 27 January 2013. It is expected that commissioning will be completed by 15 March 2013.

Spain: Mexican cement company Cemex is currently preparing a second downsizing plan for its workforce in Spain. Over the 30 days to 28 February 2012 the company is expected to negotiate with the trade unions the dismissal of up to 156 employees out of a total of 1077 employees in Spain.

The move is in line with the flagging demand as well as with Cemex's strategic plan to adapt its production capacity. At the end of 2012 Cemex cut 290 jobs in Spain in a first round of job-cuts.

Iran: In January 2013 the seasonal decline of cement demand in Iran led to large stocks of clinker in some plants. For example: ShahreCord Cement currently has around 0.45Mt of clinker, Momtazan Cement has a clinker stock of 0.37Mt, NeizarGhom Cement has 0.2Mt of clinker, Hormozgan Cement has 0.39Mt, Naein Cement has 0.36Mt and Lamerd Cement has 0.19Mt of clinker.

Iran: Iran's Bank of Industry & Mine has allocated around Euro400m to complete 15 cement projects since 2010. The bank has financed 38% of Iran's cement projects, according to the IRNA News Agency.

The Bank of Industry and Mine is an Iranian government owned specialised bank located in Tehran, Iran. It aims to increase economic growth through the development of industry and mining. It is estimated that the bank has created some 4500 direct job opportunities.

In December 2012 Deputy Iranian Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister, Vajiollah Jafari, said that by reaching a cement production capacity of 115Mt/yr Iran will become world's third largest cement producer. Iran's cement output will reach 75Mt by the end of current Iranian calendar year on 19 March 2013. Iran plans to increase its cement output up to 85Mt by the end of the next Iranian Calendar year on 19 March 2014.

Iranian cement production surpassed 49Mt in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on 20 March 2012, an increase of 6% compared to the same period in 2011. Iran exported over 9.38Mt of cement and clinker in the same period, an increase of 30%. This comprised 8.25Mt of cement and 1.14Mt of clinker. Iraq, Central Asia, United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan were the main targets for the exported cement and clinker. Iran's cement production capacity is currently 86Mt/yr.

Namibia: The Namibian attorney general has decided to refer a dispute about the legality of the import duty that is supposed to serve as an infant industry protection measure for cement manufacturer Ohorongo Cement to the Supreme Court. The settlement agreement was reached between lawyers representing Jack's Trading CC, a Chinese-owned cement importer, and the minister of finance and commissioner for customs and excise and was made a court order over objections from senior counsel Raymond Heathcote, representing Ohorongo Cement.

Heathcote tried in vain to persuade the court to first allow Ohorongo Cement to intervene in the latest case between Jack's Trading and the Minister of finance.

In light of the agreement Jack's Trading CC withdrew its latest urgent application in which it was asking the High Court to declare the cement import duty, as decided and announced by the minister of finance, invalid and unlawful and to set the import tax aside.