Global Cement News
Search Cement News
Nigeria: Nigeria's Dangote Cement has announced that to help to combat the problem of building collapses and other construction failures allegedly caused by the preponderance of lower grade (32.5) cement on the market, it has converted its plants to produce 52.5 grade cement. It claims to be the first producer in Africa to do so.
Major concerns have been raised by various interest groups over cement standardisation in Africa. These stakeholders had warned that the prevalence of 32.5 cement grade in the market was a major cause of building collapse and threatened to stage protests against cement manufacturers that produce the lower grade of the product.
In response to the stakeholders' threat, Dangote Cement announced that it only produces 42.5 grade cement from its plants. However, the company decided to further demonstrate its commitment to delivering high quality products by raising the quality bar beyond 42.5 grade cement to 52.5 grade. Dangote Cement has commenced production 52.5 grade cement from all of its Nigerian plants in Ibese, Ogun state, Gboko, Benue state and Obajana, Kogi state.
Dangote disclosed that the 52.5 grade cement, which had been certified by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as conforming to the requirements of NIS 444-2003 and other relevant standards, would sell for the same amount as the lower grade 42.5N type. It stated that it costs more to produce the 52.5 grade but that Dangote Cement decided to sell at the same price in the interest of its customers.
US: After five years in the red in its US business, Taiheiyo Cement expects to return the segment to profitability in the year that ends in March 2015, according to company president Shuji Fukuda.
The American subsidiary had been a major source of revenue, raking in just over US$200m in 2006, but began posting losses after the 2008 financial crisis hit. With the US housing market slow to recover, the subsidiary has remained stuck in the red year after year.
However, the segment is doing more business, particularly on the West Coast, while the average selling price rose by 10% in 2013.
Reliance Cement plant becomes operational in Rae Bareli 10 March 2014
India: Reliance Cement's 2Mt/yr cement plant in Rae Bareli in the state of Utter Pradesh has become operational. The company's aim is to capitalise on the huge demand-supply gap in the state, according to chief executive officer Arvind Pathak.
At present, the cement market in Utter Pradesh is estimated at around 26Mt/yr, while the total cement production in the state stands at about 16Mt/yr, leaving a 10Mt/yr shortfall. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are among the top cement consuming states in India. Pathak said the cement market was expected to grow by 6%/yr in the near future and that Reliance Cement was well positioned and equipped to fulfil the gap in demand and supply.
The company has invested about US$82.2m in the Rae Bareli plant, which will also consume about 600,000t/yr of fly ash. Reliance Cement's subsidiary, Reliance Power, which runs a 1200MW thermal power plant in Shahjahanpur district, will transport fly ash generated from its unit to the cement plant for consumption. "We aim to become among the top-three cement companies in India with total capacity of 50Mt/yr," Pathak added.
The company is also developing two 5Mt/yr capacity cement plants at Maihar, Madhya Pradesh and Yavatmal, Maharashtra.
New TÇMB chairman elected 10 March 2014
Turkey: A new Board of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (TÇMB) was elected at the 56th General Assembly Meeting of TÇMB in February 2014. Sabancı Holding Cement Group president, Mehmet Göçmen, has become the new chairman of TÇMB.
Chettinad Cement set to acquire Anjani Portland 10 March 2014
India: Chettinad Cement Corporation is set to acquire Anjani Portland Cement. It will give the Chennai-based company a significant presence in the Andhra Pradesh market. No further details have been released. Anjani Cements has over 1.2Mt/yr production capacity from its two plants in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh. It also has plans for setting up a greenfield unit in Karnataka.