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PPC announces 10% year-on-year profit increase in 2013 20 November 2013
South Africa: PPC (formerly Pretoria Portland Cement) has announced that full-year profit in 2013 was increased by 10% after improved sales in its home market and neighbouring Zimbabwe. Net income rose to US$92m in the 12 months to September 2013 from US$83m in 2012.
"Cement sales in our home territories, particularly Zimbabwe and South Africa, have shown good growth," said Ketso Gordhan, chief executive officer of PPC.
PPC is expanding in Africa through acquisitions to offset tougher competition in its domestic market. The company will have three new plants operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Ethiopia by the end of 2015, boosting capacity by more than a third to as much as 11Mt/yr.
"Due to modest growth, the domestic trading environment remains tough and highly competitive," said a PPC representative. "We are on track to meet our strategic objective of generating 40% of our revenues from the rest of the continent by 2017."
Qingsong Building Materials acquires cement company in Xinjiang 20 November 2013
China: Xinjiang Qingsong Building Materials & Chemicals has acquired a 31.6% stake in Yili Nangang Building Materials for US$27.7m. After the acquisition, Qingsong Building Materials' stake in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous-based company has increased to 51%, further expanding its market share in the region.
Lafarge opens fourth world research laboratory in Algiers 20 November 2013
Algeria: Lafarge inaugurated its fourth laboratory dedicated to research in construction materials in Algiers on 18 November 2013. The Euro1.75m laboratory is the first such facility that the multinational cement producer has opened in Africa.
Luc Callebat, CEO of Lafarge-Algeria, described the laboratory as a "platform technology to coordinate and accelerate innovation to serve the needs of the Algerian construction market," during the inauguration ceremony. The project is intended to meet increasing demand for housing in terms of quality, cost and energy efficiency. The laboratory joins Lafarge's existing network in France, China and India.
Covering an area of 2290m2, the research laboratory includes control laboratories and research in cement, concrete, aggregates and building systems. The laboratory also organises specialised training in the construction industry.
Lafarge Republic orders cement grinding plant from Fives 20 November 2013
Philippines: Lafarge Republic signed a contract with Fives FCB for a new cement grinding plant for the Teresa plant located in Rizal province. The proposed plant will add 850,000t/yr production capacity to the Teresa plant's capacity in 2015. No financial information for the contract has been released.
The contract includes raw material feeding, with clinker and pulverised coal fed through the existing circuit and other additives, such as a limestone, gypsum, fly ash, fed by truck dump. A cement grinding workshop will be fitted with one Horomill® 3800 and one TSV™ 4500 classifier, associated with a dryer-aerodecantor and a TGT™ filter (under Fives Solios licence). A Fives Pillard vertical hot gas generator (12 MW) for the pouzzolana (25% moisture) drying will also be fitted.
The plant's cement silo will have a capacity of 5000t. A new cement transport system will connect the new silo, the site's existing silos and the packing plant. The contract also includes the control and supervision system and an electrical sub-station for the new build.
Indonesia: JFE Engineering Corporation has started work on a 28MW waste heat recovery (WHR) project for PT Semen Indonesia, the leading state-owned cement company in Indonesia. The WHR project will be designed and manufactured by the Japanese engineering firm with installation by local contractors at the Tuban cement plant in West Java. Commissioned of the plant is scheduled for the end of 2014.
The Semen Indonesia project is the second WHR build JFE Engineering has undertaken in Indonesia following a previous project for Semen Padang. This project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 130,000t at full load operation. Further collaboration between JFE Engineering and Semen Indonesia, following a strategic agreement signed on 23 October 2013, will see coordination between the companies on WHR projects and waste management in Indonesia and Vietnam.
The project from JFE Engineering is part of a feasibility study of the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) by the Ministry of Environment of Japan (MOEJ), to offset Japan's emissions targets through low carbon projects overseas. Once awarded accreditation on the scheme, the project will be supported by a subsidy from the MOEJ.