Global Cement News

China: China Resources Cement’s (CRC) turnover fell by 21% year-on-year to US$2.05bn in the first half of 2022 from US$2.57bn in the same period in 2021. Its profit decreased by 50% to US$230m from US$463m. Its cement and concrete sales volumes dropped by 26% to 30.7Mt and 23% to 5.4Mm³ respectively. However, its clinker sales volumes rose by 5% to 2Mt. The group also reported that the capacity utilisation rate for its cement and clinker production lines were 70% and 87% in the first half of 2022 compared to 97% and 108% in the same period in 2021.

Paraguay: Cementos Concepción (CECON) has started commissioning its new plant at San Lázaro in the Concepción department by grinding raw material. Alexander Gonzalez, the project manager for the plant, told La Nación newspaper that start-up of the unit had been successful and that the process would now continue along the production line. The plant’s kiln is expected to start operation in October 2022.

Kenya: Bamburi Cement’s turnover rose by 3% year-on-year to US$168m in the first half of 2022 from US$164m in the same period of 2012. However, its profit before tax tumbled by 89% to US$1.03m from US$9.25m. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim attributed its rising turnover to mounting sales volumes and rising prices. However, it blamed its falling profit on “significant inflation of the fuel prices, logistics costs and imported clinker prices in both Kenya and Uganda.” It added that it expected the local market to improve after the Kenyan general election in August 2022 and growth in infrastructure spending in Uganda propped up by the oil industry.

Botswana: Keletsositse Olebile, the chief executive officer of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, hopes that the country could become a net exporter of cement in 2023. Olebile made the comment whilst on a tour of the Matsiloje integrated cement plant, according to the Weekend Post newspaper. The cement company was recently acquired by Whale Rock Cement, a Chinese joint-venture based in Namibia. At present the plant is producing 0.1Mt/yr and following a planned investment drive this may rise to 0.9Mt/yr. At present the country imports around 0.62Mt/yr of cement and it is hoped that expanding production at the Matsiloje plant could create the right conditions to create an export market. Matsiloje Portland Cement, the previous owners of the Matsiloje plant, closed in 2018 due to competition from South African imports.

Egypt: Suez Cement says it is the first grey cement company in Egypt and Africa to obtain an environmental product declaration (EPD) certificate in accordance with international ISO standard. Four certificates have been issued for cement products manufactured at the company’s Helwan, Kattameya and Suez integrated plants. These are: CEMII BP 42.5N; CEMIIIA 42.5N; CEMII AL 42.5N; and Masonry 12.5X.

“With this certification, our customers will be able to make an informed choice of one of the lowest carbon footprint materials and reduce the environmental impact of emissions in their investments,” said Mohamed Hegazy, the managing director of Suez Cement.