Global Cement News

Japan: The CP Concrete Consortium has received US$80m in funding under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO)’s Green Innovation Funding Programme. The funding will support the consortium’s development of its Carbon Pool Concrete reduced-CO₂ concrete production technology until 2032. Hazama Ando Corporation leads the consortium along with 14 other members of the Japanese Ready-Mixed and Returned Concrete Solution Association.

Carbon Pool Concrete technology can be used in the construction of pavements, buildings and other civil engineering structures. Through comprehensive carbon life cycle evaluation, the consortium is attempting to robustly link the use of its technology with carbon market instruments and environmental and social governance infrastructure funding. Its aim is to redefine concrete as a carbon neutral material.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has reported a 59.2% decline in its consolidated net profit to US$9.7m for the three months to 31 December 2021. The company had posted a net profit of US$23.6m during the corresponding quarter of 2020. The company reported that its revenue for the quarter was almost unchanged year-on-year at US$363m. The company’s cement sales volumes fell to 5.7Mt during the quarter compared to 5.8Mt in a year earlier.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Managing Director and chief executive officer (CEO) Mahendra Singhi said, “Margins during the quarter were impacted due to a significant inflation in the energy prices and market weakness in core regions of our operation. However, beginning in mid-December, things have started to look good. To mitigate the impact of external exigencies, we are working to further strengthen our operational efficiencies and explore avenues for cost rationalisation.”

Vietnam: Vicem But Son Cement has reported that it sold more than 3.8Mt of cement and clinker in 2021, fulfilling 94.1% of its whole year’s target, according to local media. During the year, the firm produced more than 2.8Mt of clinker, fulfilling 96.6% of its plan and over 3.2Mt of cement, fulfilling 91.1% of its target. In financial terms, the company contributed US$6.64m to the state budget last year, surpassing the whole year’s target by 6.7%.

In 2022 Vicem But Son Cement aims to sell 4.0Mt of products, comprising 3.4Mt of cement and 0.6Mt of clinker, as part of its mission to become ‘a leading’ cement producer in Vietnam and in the Southeast Asian region.

Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated BUA Group’s new 3.0Mt/yr Line 4 at its Sokoto plant in northern Nigeria on 27 January 2022. The plant is the largest private sector employer of labour in the north-western part of Nigeria.

At the inauguration, the President expressed delight that the Federal Government policies on economic diversification, job creation and creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive were working. He pledged to continue his administration’s support for ‘serious investors’ to set up businesses that will take advantage of huge reserves of resources in different parts of the country.

The President thanked the Founder of BUA Cement, Abdul Samad Rabiu and the BUA team for the ‘great work they are doing’ in supporting the government's economic diversification and job creation agenda.

Speaking personally, President Buhari added that, as the head of Sokoto State in 1985, he had also inaugurated Line 2 at the same plant, saying, "Today, almost 37 years later, to commission the fourth line is a very special day for me personally. As you all know, one of the key economic pillars of our administration has been to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This is necessary for job creation and indeed, for our economy and national security.”

Nigeria: Dangote Cement announced on 26 January 2022 that it bought 126.75 million of its own shares in the week to 21 January 2022, the second tranche of a buyback programme set to return cash to shareholders. The producer, majority-owned by Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote, aims to buy back up to 10% of its US$41m share capital in tranches. The company now has 16.87 billion shares outstanding.