Global Cement News

India: UltraTech Cement’s consolidated net sales grew by 8% year-on-year to US$1.39bn in the second quarter of its financial year to 30 September 2020 from US$1.29bn in the same period in 2019. Its profit after tax more than doubled to US$167m from US$78.5m. The group attributed its progress to, “strong quarterly performance on the back of operational efficiencies and its ability to serve all India markets.”

It added that it had focused on health and safety and ‘efficient working conditions’ as it had gradually resumed operations following coronavirus-related lockdown restrictions. Overall, the group’s revenue from operations fell by 14% year-on-year to US$2.44bn in the first half of its financial year from US$2.85bn in the same period in 2019.

Germany: Robecco says that it took over the inerting business from Yara on 1 September 2020. The acquisition is intended to support customers and their future needs. The company says that combination of Yara’s inerting systems and robecco’s monitoring and control technology is a ‘unique tailor-made solution’ to maximise safety in preventive explosion protection.

With over 25 years’ experience, Robecco has become a specialist in preventive explosion protection and can provide complete packages of equipment for monitoring, control and CO₂ / N₂ inerting systems from a single source and one interface according to the relevant international and European norms and rules. The company holds long-established business relationships with customers worldwide providing preventive explosion protection solutions and automation services for the integration of explosion protection solutions into customers’ systems.

Nepal: The Investment Board Nepal has granted approval to Samrat Cement and Dang Cement for cement production at their upcoming integrated cement plants. New Business Age has reported that Samrat Cement will begin production at its 1.3Mt/yr cement plant in Dang Region in December 2020, and plans to increase the plant’s capacity to 1.6Mt/yr after a total investment of US$132m. Dang Cement’s 2.0Mt/yr cement plant, also in Dang region, is due for commissioning in late 2023 at a total investment cost of US$277m.

Samrat Cement Chair Mukunda Timilsina said, “We have brought modern machineries with German technology and skilled manpower is coming from India for this purpose.” He added that the plant will directly employ 500 local people and supply cement throughout western Nepal.

Pakistan: The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has arranged hearings on 21 October 2020 over alleged environmental protection regulation violations by Dewan Cement and Lucky Cement at their respective Kamilpur and Karachi cement plants in the province. The provincial agency, “has expedited its monitoring activities throughout the province to manage different types of pollution at their source.”

Uzbekistan: Cement sales volumes has decreased by 29% to 5000t/day from 7000t/day at the Akhangarancement cement plant in Toshkent and by 55% to 5000t/day from 11,000t/day at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine cement plant in Jizzakh. Uzbekistan Newsline has reported the cause of the decline as the breakdown of two kilns at the plants. This has led to a decrease in domestic cement production to 37,000t/day and sales to 35,000t/day, resulting in a slight price increase. Prices had previously been falling due to the effects of the post-coronavirus lockdown economic recovery.