Global Cement News

India: KCP has appointed Indira Dutt as its chairperson and managing director following approval by its shareholders. She succeeds V L Dutt, who died in February 2020, according to the Press Trust of India.

Indira Dutt holds a B.A. in economics from Madras University. She holds a number of directorships including Fives Cail - KCP Limited, Velagapudi Foundation, KCP Vietnam Industries Limited and V Ramakrishna Sons Private Limited. She was also the chairperson (CSR) member of finance committee and risk management committees of KCP. She is the president of the World Telugu Federation and Chairperson of Andhra Chamber of Commerce.

KCP is a conglomerate with businesses in the cement, heavy engineering, sugar and power industries. It operates two integrated cement plants in Andhra Pradesh.

UK: Cemex has announced the proposed mothballing of the 0.8Mt/yr South Ferriby integrated plant in Lincolnshire. It says that the move would lead to the redundancy of all staff employed at the plant except cement delivery drivers in the third quarter of 2020. A review of the optimal haulage provision will follow. Cemex says that the proposal is the outcome of ‘an analysis of the company’s European cement supply chain.’ Its final decision will follow ‘a process of collective consultation with affected employees.’ It says that the decision was unaffected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The group said that, “Cemex remains committed to the UK and its European business.” It added that the mothballing of the South Ferriby plant will ‘optimise the network it has available across the region.’ Cemex will continue to supply customers from its existing cement network, maintaining customer service and ‘high-quality products in line with customer expectations.’ Its strategic growth will focus on ‘larger metropolitan markets where demand and profitability will be strongest.’

India: Construction work has yet to return to normality following the easing of the coronavirus lockdown in Uttar Pradesh as cement and other materials have not reached building sites. The Hindustan Times has reported that restrictions to the movement of goods across state and district borders have caused extensive disruption of supply chains. The website for travel permits needed by workers who do not live at the site at which they are employed has reportedly crashed multiple times due to oversubscription, leading to some staffing issues. Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) deputy chair Uttar Pradesh West Amit Modi said, “We can only resume work once these things get back to normal."

Uzbekistan: South Korea-based Hwachon Plant Construction Company has shared plans for an integrated cement plant in Karauzyak, Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic. Uzbekistan Daily News has reported the value of investment in the project as US$380m. Hwachon Plant Construction Company chair Sin Cheol Sik met with Uzbekistan Council of Ministers deputy chair Bakhitzhan Habibullayev via videoconference to discuss funding for the project, which will commence at the earliest possible date.

Sik said that he was hopeful of, “a speedy resolution to the coronavirus pandemic and resumption of regular flights between Uzbekistan and South Korea, whereupon Hwachon Plant Construction Company will start work. Both parties agreed that until that time planning will continue via videoconference.”

Argentina: The Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP) has reported that cement dispatches in the period between 1 January 2020 and 30 April 2020 were 2.3Mt, down by 36% year-on-year from 3.6Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. Between March and April dispatches fell by 20% to 408,000t, down by 55% year-on-year from 907,000t in April 2019. The El Economista newspaper has reported that the decline ‘reflects the worsening of the fall in the private and public demand for housing, road, public works and infrastructure in all the districts of the country.’