Displaying items by tag: Myanmar
Protestors oppose Hpa-an cement plant project
30 March 2016Myanmar: Hundreds of protestors have gathered in Hpa-an to object against a revived proposal to build a 5000t/day cement plant in Mi Karen and to develop a nearby limestone quarry. The project was originally put on hold in 2014 pending a public consultation, according to the Irrawaddy newspaper.
Protestors held a 'no cement' prayer vigil demanding that the project be scrapped. Local residents fear that the proposed cement plant will require land to be confiscated to build it as well as citing environmental and public health concerns.
Hpa-an has two existing cement plants in Myaingkalay with a combined cement production capacity of 4900t/day. These are run by the government and the military’s Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL) respectively.
Arr Thit Man plans to double cement capacity in Mandalay
15 September 2015Myanmar: Local cement producer Arr Thit Man plans to double its cement production capacity from 5000t/day to 10,000t/day by 2016, according to senior officials. The company makes the Double Rhinos brand cement from its plant in Kyaukse, Mandalay. It claims to be the country's largest cement plant.
"We are a new brand, but we are focused on the quality of cement and fulfilling market demand," said the company's managing director. For the time being, Arr Thit Man plans to focus on meeting growing domestic demand rather than exports.
A number of other cement manufacturers are also looking to increase their local presence. Siam Cement Group is building a 1.8Mt/yr cement plant in Mon, which it expects to be operational in 2016. Several companies also import their cement to Myanmar.
SCG to open Myanmar showroom
23 March 2015Myanmar: Siam Cement Group (SCG) will open its first showroom in Yangon, Myanmar in May 2015, according to country director Chana Poomee. It will showcase products to customers and partners. "SCG is committed to enhance the expertise of the dealer network and empower them for long-term competitiveness," said Poomee. SCG is currently expanding into Myanmar with the construction of a cement plant in Mawlamyine, Mon, which is expected to open in 2016.
Semen Indonesia may drop Myanmar investment plan
16 January 2015Indonesia: State-run Semen Indonesia may cancel its plans to invest in Myanmar if the company and its local partner fail to reach an amicable agreement over the partnership deal. Semen Indonesia's corporate secretary Agung Wiharto said that his company was facing another difficult round of discussions with its partner in Myanmar.
"Negotiations are ongoing, but we still haven't reached an agreement with our local partner on certain problems, including share price and the size of the stake to be acquired," said Wiharto. He added that if the prices demanded by the local partner were too high, Semen Indonesia would either seek a different Myanmarese company to cooperate with or move the expansion plan to another Asian country such as Vietnam, Cambodia or even Bangladesh. "We want a more reasonable price, as we will not only acquire a stake, we will also provide expertise, technology and human resources," said Wiharto.
Semen Indonesia announced in 2014 that it had decided to postpone its plan to acquire a cement company in Myanmar in 2015 after it missed its deadline to conclude negotiations in the middle of the year. Wiharto added that, to date, the potential partner had not yet determined the portion of its shares to be sold to Semen Indonesia.
While Semen Indonesia had planned to acquire a majority stake in its potential partner, Wiharto said that his company would be satisfied even if did not become a controlling shareholder. He declined to disclose how much investment Semen Indonesia had prepared for the expansion, simply saying that the cement producer had 'enough internal cash to fund the required capital.'
Movers in Myanmar
26 November 2014A couple of news stories this week from Myanmar present an opportunity to look at the country. Lafarge has opened a cement repacking plant in the Thilawa special economic zone (SEZ). Upcountry meanwhile, Anhui Conch has had a joint venture approved by the government for an upgrade to an existing cement plant in Kyaukse.
Towards the end of 2013 the government announced that 13 companies were to establish joint ventures with the local state-owned cement plants. In addition the Myanmar Investment Commission had approved the construction of nine new cement plants with an aim of a target cement production capacity of 10.53Mt/yr. Following this, Siam Cement Group's on-going investment in a 1.8Mt/yr plant is due for completion in 2016. Semen Indonesia have been pushing for a joint venture since mid-2014 although it was still trying to agree terms in September 2014, according to local media. Italcementi's chief executive Carlo Pesenti also expressed his company's interest in setting up a joint venture in early 2014.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) investment bank CIMB placed cement demand in Myanmar at 4Mt in 2012 and a local cement production capacity of 3Mt/yr. Cement consumption was placed at 76kg/capita for the country's population of 52.8 million. In contrast, Thai cement engineering supplier LV Technology reported demand of 6Mt in 2012. CIMB recorded Myanmar's capacity utilisation rate at 60%. Cement sales were broken down as 95% by bag and 5% by bulk.
This kind of supply-demand gap excites foreign investors. Neighbouring Thailand has a consumption of 515kg/capita, Myanmar imports cement from Thailand, Indonesia and India and the country's GDP growth rate is currently estimated to be around 8%.
Yet what's notable about Myanmar's industry are the high number of small, low production capacity cement plants. Many of them are wet process plants. Only one plant is reported as being capable of producing over 0.5Mt/yr with the Siam Cement plant project due to significantly bust this record when it is commissioned in 2016. Limited limestone deposits in the country may also make plants larger than 1.5Mt/yr unviable. Fuel is also an issue, with LV Technology advocating a wholesale industry conversion from state-subsidised gas to coal due to power shortages and impending competition issues.
In 2015 Myanmar is set to enact free trade tariffs from its ASEAN membership. Without protection or preparation, its cement plants could face serious consequences from cheaper imports from Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. The move by the government to encourage joint ventures with foreign partners looks like one way to mitigate this. In a market report in 2013 CIMB described the situation for investors as 'high-growth, high-barrier.' This seems to be an apt description given the experiences of Semen Indonesia.
Lafarge launches cement repacking plant in Thilawa
25 November 2014Myanmar: Lafarge has opened a cement repacking and storing plant in Thilawa special economic zone (SEZ) in Myanmar. The plant cost an estimated US$10 - 20m. Lafarge owns 60% of the distribution depot, while two local firms own 20% each.
The depot, which is near Thilawa port, 20km outside Yangon, can store 20,000t of cement and will be able to expand capacity based on customer demand. The depot will mainly be used for repacking and storing cement, while the cement will be imported in bulk from Lafarge plants in the region, mainly from Malaysia and Vietnam. The company will primarily supply its cement to construction projects in the ongoing Japanese-backed Thilawa SEZ project and the rest to the local market.
Anhui Conch invests in Myanmar Conch Cement joint venture
24 November 2014Myanmar: The local Myint Investment Group has joined China's Anhui Conch Cement to upgrade the No 33 Kyaukse cement plant to 5000t/day of cement production capacity through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) system, according to the Ministry of Industry. The plant currently has a production capacity of 400t/day. The Directorate of Investment and Company Administration approved the joint venture, Myanmar Conch Cement Co Ltd, on 11 November 2014.
Rail-mounted Siwertell unloader for new cement plant in Myanmar
17 September 2014Myanmar: Cargotec's Siwertell has received an order from CITIC Heavy Industries Co Ltd (CITIC) for a rail-travelling ship unloader. The ST-640 M-type unloader has been ordered to support the energy production requirements for a new cement plant in Myanmar and will unload coal from barges at a rate of 800t/hr. The plant is being built as part of a collaboration between CITIC and Siam Cement's subsidiary, Mawlamyine Cement Ltd (MCL).
China: Anhui Conch's revenue rose by 22% year-on-year to US$4.68bn in the first half of 2014 from US$3.84bn in the same period in 2013. The group's net profit rose by 90% to US$945m. It attributed the growth in revenue and profit to increased sales volumes and prices.
During the reporting period, the group acquired four cement projects including Shaoyang Yunfeng New Energy Technology, Hunan Yunfeng Cement, Shuicheng Conch Panjiang Cement and Kunming Hongxi Cement. It started work on building three clinker production lines including Baoshan Conch Cement and ten cement grinding units, including Liangping Conch Cement, increasing its clinker and cement production capacities by 10.9Mt/yr and 17.7Mt/yr respectively. Outside of China, the installation of equipment at PT Conch South Kalimantan Cement in Indonesia was noted and a project in Myanmar was acknowledged as having made progress.
Four residual heat electricity generation units located at Guangxi Lingyun Tonghong Cement, Baoshan Conch and other companies were put into operation with an additional installed capacity of 36MW. The group continued to implement low-NOx staged combustion technology modification for clinker production lines and SNCR flue gas denitration technology modification. As at the end of the reporting period, the Group had completed technical upgrade of NOx reduction to 101 production lines, which are all reported to be running smoothly.
As at the end of the reporting period, the production capacity of clinker and cement of the group reached 200Mt/yr and 245Mt/yr respectively.
SCG invests US$400m in Myanmar cement plant
23 July 2014Myanmar: Thailand's Siam Cement Group (SCG) plans to invest US$400m in the construction of a 1.8Mt/yr capacity cement plant in Myanmar. The plant is expected to be complete in 2016.
"The priority we are focusing is to manufacture cement and later cement related products such as ready-mix concrete and precast concrete blocks," said Kan Trakulhoon, SCG's president and CEO. "Myanmar seems to be developing progressively and infrastructures are needed, so the cement market will be good. The investments made in the industry and housing construction sectors are increasing, especially in major cities like Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw." He added that the cement plant would use waste-derived fuel.