27 November 2015
Ash Grove Cement donates US$20,000 to Nebraska conservatory 27 November 2015
US: Ash Grove Cement has donated US$20,000 to a Nebraska conservatory to help fund a workshop and laboratory and support conservation efforts.
"Ash Grove Cement is delighted to support The Nature Conservancy of Nebraska and its important project, Niobrara Valley Preserve," said the Plant Manager of Ash Grove Cement in Louisville, John Dale. "We believe that conservation is vital to the future of the state, which is why we've contributed to The Nature Conservancy throughout the Plains states for the past 20 years."
The donation will go building a new workshop and laboratory for a research facility as well as conservation and ranching support. At 60,000 acres, the Niobrara Valley Preserve is one of the largest and most visited preserves in the US. Donations like the one from Ash Grove Cement help to keep the conservatory open for research and teaching purposes.
"The Nature Conservancy is grateful for the support of the Ash Grove Charitable Foundation to help build a new workshop / laboratory at our Niobrara Valley Preserve," said Conservation Director Mace Hack. "This is a part of a comprehensive plan to transform this special place into the world-class home for teaching and learning that today's conservation challenges demand."
India: UltraTech Cement is reportedly in advanced discussions with Reliance Infrastructure on the sale of its cement units.
Reliance Infrastructure put up its cement units for sale in October 2015 to reduce its US$3.86bn debt. The company earned a revenue of US$56.7m from its 5.5Mt/yr of operational capacity in July - September 2015. Reliance Infrastructure's cement units are expected to fetch an enterprise valuation of US$749 - 824m.
Cong Thanh Group launches new line in Vietnam 27 November 2015
Vietnam: Cong Thanh Group held a ceremony to mark the first batch of cement made by its second production line at its cement plant in Thanh Hoa. The new line has a capacity of 12,500t/day of clinker or 3.6Mt/yr of cement.
The line will help contribute to the province's industrial production growth and contribute US$26.7m to the provincial budget. Vietnam now has 76 cement production lines with a combined output of 81.6Mt/yr. The ministry has estimated that Vietnam's cement and clinker sales in 2015 will reach 71.5 - 72Mt in 2015, fulfilling the year's target, including 55 – 55.5Mt of domestic sales, rising by 9 - 9.5% year-on-year. Clinker exports are likely to fall by 19% to 16.5Mt, meeting 85% of the whole-year target.
Cemex reports 2016 plans 27 November 2015
Colombia: Cemex's Colombian business has reported its plans for 2016. The company currently constructs housing in the country, which complements its primary activity of cement production. It has constructed 6000 houses in Colombia to date and now plans to double its income in this segment with the construction of 15,000 additional houses in the near future.
Cemex has also set-up a network of hardware stores called Construrama, of which there are now 220. The company noted the challenge in managing its distribution chain as it now sells more than 4000 products to a variety of clients. The company also plans growth for its concrete, infrastructure, housing and market development divisions in public sector projects and structuring. According to Cemex, the company has formed an alliance with the national government and administrations of municipalities, departments, associations and public institutions to achieve this goal.
Italy's antitrust body opens probe into alleged cement price fixing 27 November 2015
Italy: Italy's antitrust authority has opened an investigation into four cement companies for alleged price fixing and, with the tax police, has searched the offices of the companies, according to Reuters. The companies under investigation are Buzzi Unicem, Cementir Italia, Industria Cementi Giovanni Rossi and Holcim Italia.
"The case concerns the possibility of an agreement to coordinate cement sales price increases," said the authority in a statement.
Holcim Italia, part of LafargeHolcim, confirmed the inspections. It said that the company had always acted according to the law and has 'policies and procedures in place that are designed to ensure compliance with principles and rules of fair competition prohibiting anti-competitive behaviour and the abuse of a dominant market position.' Buzzi said that it is confident that it will be able to demonstrate during the investigation that it had always acted in compliance with competition law.