23 February 2015
UltraTech wins coal block in Madhya Pradesh 23 February 2015
India: On day six of India's coal block auction, 20 February 2015, UltraTech Cement won the Bicharpur coal block in Maharashtra for a price of US$48.2/t. The block contains coal deposits of 29.1Mt. UltraTech's parent company, Aditya Birla Group, has already won three blocks so far in the on-going coal block allocation auctions.
DG Khan plans US$300m cement plant amid strong financial results 23 February 2015
Pakistan: Mian Mansha's DG Khan Cement Ltd plans to build a US$300m plant near Karachi as economic growth boosts demand. This marks its first plant build since 2007. The new plant near Hub, west of Karachi, will produce 2 - 2.5Mt/yr of cement. Construction is targeted for completion late in 2018. The plant will be financed 40% through internal cash and the rest through debt, said Niazi.
"There will be a shortage domestically in three years if there is 10%/yr growth in demand," said CFO Inayat Ullah Niazi. DG Khan's two cement plants have operated near full capacity for the past two years. Pakistan's output is projected to expand by 43% in the year that ends on 30 June 2015 and 47.5% in the following fiscal year.
DG Khan Cement announced a net income of US$33.3m for the first six months of its financial year, which ended on 31 December 2014, up by 27% compared to US$26.2m in the same period of 2013. The company's earnings surged by 93% quarter-on-quarter to US$22m during the second quarter of its financial year. With stable off-take and prices, revenue increased by 2% year-on-year to US$124m during the first half of the fiscal year because of an improved sales mix. Revenues jumped by 18% quarter-on-quarter to US$66.8m during the second quarter.
"The earnings were significantly above our estimates due to higher-than-estimated other income and lower-than-expected taxation charges," said DG Khan.
Holcim reports better-than-expected 2014 results 23 February 2015
Switzerland: Holcim has announced better-than-expected results for 2014, including higher cement sales volumes and higher net sales. It has also announced that its non-controlling interest of 27.5% in its joint venture Siam City Cement Public Company Limited is available for sale.
Cement sales volumes in 2014 exceeded those in 2013 due to a stronger economy in North America and growth momentum in some emerging markets such as India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mexico, offsetting a challenging situation in Latin America. Consolidated cement sales were up by 1% year-on-year to 140Mt. In the fourth quarter of 2014, cement volumes decreased slightly by 0.6% to 34.4Mt.
Holcim's net sales grew by 3% on a like-for-like basis. Growth mostly resulted from price improvements in many regions, particularly in North America, against the backdrop of a favorable market environment and in Latin America in response to cost inflation. An unfavorable currency effect of 5.2% and negative changes in consolidation structure impacted the consolidated net sales performance in 2014, which was down by 3.1% to Euro17.8bn.
Like-for-like operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) adjusted for merger and restructuring costs of Euro128m increased by Euro200m or 5.5% in 2014. Consolidated operating EBITDA however was down by 3.8% to Euro3.49bn mainly as a result of negative currency effects and merger and restructuring related costs.
In 2014, operating profit adjusted for merger and restructuring costs of Euro139m went up by Euro232m or 10.6% year-on-year. Consolidated operating profit, however, was down by 1.7% at Euro2.16bn. Net income increased by 1.5% to Euro1.51bn. In 2014, net financial debt was Euro8.97bn, Euro170m up from Euro8.79bn mainly due to an unfavorable currency impact of Euro233m.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, Holcim's consolidated net sales increased year-on-year by 1.9% to Euro4.53bn. Operating EBITDA reached Euro935m, up by 6.5% year-on-year. Adjusted for merger and restructuring costs booked in the quarter of Euro52m, like-for-like operating EBITDA growth reached Euro103m or 11.8%. Operating profit increased by 6.9% to CHF 598 million. Excluding merger and restructuring costs of Euro53.9m, operating profit growth reached Euro101m or 19.2%. Net income was up markedly by 43.5% to Euro426m.
Holcim expects that the global economy will continue its gradual recovery in 2015. Key construction markets of Holcim in countries like the USA, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia, the UK and the Philippines are expected to be the main growth drivers. Europe overall is expected to have 'flat' development. Latin America will continue to face uncertainties in countries such as Argentina and Brazil, but should show slight growth in 2015. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow, although at a modest pace. Africa and the Middle East is expected gradually to improve. Cement volumes should increase in all group regions in 2015 with the exception of Europe.
LafargeHolcim asked to divest assets in eastern India by CCI 23 February 2015
India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has requested that LafargeHolcim divest some of its units, including limestone reserves, to prevent a monopoly in eastern India.
When Lafarge and Holcim initially announced their intention to merge operations in April 2014, they proposed a series of asset divestments in countries where they had a significant market share, but India was not among them.
After prima facie investigations by the CCI revealed that the combination would likely have an appreciable adverse effect on competition, especially in eastern India, the CCI launched, what it calls, Phase II investigations. It put the merger proposal in public scrutiny under Section 29(3) of the Competition Act, 2002 and invited comments from stakeholders including competitors. The CCI has now stated that the merger proposal is fine, but certain assets must be divested in eastern India.
According to local media, the assets can be sold to a company that is not a competitor. LafargeHolcim has 30 days to respond to the CCI's suggestions.