16 April 2015
Lafarge Republic to hike output by 17% in 2015 16 April 2015
Philippines: Lafarge Republic Inc expects to raise its cement output by 17% with the opening of new mills at its plants in Rizal and Bulacan. Lafarge Republic president Renato Sunico said that the company expects to produce >7Mt/yr of cement by the end of 2015, up from 6Mt/yr at present.
The US$20.1m grinding mill at the plant in Teresa, Rizal that was inaugurated in April 2015 is expected to produce 850,000t/yr of cement. This increases the plant's output to 2Mt/yr. The new mill will also contribute to Lafarge Republic's commitment to sustainability as it reduces the plant's energy consumption by 40%. A similar 850,000t/yr capacity mill will also be installed at the plant in Norzagaray in Bulacan by December 2015. "The reason why we put up a new mill in Teresa and why we want to put up a new mill in Norzagaray, is because we want to make sure that we can serve demand," said Sunico.
With regards to the LafargeHolcim merger, no consolidation of the two companies' operations in the Philippines is required as Holcim has expressed plans to purchase some of LafargeRepublic's assets such as Lafarge Iligan Inc, Lafarge Mindanao Inc, Lafarge Republic Aggregates Inc and the Star Terminal at the Harbour Centre in Manila. CRH has also been given rights to acquire the remaining assets of Lafarge Republic, including the plants in Rizal, Bulacan, Batangas and Cebu.
Eurocement proposes boss Galchev for LafargeHolcim board 16 April 2015
Europe: Eurocement Holding AG, the second-largest shareholder in Holcim with a 10.8% stake, has said that it is nominating its owner Filaret Galchev for a position on the LafargeHolcim board. Galchev's name was not on a list of candidates for the post-merger board released earlier in April 2015, but Holcim's chairman had previously said that Holcim was open to giving Galchev a seat.
Shree Cement ramps up production capacity at Ras plant 16 April 2015
India: Shree Cement has completed the second phase of its Ras plant in Rajasthan, which will take its cement production capacity up by 2Mt/yr. "The company has completed the phase two of Ras New Cement Unit at Bangur City, Ras, Rajasthan and enhanced its cement production capacity by 2Mt/yr with effect from 9 April 2015," said Shree Cement in a statement.
Costa Rica: Costa Rica's national emergency commission (CNE) has prohibited Grupo JCB from using cement imported from China for the construction of a dam on the Nosara River in Nicoya. The works are being carried out by the CNE in order to contain water overflowing from the river.
The CNE has announced that the product does not have the certification of quality requested in the Technical Regulation for hydraulic cement. This document outlines rules to guarantee the durability of cement used in the country, as well as the safety of people who come into contact with the material during the construction process. CNE spokesperson Reinaldo Carballo said that this move does not signify the paralysis of the US$1.72m project, which is 72% complete.
The owner of Grupo JCB, Juan Carlos Bolanos, has expressed surprise at the decision and has assured that the cement does meet the requirements established by laboratory studies.
Misdeclaration on cement import from Iran continues 16 April 2015
Pakistan/Iran: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has condemned the illegal import of cement from Iran and tax evasions at the import stage by misdeclaration, which is seriously affecting Pakistan's cement industry. The APCMA has urged the government to stop the trade immediately.
An APCMA spokesman said that the quantity of cement being imported from Iran has been found understated on the Customs Goods Declaration form, resulting in a substantial loss to the national exchequer. This is done via the collusion of dealers with Customs departments officials and transporters. Not all of the necessary tax is being paid on Iranian cement imports.
"At present, the country's surplus cement production capacity is more than 20Mt/yr and it is coming under further pressure because of the illegal imports of cement. It is not only damaging the local industry, but also through misdeclaration it is giving a substantial loss to the national exchequer," said the APCMA spokesman. He urged the government to include cement in a negative list of import items so that the country's surplus production capacity could be used to the maximum. "This would help to increase economic growth in the country and will also curb malpractices at different levels."
Cameroon bans cement imports 16 April 2015
Cameroon: Cameroon has announced a ban on imported cement as part of measures to boost the patronage of Dangote Cement products, according to local media.
Abdulahi Baba, general manager and head of Dangote's Cameroon plant, said that the company had already assured the government of Cameroon that it would help shore up local cement with the ban on cement imports. Baba added that Dangote appreciates the gesture of the Cameroonian government and stressed that the ban was a vote of confidence on the ability of cement manufacturers in the country, especially Dangote Cement, to meet and surpass local demand.
Baba said that with the addition of Dangote's 1.5Mt/yr of capacity, the three domestic cement manufacturers would surpass local demand. He added that Dangote management was already looking towards export prospects in Chad, Central African Republic, Garbon, Equitorial Guinea and Togo.
"Demand is growing everyday because of the infrastructural developmental efforts of the government. We will take the advantage of the ban on cement importation here in Cameroon," said Baba. "We are set to pursue aggressive market penetration and consolidation through appropriate above-the-line and below-the-line activities. About 170 distributors have been selected after the interview process and 85 distributors will start. The number will gradually increase with increasing production."
Holcim’s statement on Eurocement proposal 16 April 2015
Europe: On 14 April 2015 Holcim announced the names of the candidates proposed to join the board of directors of LafargeHolcim after the merger. The board will comprise 14 members, seven each designated by Holcim and Lafarge.
After the announcement, Holcim received a proposal in writing of its 10.8% shareholder Eurocement to elect Filaret Galchev to the board of directors of LafargeHolcim. According to Holcim, the proposal came too late to be considered by the board of directors of Holcim for inclusion into the agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting on 8 May 2015.