20 October 2016
Carthage Cement grows domestic market as exports slump 20 October 2016
Tunisia: Carthage Cement’s turnover grew by 17% to US$66.2m in the nine months to 30 September 2016, compared to US$55.8m a year earlier. Locally, the firm’s sales reached US$42.3m, a rise of 21% from US$34.9m in the same period of 2015. This growth helped Carthage Cement bring its market share up to 19% in Tunisia, compared to 15.5% a year earlier. This bucked the trend in the sector, which contracted by 3.3% year-on-year between the review periods.
In terms of exports, sales fell by 2% to US$8.4m from January to September 2016, against US$8.5m in the first nine months of 2015. The third quarter of 2016 saw a higher decrease year-on-year, of 16%. The firm said it was due to a lower demand from Algeria in particular.
Huaxin Cement presents mixed results in third quarter of 2016 20 October 2016
China: Huaxin Cement’s net profit has risen by 29% to US$23.9m in the third quarter of 2016 from US$18.5m in the same period in 2015. However, its sales revenue fell by 7.3% to US$1.36bn from US$1.47bn.
JSW Cement launches Concreel HD brand cement 20 October 2016
India: JSW Cement has launched a new product called Concreel HD in the south of India. It is marketed as an environmentally-friendly product with improved chemical resistance and superior cohesion. It is targeted at strength bearing applications such as beams, columns, slabs and foundations due to its high early and long-term strength as well as its quick setting time.
Arawak Cement to reduce workforce 20 October 2016
Barbados: Arawak Cement has formally offered its staff voluntary separation packages as part of its financial and operational restructuring programme that started in October 2015. In September 2016 the company said that it would offer voluntary separation packages because the first phase of the restructuring had not yielded the results necessary to attain profitability and competitiveness, according to the Barbados Today newspaper. It blamed this on ‘unfavourable’ economic conditions, significant excess cement capacity in the region and highly competitive price sensitive markets. It also cited energy and labour costs as a factor in its decision.
Siemens wins Materials Handling Engineers’ Association’s Innovation Award for work at Hanson UK cement plants 20 October 2016
UK: Siemens has won the Materials Handling Engineers’ Association’s (MHEA) first Innovation Award for its work on energy efficiency savings at three Hanson UK plants. The work focused on fan and control improvements made to the clinker cooler and kiln systems at three Hanson UK sites, which have saved the company nearly Euro2m in energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions. The award was presented at the MEHA’s BULKEX conference in October 2016.
“It’s great to be recognised for this innovative work, where companies can enjoy long-term benefits from process improvements, and we’re particularly pleased to be the first recipients of this award,“ said Siemens application specialist Gary Palmer who worked on all three of the Hanson upgrades.
FCT Combustion wins contracts in the US and Brazil 20 October 2016
Brazil/US: FCT Combustion has released details on contracts it has been awarded from CSN Cement Brazil and Ash Grove Cement. CSN Cement Brazil in Arcos, Brazil has ordered a Turbo-Jet kiln burner with a maximum thermal power of 102Gcal/hour for high sulphur petcoke, heavy fuel oil, alternative solid fuel and alternative liquid fuels firing for its 6500t/day cement kiln. Ash Grove Cement in Seattle, Washington in the US has awarded a contract for 63Gcal/hour Gyro-Therm MKII kiln burner for natural gas firing.
FCT Combustion has also opened new offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and São Paulo, Brazil.
Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry responds to Cement Manufacturers Association call to halt imports 20 October 2016
Ghana: The Ministry of Trade and Industry has responded to calls by the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) that it stop imports of cement by saying that the CMA has misrepresented the role of the Cement Monitoring Committee (CMC) and the process of the licensing regime. The CMA took exception to the issuance of permits by the ministry to three foreign cement producers given that they say the country has a surplus of cement, according to the Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper.
In a statement the Ministry of Trade said no authority or mandate has been given to the CMC to instruct or direct the Minister on which firms should be awarded a license and what that company's specific annual imports should be. It added that the CMC's role is intended to give the ministry and all stakeholders access to relevant information and data for the effective implementation of the relevant legislation. It said that the law does not place a ban on imported cement but rather provides a mechanism, rules and procedures for controlling imports.
It went on to explain that the major reason for granting China’s Fujian Cement a licence to import cement into Ghana was because it was building a cement plant in the country and that the company was attempting to establish itself in the market ahead of local production. Fujian Cement originally asked the ministry to import 1.5Mt/yr of cement into the country but this was restricted to 0.5Mt/yr. The ministry also reinforced that it had not granted any import licenses to Dangote Cement and Sol Cement, the companies accused by the CMA of importing cement.
Vietnam cement and clinker exports drop by 16.6% to 11.3Mt in first nine months of 2016 20 October 2016
Vietnam: Vietnam’s exports of cement and clinker fell by 16.6% year-on-year to 11.3Mt in the first nine months of 2016. The value of the exports fell by 17.2% to US$429.3m. The Philippines, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Mozambique were among major importers of Vietnamese clinker and cement in the nine-month period, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Local cement producers have faced competition from those in Thailand and China.
Jaypee Cement to return coal blocks to ministry 20 October 2016
India: Jaypee Cement is seeking approval from the Ministry of Coal to return two captive coal blocks, which it previously won by auction in 2015. The company has told the ministry that it does not require the coal blocks as it has sold off the attached cement plants, a ministry official told the Economic Times newspaper. The official added that Jaypee Cement could be barred from bidding for other coal blocks for one year and that bank guarantees equivalent to a year’s revenue from the mines could be seized. The two blocks are Majra in Maharashtra and Mandla South in Madhya Pradesh.
Orient Cement agreed to purchase three cement plants from Jaiprakash Associates for US$292m in early October 2016.