17 August 2016
India: The refractories division of Dalmia Bharat Group has signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint venture with Seven Refractories to develop and supply a wide range of monolithic refractories for the Indian market.
“We are committed to bringing the most advanced solutions to our customers across the iron, steel and cement industries. This partnership will combine the strengths of both companies to provide customised solutions with the latest monolithic refractory technology combined with quicker deliveries and localised services,” said Sameer Nagpal, CEO-Refractories, Dalmia Bharat Group.
Cementos Argos to close San Gil plant 17 August 2016
Colombia: Cementos Argos plans to close its oil well cement production plant at San Gil in Santander. The closure follows falling demand for this type of cement caused by falling global oil prices. The National Construction Material Industry Workers' trade union Sutimac has requested that the cement producer transfer its 75 employees at the San Gil plant to other parts of the business, according to the El Colombiano newspaper. The union hopes that Cementos Argos will repeat its recent transfer of workers from the now-closed Sabanagrande, Atlantico factory to its plants in Cartagena, Tolu and Antioquia.
Gloria Group buys Cementos Otorongo from Votorantim 17 August 2016
Peru: Consorcio Cementero del Sur (CCS), a subsidiary of Gloria Group, has signed a contract to buy all of Brazil’s Votorantim’s shares in Cementos Otorongo for US$4m and those of Votorantim’s subsidiary Corporación Noroeste. Cementos Otorongo is planning to build a cement plant in southern Peru for US$125m, according to the Gestión newspaper. Cementos Otorongo submitted an environmental impact study on the project in 2011 for proposed sites in La Joya, Arequipa and Mollendo, Islay. The planned plant will have a production capacity of 0.65Mt/yr.
This story was corrected on 18 August 2016 following clarification from Votorantim.
Republic Cement prepares for infrastructure boom 17 August 2016
Philippines: Republic Cement is expanding its grinding capacity by over 10% in anticipation of a rise in demand prompted by increased government infrastructure spending. Other planned upgrades include an improved dust collection system at the cement producer’s plant in Bulacan. The company is also considering building new cement plants. Company president Renato C Sunico made the comments to local press at a forum on social housing.
The government of the Philippines has cited public infrastructure as one of its general spending priorities, setting aside US$18.5bn, which is equivalent to 5.4% of gross domestic product, in 2017.
India: JK Lakshmi Cement has received environment clearance to expand its limestone mine output in Sirohi, Rajasthan to 13Mt/yr from 8Mt/yr. The expansion will cost US$17.9m and the mined material will supply the cement producer’s Sirohi plant, according to the Press Trust of India.
Crushed limestone will be transported to the plant via a covered conveyor and no local transport infrastructure will be required for the proposed project. Water will be sourced from the West Banas dam. The company has a limestone mine lease area of 390.62 hectare. It is an opencast mine and the lease is valid up to 2030.
The mine expansion will subject to conditions, including acquiring any applicable clearances from the National Board for Wildlife and consent from the State Pollution Control Board. The company has also been asked to conduct hydro-geological study and to obtain the recommendations of Central Ground Water Authority.
US: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a final order settling charges, following a public comment period, that the proposed US$4.2bn merger of German cement producer HeidelbergCement and Italian producer Italcementi would likely be anticompetitive. Under the order, first announced in June 2016, the companies are required to divest to an FTC-approved buyer an Essroc cement plant and quarry in Martinsburg, West Virginia; seven Essroc terminals in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania; and a Lehigh terminal in Solvay, New York. At the buyer’s option, the order also requires the merged company to divest two additional Essroc terminals in Ohio.
Cementos San Marcos orders Loesche coal mill 17 August 2016
Colombia: Cementos San Marcos has ordered a vertical roller mill to grind coal from Loesche. The order follows a previous purchase of a LM 35.2+2 mill to grind cement. The new coal mill will replace an existing smaller mill and reuse its foundation. The classifier and the plant ducting equipment will also be part of the contract. The cement plant was designed as a two-phase project to start a conservative market entry with the aim to more than double production capacity to meet market needs within a short period of time. The new coal mill fits into phase two of this progression.