26 May 2017
Philippines: Holcim Philippines has said its production capacity is expected to reach 10Mt/yr by the end of the first half of 2017, with company COO Sapna Sood stating that this would be achieved by ‘debottlenecking’ existing facilities following a US$40m project that started in 2015.
“We have a project where we are looking at safety and debottlenecking that is near completion,” said Sood. “When we look at the country, the infrastructure that is coming in and the commitment that we are making to infrastructure, it is pretty exciting for the country and the industry.”Sood added that, while the company had no immediate plans to build a new cement plant, Holcim Philippines planned to offer various solutions to help in the implementation of various infrastructure projects.
The total demand for cement in the Philippines reached 26.0Mt in 2016, up from 24.4Mt in 2015, although the final quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017 have been subdued.
Holcim Philippines operates four cement plants in La Union, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Davao.
Japla plant to reopen in Jharkhand 26 May 2017
India: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has reassured the people of Palamu that the Japla cement factory, which has been closed for many years, will be reopened soon. Das said that talks have been completed with the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) with respect to handing over of the limestone mines to Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation to serve the Japla Cement Factory. He added that reopening of the factory would provide employment to thousands of people.