India: Penna Cement has signed a five years freight tariff deal with South Central Railway (SCR). As part of the agreement the rate will remain fixed for one year, according to the New Indian Express newspaper. The contract also offers incentives including discounts if the freight volume exceeds the previous year’s amount. Penna Cement is the eighth company to sign such an agreement with the SCR.

Lebanon: Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour has revoked the license of the Al Arz Cement plant project. It follows protests by local residents, according to the Daily Star newspaper. A report by environmental non-government organisation (NGO) Green Globe ranked the region as the 11th most polluted area in the country due to quarrying and crusher activity. The cement plant project was launched in 2017 by entrepreneur Pierre Fattoush.

China: Huaxin Cement’s sales revenue rose by 32% year-on-year to US$4.09bn in 2018 from US$3.11bn in 2017. Its net profit grew by nearly 150% to US$772m from US$309m. Its cement sales volumes increased by 3% to 70.7Mt and its ready-mix concrete (RMX) sales increased by 11% to 3.56Mm³. By region is operating revenue grew in all domestic regions, except for Jiangxi.

During 2018 the cement producer completed its acquisition of Chongqing Lafarge Shui On Cantian Cement. Its Tibet Shannan Third Phase 3000t/day and Shigatse Second Phase 3000t/day project were put into operation. In total the group added 4.77Mt/yr of cement production capacity in 2018. In its future risk analysis it said that production capacity reduction in the cement industry is ‘yet to be improved and that the ‘fundamental contradiction’ of the overcapacity has not been solved.

Switzerland’s LafargeHolcim’s runs Huaxin Cement as a joint venture. The company operates almost 200 subsidiaries in nine provinces in China as well units in Tajikistan and Cambodia. It has a cement production capacity of 100Mt/yr, RMX capacity of 23.3Mm³/yr and an aggregate capacity of 25Mt/yr.

China: Dongwu Cement sales rose by to US$77.4m in 2018 from US$53.3m in 2017. Its profit more than tripled to US$13.4m from US$3.7m. Its cement sales volumes grew by 5% to 1.45Mt. It attributed its sales and profit growth to increasing cement prices.

Vietnam: Xuan Thanh Cement has ordered a new production line for a plant in Ha Nam province from Denmark’s FLSmidth for around Euro74m. FLSmidth will design and engineer the new clinker production line and deliver equipment for the entire production from crushing to clinker silo. The order is due to be fully delivered by the end of 2020, and, once operational the production line will have a capacity of 12,500t/day. In 2015, Xuan Thanh Cement placed a similar order for a production line that has been operating since 2017.

Singapore: International Cement Group is planning to build new cement plants in Central Asia, Africa and South-east Asia to complement China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The company, formerly known as Compact Metal Industries, has held a ceremony to mark its listing at the Singapore Stock Exchange, according to the Business Times Singapore newspaper.

The company holds a 65% stake in a 1.2Mt/yr cement plant in Tajikistan. This unit’s production capacity was recently upgraded to 1.35Mt/yr. In mid-2018 it said it was building a new plant in Kazakhstan. This project is scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2019. In late 2018 the group said it had failed to buy a majority stake in a partially-built cement plant at Salamanga in Mozambique. In March 2019 the group agreed to buy a majority stake in Namibia’s Ohorongo Cement from Schwenk Namibia for US$104m.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines plans to build a new cement plant in Bulacan province have been approved by the Board of Investments. The 2.5Mt/yr Bulacan Line 3 plant is part of the company US$300m investment drive to increase its production capacity by 30% by 2020, according to the Manila Times newspaper. The approval also grants the projects tax incentives covered by the government’s investment code.

Mexico: Rogelio Zambrano, president of the board of directors of Cemex, says that the group intends to spend US$850m towards expanding existing cement plants and promoting renewable energy projects in 2019. Around US$160m will be invested in Mexico, mainly in central and southeastern plants, according to the Expansión newspaper. Zambrano made the comments at an annual investors meeting. The group has also published its integrated report for 2018. It reported a 27.1% alternative fuels substitution rate for the business and a 26% rate of power consumption for cement production from renewable sources.

Pakistan: Two workers have died at DG Cement’s Khairpur plant. They were both killed by ammonia gas poisoning after falling into a sewer at the site, according to the Dawn newspaper. The investigation continues.

Colombia: Argos Group plans to invest US$819m in its cement, construction and energy subsidiaries in 2019. The spending at Cementos Argos will aim to double the company’s earnings from 2018 to 2023.