Germany: Stefan Penno has stepped down as the chairman of the board of directors of the German Powder and Bulk Association (DSIV). He has left after six years in the position although he will remain available to the board for consulting on international affairs. Fellow board members Michael Hengl and Stefan Zöbisch also stood down at the association’s annual general meeting.

Tom Henning of SHA Germany has been elected as the new chairman and Uwe Schmidt of Jacob as secretary. Current board members Wolfram Kreisel and Jochen Baumgartner were re-elected and Daniel Eisele, Easyfairs was also appointed as second assessor.

Colombia: Falling sales at home have reduced Cementos Argos’ sales so far in 2018. Its revenue decreased by 1.8% year-on-year to US$1.99bn in the first nine months of 2018 from US$2.03bn in the same period in 2017. Its sales volumes of cement declined slightly to 12.1Mt. However, its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6.1% to US$355m from US$330m.

“It´s been a year full of challenges and opportunities in which we have been focused on the strengthening of our value proposition, looking forward to be a strategic ally for our clients´ projects; improving the competitiveness of our operations through the execution of BEST, ensuring we have the financial flexibility to mitigate market risks, taking advantage of growth opportunities and becoming a leaner, more innovative and sustainable company for the years to come,” said Juan Esteban Calle, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cementos Argos.

By region, revenue fell by a little in the US and cement sales volumes remained stable. This was blamed, in part, on the negative effects of Hurricane Florence on its market in the Carolinas in the third quarter and on falling prices. Revenue and sales volumes were down in Colombia due to a poor market although this started to recover in the third quarter, notably with improving earnings. In the Caribbean and Central America region its revenue and sales volumes increased, lead by growth in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Eastern Caribbean. Despite this, EBITDA margin fell due to decreased despatches in Honduras and Panama.

Burkina Faso: Cimasso has produced the first bag of cement at its new 2.6Mt/yr grinding plant at Bobo Dioulasso. The subsidiary of Cim Metal Group met the milestone in early November 2018, according to the Le Pays newspaper. The official inauguration of the unit is planned for the end of November 2018. It follows first production at Ciments de Côte d’Ivoire’s (Cimivoire) 3Mt/yr grinding plant in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast in September 2018. Cimivoire is another subsidiary of Cim Metal Group. The plant was built using loans from the West African Development Bank (BOAD).

India: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has approved a revised bid by UltraTech Cement for Binani Cement. The tribunal approved UltraTech’s resolution plan and said that the plan submitted by Rajputana Properties, a subsidiary of rival bidder Dalmia Bharat group, was ‘discriminatory’ against some financial creditors, according to the Press Trust of India. In July 2018 the Supreme Court transferred all matters related to corporate insolvency resolution process of Binani Cement to the NCLAT Kolkata.

Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS) has launched a new Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) product. The 32.5N strength product is targeted for low-rise concrete structures such as single storey residential, office and commercial buildings. It is also intended for plastering, bricklaying and for use in the construction of drains and rural or kampong roads. CMS has also been conducting trials with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) on testing it as a binder for soil stabilisation. The new cement type will compliment CMS’ existing Portland Cement 42.5N product.

CMS operates one integrated cement plant and two grinding plants. Both grinding plants, at Pending in Kuching and Bintulu, have direct access to ports allowing entry to export markets for bagged and bulk product. The state-owned cement producer also operates two bulk marine terminals at Sibu and Miri.

Philippines: Apo Cement is preparing to temporarily lay-off up to 30% of its employees and 40% of its contractors. It has filed a formal notice detailing its intentions with the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas, according to the Philippines News Agency. It says it has been forced into reducing its workforce in response to the on-going suspension of Apo Land and Quarry following landslides in September 2018. APO Land & Quarry supplies raw materials to CHP’s subsidiary Apo Cement, and it is indirectly 40% owned by Mexico’s Cemex.

Indonesia: LafargeHolcim has signed an agreement with Semen Indonesia to sell its 80.6% share of Holcim Indonesia for US$1.75bn. The assets to be sold to Semen Indonesia include the entirety of LafargeHolcim’s operations in Indonesia, which consists of four cement plants, 33 ready-mix plants and two aggregate quarries. LafargeHolcim says it decided to divest Holcim Indonesia as part of the on-going portfolio review. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

“As part of our Strategy 2022 – ‘Building for Growth’ we have committed to divestments of at least Euro1.8bn. Today’s announcement is an important milestone in reaching our target and to increase our financial strength,” said Jan Jenisch, chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.

Russia: Mosstroytrans and China’s Inner Mongolia Mengxi Cement have signed an agreement to build a 0.5Mt/yr cement plant at Krasnokamensk in Transbaikal. The deal was signed at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, according to the Business World Agency. The project dates back to 2014, when China’s Beijing Triumph International Engineering conducted a feasibility study at the site. In 2016 the regional government declared the project a regional priority.

Mosstroytrans is a diversified company that was established in 2010. At present, it is running a number of construction projects in the Nenets Autonomous District. Inner Mongolia Mengxi Cement is based in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. It operates cement plants with a total production capacity of 16Mt/yr.

India: Private equity company True North has signed a deal to buy Votorantim Cimentos’ direct and indirect 75% stake in Shree Digvijay Cement for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will require completion of a mandatory open offer to the minority shareholders of Shree Digvijay Cement. JM Financial Limited is acting as the manager to the open offer.

“Votorantim Cimentos has contributed significantly to the strategic initiatives taken at Shree Digvijay Cement over the last few years. This has strengthened its competitive positioning and has greatly improved its operating and financial performance. True North firmly believes in Shree Digvijay Cement’s competitive positioning and is looking forward to partnering with the existing management and employees of the company. We are very excited about this opportunity, with fresh investment and new thinking we can create a lot of value for all,” said Said Srikrishna Dwaram, a partner with True North.

True North holds experience with investments in the Indian construction and building materials space. It has owned and managed two businesses in the sector: RDC Concrete, a manufacturer of ready-mix concrete and Robo Silicon, a manufacturer of construction aggregates.

India: Industries minister of Himachal Pradesh Vikram Sing has blamed poor road networks for the state government’s failure to find investors for a proposed cement plant project at Sikridhar in the Chamba district. The ministry is now proposing that the state build a road to the project site as an incentive, according to the Times of India newspaper. The local government received no bids for the project in the latest round of bidding.