Mexico: Cemex has announced that will resume operations in Mexico, just hours after announcing that it would halt all operations in the country. The turnaround was due to new government guidelines regarding essential business operations during the coronavirus outbreak.

"In accordance with the technical guidelines published today in the official Mexican gazette, the company will resume operations in Mexico to support the development and the economy of the country during the COVID-19 contingency," said Cemex in a statement on 6 April 2020. Earlier the same day it had announced that it would halt all Mexican operations until at least 30 April 2020.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement, Africa’s leading cement manufacturer, is seeking to raise up to US$260m in fresh funds from the bond market under its US$780m Debt Issuance Programme. The investor presentation document prepared by the company was themed ‘Building Prosperity in Africa.’

Mexico: Cemex has temporarily stopped production in Mexico following a government decree issue by the Health Ministry of Mexico in response to the coronavirus epidemic. The building materials company says it has maintained communication with the federal government to resume operations should the authorities decide that the construction industry should be prioritised.

“For Cemex, the health and safety of our employees, contractors, suppliers, customers and communities is a top priority,” said Fernando A Gonzalez, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cemex. “As soon as the COVID-19 threat emerged, we activated our Rapid Response Teams to implement preventive measures in response to this unprecedented health crisis.” He added that 90% of Cemex’s customers use it Cemex Go online sales platform. The company had also identified US$200m in cost-saving initiatives for 2020 and it is evaluating the delay of certain capital expenditures that had been planned for this year, among other measures.

Vietnam: Data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade shows that clinker exports fell by nearly 40% year-on-year to 7.5Mt in the first quarter of 2020. Clinker export values dropped by 19% to US$360m in the same period, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. Previously, the Ministry of Construction forecast that cement demand would increase by up to 5% to 103Mt in 2020 due to a recovery in the real estate market. Around a third of this was expected to be exported. Local consumption of cement and clinker grew by 2% year-on-year to 98Mt in 2019.

Pakistan: Data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) shows that local cement sales fell by 17% year-on-year to 3.2Mt in March 2020 from 3.9Mt in the same period of 2019 due to a contraction in construction activity, according to the News International newspaper. Exports rose by 5% to 0.51Mt but this is expected to fall as markets decline around the world due to the coronavirus outbreak. Both local sales and exports grew in the first two months of 2020.

The government has introduced an incentive package for the construction industry which is expected to help increase local cement consumption. The cement industry is also anticipating a reduction in federal excise duty, which it described as ‘very high’ regionally.

Argentina: Loma Negra plans to restart cement production at its plants depending on local demand. It is currently supplying public infrastructure projects from existing stocks, according to Infoeme. The subsidiary of Brazil’s InterCement stopped production following a national quarantine due to the coronavirus outbreak in late March 2020. However, the building materials producer has been included by the government on a list of essential activities so it can resume operation when it wants.

Turkey: Yibitas Yozgat has stopped clinker production for approximately three months due to ‘market conditions’ at its integrated plant near Yozgat in the Central Anatolia Region. The subsidiary of Brazil’s Votorantim said that it had enough stocks to meet current sales. It does not expect production and sales to be negatively affected by the decision.

Colombia/El Salvador/US: Mexico’s Elementia has stopped operations in El Salvador and Colombia to stop the spread of coronavirus in line with local government recommendations. It expected to resume operations in mid-April 2020. However, this may be modified based on ‘successful virus containment.’ However, it intends to continue operations in the US as the government has declared its industry as ‘essential.’ It added that it is maintaining all necessary sanitary measures to minimise transmission of the virus.

Trinidad & Tobago/Barbados: Trinidad Cement has halted most of its operations in Trinidad & Tobago and temporally halted operations at its Arawak Cement subsidiary in Barbados following government advice in each country with regards to coronavirus. It said that it had stopped ‘almost all operations’ at its Trinidad Cement integrated plant except for activities related to maintaining the kiln and the continuation of some port operations. Both lockdowns are expected to last initially until mid-April 2020. The subsidiary of Mexico’s Cemex said that it expected the global response to coronavirus would negatively affect economic growth in the Caribbean. To counter this it has delayed certain capital expenditure planned for 2020 and it is maintaining inventory at its facitlies to serve customer demand.

Dominican Republic: Cemex has used its concrete mixer trucks to aid a disinfection day in San Pedro de Macorís, where the company operates an integrated cement plant. The local subsidiary of the Mexican company supported a cleanup drive coordinated by the Dr Antonio Musa Regional Hospital to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Cemex trucks transported soap and water and company volunteers helped local officials. Further initiatives are planned in the city.