Philippines: Holcim Philippines has targeted an investment of US$40m over a three-year period to increase cement production capacity. Despite strong domestic demand for cement, revenue fell by 10% in the first quarter of 2015 due to rising costs.
The investment will mainly finance the 'debottlenecking' of existing facilities by bringing production capacity up to 10Mt/yr by 2017, according to Eduardo A Sahagun, president and chief executive officer of Holcim Philippines, in a briefing to local press. At present the cement producer has a production capacity of 8.2Mt/yr. Around 65% of the investment will go towards maintenance of existing facilities. Holcim Philippines remains committed to developing a brownfield cement plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan subject to the approval of the company's head office in Switzerland.
Sahagun blamed the fall in revenue on expensive clinker imports from Vietnam intended to support the market. Despite this the company expects annual profits for 2015 to exceed those in 2014.
