Items filtered by date: 27 November 2018

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has held its inaugural annual general meeting and symposium in London. Member companies ratified key deliverables for the association and set-out its priorities and work program. Albert Manifold, chief executive officer (CEO) of CRH, was confirmed as GCCA President and will serve for two years. Fernando A González, CEO of Cemex and Jianglin Cao, CEO of CNBM, were confirmed as Vice-Presidents.

The work program will focus on: position concrete as the sustainable building material of choice; promote international best practice in the areas of safety, production and the use of cement and concrete in the built environment; foster innovation in the cement and concrete sectors; make a positive contribution to global sustainable development; and promote the principles of a circular economy across the value chain.

“Concrete is the enabler of critical buildings and infrastructure that enhance the way we live – safe and durable homes, roads, hospitals, clean water, effective wastewater management, as well as providing the vital structures for the clean energy of tomorrow,” said Benjamin Sporton, the CEO of the GCCA.

The association was launched in January 2018. It represents 32 member companies with nine affiliate organisations. Its members hold 35% of global cement production.

Qatar: Al Khalij Cement Company has obtained certification from the American Petroleum Institute (API) to produce oil well cement. The certification allows it to make Grade (s) HSR class G oil well cement at its Umm Bab plant, according to the Gulf Times newspaper. The API has awarded Al Khalij Cement a three-year licence to apply the API monogram on its products. 11 other companies are certified to produce by the API to produce oil well cement in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia/Yemen: Tabuk Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding to export 6000t of cement to Yemen. The agreement has a duration of three months.

Bangladesh: Saudi Arabian company Engineering Dimensions has expressed interest in building a cement plant at Chhatak in Sunamgan. The company’s president Mohammed N Hijji has met Secretary-in-Charge of the Industries Ministry M Abdul Halim about the project, according to the Financial Express newspaper. Engineering Dimensions says that the country’s high population, local demand and skilled workforce have attracted it to the location.

Dominican Republic: Cementos Cibao has inaugurated a new packing and despatch plant. The unit has two automated packing lines with a palletising system, according to the Listín Diario newspaper. The site also includes a warehouse that can store 200,000 bags of cement. The cement producer operates an integrated plant.

Uruguay: Cement sales rose by 4.6% year-on-year to 0.60Mt in the first nine months of 2018 from 0.57Mt in the same period in 2018. Exports and internal sales both rose by similar ratios to 87,700t and 0.51Mt respectively, according to data from the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay. Despite overall growth, exports in the third quarter of 2018 nearly halved. Most exports were sent to Paraguay, followed by Argentina and Brazil.

Paraguay: Yguazú Cementos has renewed its call for a ban on clinker imports to be lifted. The cement producer made its latest bid to the Luis Alfredo Llamosas, the Vice Minister of Industry, during a visit to its plant, according to La Nacion newspaper. The company produces 0.37Mt/yr of clinker that it uses to make 0.55Mt/yr of cement. However, the plant can grind up 0.75Mt/yr of cement and it wants to import clinker to increase its productivity. Staff at Yguazú Cementos have previously criticised the import ban that allows only Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) to bring in clinker from abroad.

Zimbabwe: South Africa’s PPC has revealed that it is unable to transfer US$64m in cash and cash equivalents out of the country due to local currency restrictions. The cement producer said in its half-year report that the funds were freely available to spend locally. However, the Zimbabwe Central Bank has introduced a foreign payments priority list and any foreign payments are dependent on the bank’s ranking criteria, including the bank having adequate funds placed with its foreign correspondent banks. Despite these problems the company’s local sales and earnings grew in the half-year period. Revenue increased by 31% year-on-year to US$77m due to ‘strong’ volume growth. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 42% to US$25m.