17 December 2018

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia has signed a sales and purchase agreement worth US$917m to buy a 80.6% share of Holcim Indonesia. The acquisition gives Semen Indonesia a production capacity of 53Mt/yr making it the largest cement producer in south-east Asia, according to the Antara news agency. Prior to the purchase it had a capacity of 38.2Mt/yr and Holcim Indonesia had a capacity of 14.8Mt/yr.

Sigit Wahono, the temporary head of the Semen Indonesia Communication Department, said that the company is planning to increase its exports from 10% of total sales at present. It exported 860,060t in 2017. To the end of October in 2018 it had exported 2.3Mt, comprising 1.25Mt of cement and 1.1Mt of semi-finished cement. Its main targets are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with the majority of imports coming from Indonesia but 0.7Mt coming from the group’s subsidiary in Vietnam.

Algeria: Ciment Lafarge Souakri (CILAS) has started its first clinker export from the port of Annaba to West Africa. The consignment totalled 35,000t, according to the El Watan newspaper. LafargeHolcim Algeria said that the delivery from its subsidiary was part of its target to export 2Mt of surplus production by 2020. The 2.7Mt/yr CILAS plant started production in mid-2016.

Egypt: South Valley Cement says it is in a dispute with China’s Sinoma CDI over an upgrade to its Beni Suef plant. The cement producer alleges that Sinoma has not met its contractual obligations on the project to build new mills. South Valley Cement says that Sinoma has liquidated letters of guarantee worth nearly US$2m, left the construction site and started arbitration proceedings. South Valley Cement is now considering its legal options. The status of the upgrade project remains unknown.

China: Anhui Conch’s Wuhu Conch subsidiary has installed bag filters on its Line 3 production line. Dust emissions are stable at 7 – 8mg/m³. The cement producer said that this was in full compliance with national emissions standards.

Jordan: Residents have protested outside a court against the Jordan Cement Company on environmental grounds. The protestors allege that the cement producer’s plants have caused ‘severe’ pollution that has negatively effected the health of those living nearby, according to the Jordan Times newspaper. In a statement the demonstrators claimed to represent thousands of local stakeholders and plaintiffs in a long running campaign against the subsidiary of Switzerland’s LafargeHolcim.

Bahrain: France’s Fives Group has launched a joint educational initiative with the ‘Tamkeen’ Labour Fund and Bahrain Polytechnic. The project is aimed at increasing the number of Bahraini workforce in the industrial sector, by reinforcing the employability of Bahrainis and by bridging existing skill gaps, in-line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 requirements. Fives plans to contribute in a non-profit initiative as part of its Corporate Citizenship Program. It will provide internship opportunities within the worldwide network of its companies and will partner with Bahrain Polytechnic.

“Fives has a longstanding commitment to Bahrain where we have been established since 2003. As a corporate citizen, we are proud to contribute to the communities in which we operate. This initiative is one of the ways in which the group supports the sustainability of the industry in Bahrain. The partnership between public and private entities that we have created with this initiative is really a model for the future,” said Frédéric Sanchez, Fives’ chairman of the executive board.

The training programs will be implemented and delivered by Bahrain Polytechnic, which was established by Bahraini Government to deliver applied learning, technical education, skills-based and occupational trainings.