19 July 2018

Turkey: Sabanci Group, the controlling shareholder of Çimsa Cement, is in talks to sell three of the cement producer’s plants. It is considering divesting integrated plants at Kayseri, Nigde and Ladik, according to sources quoted by Reuters. The company operates five integrated plants and a grinding plant.

Bolivia: Soboce (Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento) has inaugurated a new vertical grinding mill at its Viache integrated plant. Together with its other integrated plants at Oruro and Tarija and a grinding plant at Santa Cruz the company now has a cement production capacity of 2.9Mt/yr, according to the Diario Pagina Siete newspaper. The upgrade cost US$85m. Soboce ordered an OK 36-4 vertical roller mill from Denmark’s FLSmidth for the project. To coincide with the new mill the company will also launch ‘Viacha LP12 Insuperable,’ a new cement product.

Mexico: The Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA) awarded an Recognition of Environmental Excellence to 12 Cemex cement plants. The award is presented to companies that demonstrate a continuous commitment to protect the environment. The plants that were recognised were: Atotonilco in Hidalgo; Barrientos in Mexico State; Ensenada in Baja California; Huichapan in Hidalgo; Mérida, in Yucatan; Monterrey in Nuevo León; Tamuín in San Luis Potosí; Tepeaca in Puebla; Torreón, in Coahuila; Valles in San Luis Potosí; Yaqui, in Sonora; and Zapotiltic, in Jalisco.

Iran: Cement exports grew by 4.6% year-on-year to 3.6Mt in the first quarter of the local financial year to 21 June 2018. It exported cement to 27 countries to including Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, according to the Trend News Agency. The country produced 54.7Mt in the previous reporting year, a decline of 1.5% year-on-year. The local cement industry has faced problems, including a recession in the construction sector, poor gas supplies and obstacles to its export markets.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement has won the Environment Excellence Award at the 15th Annual Environment Excellence Awards 2018. It received the award in recognition to its commitment towards sustainable development and contribution towards protecting the overall environment for a ‘greener’ Pakistan, according to the PPI news agency. The award was presented by the National Forum for Environment and Health, a non-government organisation that aims to promote environmental, healthcare and educational awareness.

"Implementation of sustainability into our core business operations has always been one of our main objectives. We follow a comprehensive Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan. The management strongly believes in preserving the ecosystem through the management of gaseous emissions, particulate matter, noise levels, effluents (sewage) and solid waste," said Amin Ganny, Chief Operating Officer, Lucky Cement.

India: Bharathi Cement has launched ‘Bharathi Ultrafast,’ a new multipurpose cement product. The new product as an Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) 53.3 grade cement, according to the United News of India agency. The subsidiary of France’s Vicat operates an 5Mt/yr integrated plant in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh and Vicat also owns a subsidiary, Kalburgi Cement, which runs a 2.75Mt/yr integrated plant in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. Both companies market their products under the Bharathi Cement brand.