17 July 2019

Oman: Raysut Cement’s revenue fell by 5% year-on-year to US$108m in the first half of 2019 from US$114m in the same period in 2018. Its profit after tax dropped by 27% to US$1.3m from US$1.8m.

Egypt: Suez Cement’s consolidated profit rose by 82% year-on-year to US$12.8m in the first quarter of 2019 from US$7.04m in the same period in 2018. However, its revenue fell by 14% to US$109m from US$127m. Its standalone business reported both a loss and falling sales.

Peru: Cement production rose by 6% year-on-year to 5.02Mt in the first half of 2019 from 4.75Mt in the same period in 2018. Local despatches rose by 5% to 4.84Mt from 4.60Mt. Data from the Asociación de Productores de Cemento (ASOCEM) shows that clinker exports fell by 18% to 0.45Mt from 0.55Mt. Clinker imports remained stable. Consumption increased by 3% to 5.50Mt from 5.33Mt.

Sri Lanka: Lanwa Sanstha Cement has ordered two MVR 5000 C-4 type roller mills from Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer. The vertical roller mills will be used for the production of various cement types based on clinker, gypsum, granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash. The end customer is part of Onyx Group, which mainly operates in Sri Lanka and the UAE. The contract was signed in February 2019. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Most of the components of the grinding plants will be supplied by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India). The core components of the mills - including the grinding rollers, the tension systems and the gear units - will come from Europe. Gebr. Pfeiffer (India) will also provide the entire engineering for the grinding plants and make available staff to support and supervise the erection and commissioning and assist with the performance test. The two grinding plants will each produce about 180t/hr of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) ground to a fineness of 4000cm²/g acc. to Blaine and they will be set up at staggered intervals. Delivery of the first plant is slated for the end of 2019 and scheduled to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2020.

India: Germany’s ThyssenKrupp plans to build a procurement centre for its engineering business in India. Marcel Fasswald, the chief executive officer (CEO) of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, said that the company is trying to reverse its poor performance in 2018, according to Reuters. He views the cement and mining industries as key drivers of the company’s growth in India as state-backed infrastructure projects take shape. He added that India had cost benefits that made the country a preferred location for the project.

India: The Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (JIADA) has cancelled an allotment of land to UltraTech Cement for a project to build a 1.5Mt/yr plant. The cement producer was allotted 48 acres of land by JIADA in 2016, according to the Times of India. The industrial development body for the state government also sent notices to 20 other companies warning them that their allocations would be nullified. The action is being taken to free up land for development.

UK: Climate change protestors from the Extinction Rebellion group have been arrested for blockading a ready-mixed concrete plant operated by London Concrete at Bow in London. Concrete from the plant is being used to supply a major road tunnel project at Silvertown beneath the River Thames, according to Reuters. Extinction Rebellion blamed concrete production for being a major source of CO2 emissions and it also has concerns about dust pollution. Seven people were arrested by the Metropolitan Police for aggravated trespass. London Concrete is part of LafargeHolcim Group. It operates 12 concrete plants in London.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines is promoting its retail mobile app called Easybuild. It is intended to allow customers to place orders, check delivery status and review account history and credit, among others functions. The company has initially partnered with leading financial institution Metrobank for an online payment facility. Nearly 700 customers are using the system. It is the latest version of Holcim Philippines’ online customer service portal, which it pioneered in the cement industry in 2001. Already available for the Android operating system, an iOS version will be launched in August 2019.

France: Lafarge France plans to launch a reusable cement pallet scheme in October 2019. The new single-size wooden pallets for bagged cement will be reinforced for use at least six times. They will be used at all of the company’s sites across its range of bagged cement products. The pallets will also include Lafarge branding. A saving of 7500t/yr of wood is anticipated. The scheme is part of the Lafarge 360 initiative.

Ireland: CRH has agreed to sell its Europe Distribution business to private equity funds managed by Blackstone for Euro1.64bn. The business comprises CRH’s entire General Builders Merchants business in Europe, including its Sanitary Heating and Plumbing business. It supplies building materials to professional builders, specialist contractors and DIY customers through a network of local and regional brands across six countries in Western Europe. The divestment follows a strategic review of the business in 2019. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.