18 August 2020

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos recorded a loss of US$94.0m in the first half of 2020, up by 99% year-on-year from US$47.2m in the first half of 2019. Sales fell by 8% to US$680m from US$739m. During the period Votorantim Cimentos and its subsidiary St Mary’s Cement increased the balance withdrawn from credit facilities by US$247m, in order to “strengthen liquidity as protection within the current crisis context due to the Covid-19 pandemic and to cope with the seasonality that recurrently affects North America.” The group says that it will reduce the value of its 2020 investments by 25% to US$545m from a planned US$726m, down by 6.3% year-on-year from US$581 in 2019.

Vietnam: Producers have reported a 5.4% fall in value of cement and clinker exports to US$732m in the first seven months of 2020 from US$774m in the corresponding period of 2019. Volumes increased by 11% to 19.5Mt from 17.6Mt. Dautu Online News has reported that Bangladesh, China and the Philippines were among import markets for Vietnamese cement.

The Ministry of Construction maintains its 2019 projection of 32Mt – 33Mt of cement and clinker exports in 2020.

Philippines: Aboitiz Group food and agriculture subsidiary Pilmico Foods says that it has developed a waste ash-based concrete mix that contains 20% less cement than its previous mix and that “can be used for all of the company’s construction needs.” The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the ash is sourced from burnt rice husks, a fuel source for Pilmico’s food production and itself a by-product of its operations. Central Maintenance Department mechanical supervisor Michael Cayabyab said, “When we started using the biomass boiler almost two years ago, we saw process improvements and reduced costs. But in Pilmico, we know that the challenge does not stop there." The company has yet to commercialise the concrete, however it hopes to inspire others with its “demonstration of the circular economy demolishing the divide between industries.”

India: Birla Corporation has launched a promotional video entitled ‘Never Will I Ever’ that celebrates the idea of home as somewhere with room for everyone. The video, launched to coincide with Independence Day, consists of inspiring coronavirus lockdown stories. Marketing vice president Suvadip Ghosh Mazumdar said, “Construction is not only about brick and mortar. In the last few months, we have seen many occasions of relationships being built and bonds of togetherness being created. The film is our salute to this spirit of togetherness and coming together of people."

Mexico: Cemex says that 70,000t of its concrete has been used in the construction of Park Garage, a 10,000 vehicle-capacity multi-storey car park in Heroica Veracruz, Veracruz State. The company used a 500m³/day Vince Hagan batching plant and 12 mixing trucks to distribute concrete throughout the complex. Mexico regional president Ricardo Naya said, “We supplied specialised high-resistance concrete to counteract the severe salinity conditions that prevail due to the edifice’s proximity to the sea. Park Garage is yet another example of our ability to offer the highest quality products and services designed to meet our customers’ most demanding requirements."