12 July 2021

Mexico: Cemex has closed the sale of its white cement business outside of Mexico and the US for US$155m to Turkey-based Çimsa Çimento. The assets sold include the company’s Buñol white cement plant in Valencia, Spain. The group said that the proceeds from the sale would be used to fund its bolt-on investment growth strategy in its core businesses and geographies, and contribute to debt reduction.

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) has reported a 27% year-on-year rise in cement and clinker exports to 21.0Mt in the first half of 2021. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported that the value of cement exports rose by 32% to US$812m. The growth was attributed to China’s environmental policies and the promotion of clinker imports.

Nigeria: BUA Cement has increased the ex-factory price of its cement by 7%. It previously claimed that it did not intend to increase its prices, according to the Sun newspaper. In statements issued between April and June 2021 it said, “the company had no plans to increase prices of its cement now or in the near future.”

In April 2021 Dangote Cement was forced to publicly defend the price of its cement due to allegations that its prices were allegedly lower in Ghana or Zambia. Around the same time the Senate of Nigeria called for the federal government to introduce policies, such as tax breaks, to encourage local investments in cement production and to reduce prices.

At its annual general meeting in July 2021, BUA Cement issued dividends worth US$170m to its shareholders. The company reported sales of US$509m in 2020, a rise of 20% year-on-year. However, its costs increased by 22% to US$277m at the same time.

Greece: Eurocert has awarded Platinum Zero Waste to Landfill certificates to all three of Titan Group’s cement plants in Greece. The producer said that the certification ‘reaffirms the excellent environmental performance’ of its Kamari, Patra and Thessaloniki cement plants. It says that the plants achieved the highest waste management certificate through effective waste prevention and proper management to avoid landfill.

Greece general manager Angelos Kalogerakos said “Titan is clearly committed to contributing substantively, through its operation and products, to the zero-waste goal. The Platinum Zero Waste to Landfill certification endorses and rewards the good practices that we have systematically applied for many years and that we have adopted in order to minimise our footprint and ensure a sustainable future for coming generations. We want to make all of our partners part of this commitment, aiming for a reliable and sustainable supply chain.”

Australia: Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary Fortescue Future Industries has announced plans to enter green cement production. The company plans to make use of waste from green iron ore processing and ‘other easily-sourced materials’ in production.

Chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines said “At Fortescue, we are leading the heavy industry battle against global warming, transitioning from being a major fossil fuel importer to a significant green and renewable energy and product exporter.” The group is targeting net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2030.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group has furthered its contribution to the struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic with the opening of a modular intensive care unit (ICU) at Ratchapipat Hospital in Bangkok’s Thawi Watthana district, supported by donations from the company. The Nation newspaper has reported that the producer has donated around US$1m to the establishment of four new ICUs for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in partnership with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. All four units will be in operation by August 2021, according to the partners. Each unit will have the capacity to treat 10 patients.