India: Around 1500 villagers have protested against a cement plant that Ramco Cement plans to build in the Jaipur district of Odisha. The protestors have expressed fears that the plant will damage their crops, according to the Pioneer newspaper. A representative of the local government said that the project has already received environmental clearance.

Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak's (CMS) sales from its cement division have fallen in 2017 due to lower sales volumes of cement and concrete. However, the cement producer said that the average production cost per tonne of cement had fallen due to cheaper coal prices and cheaper imported clinker. Its sales revenue fell by 7.5% year-on-year to US$133m in 2017 from US$144m in 2016. Its operating profit fell by 3.5% to US$25.9m from US$26.8m. The division also benefitted from the opening of the Mambong grinding plant in late 2016.

Morocco: Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (TKIS) has won a contract from LafargeHolcim, to supply a new 3500t/day cement plant in Morocco. The project will cover the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the new plant. The line will be built in the Souss Massa region near Tidsi. Start-up of the plant is scheduled for the first half of 2020.

TKIS will provide engineering, procurement and construction for the entire clinker production line, ranging from raw material preparation to clinker storage, and a grinding facility for solid fuels. The main components include a 1000t/hr primary crusher, a longitudinal additives storage facility, a circular stockpile with a storage capacity of 12,000t, a Quadropol QMR² roller mill with an output of 290t/hr and a blending silo of 4600t. The kiln system consists of a five-stage, single-string polysius preheating tower, a two-pier rotary kiln and a
Polytrack clinker cooler. The line is completed by a ball mill for solid combustibles and a clinker stock with a total storage capacity of up to 65000t.

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has supported an infrastructure study by the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF). It liked how the study highlighted the importance of life cycle cost analysis and competition in paving. “If federal and state decision makers took this report as a playbook, America would see tremendous taxpayer cost savings and stronger infrastructure built to last long into the future,” said PCA President and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Ireland.

Mozambique: President Filipe Nyusi has inaugurated Limak Cement’s 0.7Mt/yr plant in Matola. Nyusi said he expected the plant to ‘contribute to stabilising prices in a scenario of high levels of demand for cement,’ according to the Mozambique News Agency. The unit will employ over 140 people.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has expressed its concern over a ‘sharp’ rise in coal and fuel prices have increased the production cost of cement. Sources quoted by the association have blamed the implementation of supply side measures in China to limit its coal mining capacity, according to the Nation newspaper. A recent surge in coal prices has also followed stricter local rules on coal transportation. The association has called on the government to avoid ‘disruptive policies’ that impact construction growth.

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cement made a loss of US$5.8m in 2017 from a net profit of US$33.5m in 2016. It blamed the loss on lower prices, reduced sales volumes due to lower demand for cement and greater competition and higher production costs. Its sales revenue fell by 39% year-on-year to US$115m from US$189m.

UK: Strike plans by truck drivers working for Hanson Cement have been cancelled following a revised pay offer. The planned industrial action scheduled for 26 – 27 February 2018 was expected to negatively effect deliveries from the Padeswood cement plant, according to the Daily Post newspaper. The Unite union said that its members at eight depots across the UK had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to accept an improved two-year pay deal.

About 240 workers have accepted the overall package that will mean an increase of 3.7% from 1 January 2018 and for 2019, an increase that could range from 3.4 - 4.4%. The union members of Hanson subsidiary Castle Cement are based at eight depots in the UK at Avonmouth, Bellshill in North Lanarkshire, Birmingham, Clitheroe in Lancashire, Kings Cross in London, Middlesbrough, Mold and Stamford in Lincolnshire. The company delivers bulk and ready-packed cement to customers across the UK.

India: LafargeHolcim plans to spend US$214m towards building a new cement plant in the state of Rajasthan. The 3.1Mt/yr plant will be operated by its local subsidiary, Ambuja Cement, and it will target markets in the north of the country, including Delhi. Commissioning for the plant is scheduled for the second half of 2020.

"India is the second biggest global cement market and is forecasted to continue to see high growth rates. We are excited to invest in this highly attractive market to further strengthen our footprint and to reinforce our leading building materials position in India," said Jan Jenisch, Group chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.

Honduras: Cementos Argos has ordered two Plug&Grind XL modular grinding units for a project in Honduras. Each mill has a production capacity of 220,000t/yr. The ball mills are 3.0 x 9.5m and they have a power of 1100kW. They also include 50,000m³/hr bag filters and classifiers. The scope of supply includes new cement storage silos for finished product, packing and dispatching equipment. The cement producer announced in early February 2018 that it was planning to spend US$20m on building a new cement grinding plant at Choloma.