Displaying items by tag: Asia

India: Adani Group has reported record earnings for the 2025 financial year (FY2025), which ended on 31 March 2025. It finished the 12 month period with consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$10.5bn across all of its operations. This represented a 8% rise year-on-year, and was mainly driven by continued expansion in the conglomerate’s infrastructure sectors.

Cement sales from its subsidiaries Ambuja Cement and ACC rose to more than 100Mt following expansions at several plants. It has plans to invest US$100bn across all of the sectors it is involved in, including ports, mining, cement, steel, power and more, by 2031.

“India’s consumption engine remains strong,” said Karan Adani, CEO of Adani Ports & SEZ and chair of ACC. “As manufacturing grows, trade volumes will surge.”

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced that Taiheiyo Cement’s US$67m Luzon Distribution Terminal, which will supply up to 0.7Mt/yr of cement to Luzon, will begin operations in early 2026. The plant will use a high proportion of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), including fly ash, slags and natural pozzolans.

Taiheiyo Cement has said that the terminal represents the Japan-based company’s long-term commitment to the Philippine cement market and that it is aware of recent DTI rules that aim to safeguard domestic cement producers.

Pakistan: The cement sector experienced a ‘substantial’ increase in earnings during the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 (from 1 January 2025 to 30 April 2025), according to a recent analysis of eight key producers. Collective earnings grew by a factor of 2.3 compared to the same period of the 2024 fiscal year (FY2024), primarily driven by an expansion in profit margins and dividend income from subsidiaries.

This came despite a comparatively modest 2% year-on-year increase in local cement dispatches, with the increased margin largely attributed to lower coal prices, alongside enhanced cost efficiencies and higher prices.

Looking forward, expectations are high for further margin gain. Rising cement prices, particularly in the north, are anticipated to support this trend. Additionally, continued low international coal prices are likely to benefit companies operating in the south.

India: JK Lakshmi Cement has partnered with SwitchLabs Automobiles to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) into its logistics network. The company says that this represents a strategic step towards cleaner transportation and more sustainable supply chain practices. According to a press release, the EVs will operate on the route between the JK Lakshmi Puram cement plant in Sirohi, Rajasthan, and the Kalol Grinding Unit in Kalol in the state of Gujarat, a distance of around 225km each way.

The initiative builds on the success of a previous pilot project, which demonstrated a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions while maintaining operational efficiency. By integrating clean mobility into its logistics operations, JK Lakshmi Cement aims to reduce its environmental footprint and contribute to India’s broader transition to sustainable infrastructure.

Vietnam: The government has reduced cement clinker export tax from 10% to 5%, effective from 19 May 2025 to the end of 2026. The 10% rate will be reinstated on 1 January 2027.

The Ministry of Finance said the temporary measure is an effort to help local manufacturers adjust production and reduce their inventory amid falling demand. Only 77% of Vietnam’s 122Mt/yr cement capacity is currently in use, with 34 out of 92 lines suspending operations in 2024. Cement and clinker exports fell by 5% to 29.7Mt in 2024, with revenues down by 14% year-on-year to US$1.14bn. Clinker exports alone were valued at US$301m.

Pakistan: Power Cement will build a 7.5MW wind power plant using Goldwind turbines under a rental model, with commissioning targeted in the 2026 financial year.

The new facility will supply 11% of the producer’s energy demand. Power Cement currently sources 34% and 6% of its energy needs from waste heat recovery and solar, respectively. The company has a total cement production capacity of of 3.37Mt/yr.

Cambodia: Prime minister Hun Manet inaugurated a new US$250m cement plant in western Cambodia on 20 May 2025. The 2.2Mt/yr facility was jointly funded by Chinese and Cambodian stakeholders and has been built on 407 hectares of land in the Aural district.

According to the prime minister, the new plant is the sixth in the country, bringing the total cement production capacity to about 11Mt/yr. He said “These cement plants have transformed Cambodia from a country that imported 100% of cement from overseas into a country that is capable of supplying its domestic demand entirely on its own.”

He added that Cambodia exported over 30,000t of cement to Thailand in 2024. Cambodia has an estimated domestic demand of 10Mt/yr of cement to supply its growing construction sector.

Türkiye: Titan Cement has finalised the sale of its 75% share in Adocim following regulatory approvals. The group will continue to operate cement grinding and supplementary cementitious assets elsewhere in Türkiye. Titan Cement says that the divestment forms part of its broader strategy to strengthen its portfolio.

Pakistan: Cherat Cement has submitted a proposal to Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) to use municipal solid waste from the city as refuse derived fuel (RDF) under a public-private partnership. The company said that approximately 500t/day of waste is collected from Peshawar and currently dumped at a 1.6Mt capacity landfill. The initiative would replace coal in cement production and generate revenue for WSSP while tackling the issue of solid waste management.

South Korea: Domestic cement consumption fell by 22% year-on-year to 8.12Mt in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest figure for first-quarter sales in five years, according to Chosun Biz news. This marks a 32% (3.9Mt) drop from the 2023 peak of 12Mt. A domestic decline of more than 20% in the first quarter has not been seen since the 1998 financial crisis. At that time, first-quarter domestic sales decreased by 23% to 8.9Mt.

Cement companies have seen a corresponding decline in revenue. Hanil Cement’s operating profit dropped by 75% year-on-year to US$9m, Asia Cement’s fell by 70% year-on-year to US$2.4m and SAMPYO Cement’s declined by 90% to US$1.15m. Ssangyong C&E and Sungshin Cement both reported operating losses of US$19m and US$4.4m respectively.

A Cement Association representative said "For the time being, the decrease in domestic cement consumption is likely to continue, and management performance will further deteriorate. Unless a groundbreaking measure to overcome the construction market slump emerges, the forecast of 40Mt of domestic cement consumption in 2025 seems doubtful."