Displaying items by tag: Asia

Philippines: The Pacific Cement Corporation (PACEMCO), one of Mindanao's largest cement manufacturers, reopened its plant in Surigao City, Barangay on 21 March 2025. The plant had been closed for 11 years due to financial constraints. The reopening was made possible through investments by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which aims to revive the plant's operations and boost local economic activity.

John Paul Ang, SMC’s vice chair and CEO, led the inauguration alongside Surigao City Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao II, Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers and Representative Robert Ace Barbers. “PACEMCO was a big part of Surigao's history and one of the region's largest companies. It is a Filipino-owned and controlled cement factory," Ang said.

Mayor Dumlao emphasised the potential of the reopening to create employment and stimulate economic growth, saying "The return of PACEMCO means new opportunities for employment, stronger local enterprise and increased revenue.”

Australia/Europe: The European Commission (EC) has approved a deal that will see Heidelberg Materials and Holcim acquire joint control of Australian business BGC Cementitious via their joint venture Cement Australia. BGC Cementitious, the cementitious division of the Buckeridge Group of Companies, is active in the cement, concrete, quarrying, asphalt and transportation sectors. The EC concluded that the planned deal would not hurt competition given the limited impact on the European Economic Area. The transaction includes, among others, the Kwinana Cement plant in Western Australia. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Vietnam: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has given in-principle approval for a port project at Long Son My Xuan in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. The US$102m plan includes a 2.3Mt/yr cement grinding plant, according to the Saigon Times Daily newspaper. A 270m-long berth for ships up to 30,000dwt and four 530m berths for vessels up to 7500dwt will also be added.

The People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province has been assigned to allocate land to the investor in accordance with the approved land use planning, land use plan, and port development master plan, ensuring compliance with land regulations.

North Korea: Local press has reported that the Chonnaeri cement plant has “over-fulfilled its cement production plan every day.” In a rare statement it attributed this to the “devoted efforts of its officials and workers” who have contributed the Workers' Party of Korea's ‘grand construction plan.’The report follows a 2023 upgrade to the plant’s production line. The plant does not seem to have been affected by supply issues that have affected other producers in the country.

Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) has requested that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) lower an import tax on clinker to US$1.7/t. The lobbying is taking place ahead of the upcoming budget for the 2025 – 2026 financial year, according to the Financial Express newspaper. The association also expressed concern that a 10% duty was levied on limestone imports, but it expects this to be relaxed in the upcoming budget. The BCMA has urged the NBR to simplify customs regulations and impose a tariff system on value-added tax (VAT) calculations.

Vietnam: The Ministry of Construction has reported a cement surplus to the Prime Minister, blaming a supply-demand imbalance. The country has 92 cement production lines with a capacity of over 122Mt/yr, according to the Việt Nam News newspaper. However, cement and clinker consumption was 95Mt in 2024, with 65Mt used domestically and 30Mt exported.

Planning regulations governing cement plants were relaxed in 2017. Subsequently, local authorities approved 13 new units that added 35Mt/yr in capacity. The Ministry of Construction proposed a national building materials strategy capping total cement production at 125Mt/yr by 2025 and 150Mt/yr by 2030. The ministry has also urged provincial governments to limit new cement projects to prevent excessive supply. It has proposed tightening the planning laws on building new cement plants.

The Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) has highlighted weak market demand and production constraints as major challenges to the sector. It has lobbied the government to promote housing, infrastructure and road projects to grow the cement market.

India: The Competition Commission of India has approved Ambuja Cements’ acquisition of Orient Cement, months after the Adani Group company announced the US$451m deal, according to The Economic Times.

Ambuja Cements first revealed plans to acquire Orient Cement in October 2024, intensifying its competition with rival UltraTech Cement.

The Indian cement sector has seen increased competition recently, with both UltraTech and Adani Group companies acquiring smaller firms to expand market share. Analysts had questioned whether the acquisition would secure regulatory approval due to industry oversupply concerns.

India: UltraTech Cement has increased its production capacity by 1.2Mt/yr through debottlenecking efforts. The producer said that it had identified multiple efficiency enhancement opportunities across various locations as part of its capacity expansion programmes. The additional capacity includes 0.8Mt/yr at the integrated Hirmi plant in Chhattisgarh and 0.4Mt/yr at the Roorkee grinding unit in Uttarakhand. Ultratech’s domestic cement capacity now reportedly stands at 179Mt/yr.

Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation has started a commercial-scale demonstration test using ammonia as a heat energy source in a cement kiln and calciner at Ube cement plant.

The project, supported by Yamaguchi Prefecture’s 2023 Carbon Neutral Complex Development Promotion Subsidy, follows an ammonia co-combustion test in 2023. In collaboration with UBE Corporation, a test facility for ammonia co-firing was installed.

The company has set a target of replacing 30% of its coal consumption with ammonia in the cement kiln, with similar levels targeted for the calciner by the end of the 2025 financial year. Mitsubishi UBE Cement is also planning further ammonia combustion tests with post-consumer plastics and other materials as energy sources.

India: Dalmia Bharat has commenced commercial production at its expanded cement grinding facility in Lanka, Hojai district, Assam. The expansion by subsidiary Dalmia Cement (North East) has added 2.4Mt/yr to the company’s total production capacity, which has now reached 49Mt/yr. Capacity utilisation stands at 60% on a pro-rata basis. The expansion cost US$80.4m, funded through equity, debt and internal accruals. The additional output is expected to meet rising cement demand in the northeastern region.