Displaying items by tag: Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Chhatak Cement’s plant in Sunamganj remains idle despite construction completing in March 2023, with production suspended due to unresolved gas and limestone supply issues, according to the Prothom Alo newspaper. The plant project began in 2016. New details confirm that the Bangladesh government has approved subcontracting of a cross-border ropeway to import limestone from India. Local firm Komorah Limestone Mining Company (KLMC), which already supplies limestone to Chhatak Cement, is in talks regarding the role. China-based contractor for the project, Nanjing Sea-Hope Cement Engineering, has agreed ‘in principle’ to this handover as of 18 March 2025, according to Chhatak Cement managing director Abdur Rahman.

Project officials stated that, once the new plant begins operations, it will be capable of producing 1500t/day of clinker and 500t/day of cement, triple its previous capacity. Reporters conducted a site visit on 8 April 2025, observing that a jetty had been constructed on the riverbank to unload clinker from the plant for grinding elsewhere. A conveyor system has been set up to move cement bags directly from the plant to transport, and a new conveyor belt has also been installed alongside the existing belt.

Bangladesh: Holcim has reaffirmed its commitment to the Bangladeshi market and expressed interest in ‘expanding sustainable operations’ in the country, BD News 24 has reported. The remarks arose in a meeting between Martin Kriegner, Holcim Executive Committee member and Regional Head for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on 9 April 2025.

"We are thankful to the government for providing continuous support to enable us to produce world-class products in Bangladesh," said Kriegner. He suggested that ‘ongoing carbon capture initiatives’ in other countries may form the basis for the local introduction of carbon capture technologies in Bangladesh.

Holcim, the parent company of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh, has been operating in Bangladesh since 2000 and runs the country’s only integrated cement plant in Sunamganj Districts’s Chhatak Upazila.

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.

Bangladesh: Chhatak Cement Factory has ceased production due to severe gas and limestone shortages, despite a modernisation project having reached 91% completion.

The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) began a US$54.7m project to convert the plant’s production process from wet to dry in 2016, in order to increase capacity to 1500t/day (0.45Mt/yr). The project cost rose to US$116m, with US$68m spent by November 2024. However, the plant remains idle despite the completion of construction works over a year ago, due to the lack of a new gas pipeline and ropeway to import limestone from India. This ropeway was supposed to transport limestone from the Komorrah Limestone Mining Company in Meghalaya.

The project's committee has proposed extending the deadline to June 2026 and allocating an additional US$25m for a 43km gas pipeline from Sylhet to Chhatak. Trial runs are now being conducted every 15 days in order to prevent the plant’s machinery from rusting.

Project director Abdur Rahman Badsha said that the Chinese contractor responsible for the ropeway construction, Nanjing C-Hope Cement Engineering Group, is awaiting a subcontracting agreement with KLMC to begin work in India.

Vietnam: The General Department of Vietnam Customs recorded exports of cement and clinker of 29.7Mt in 2024, down by 5% year-on-year from 2023 levels. Producers and exporters generated US$1.14bn in revenues from the exports, down by 14% year-on-year.

Việt Nam News has reported that the Philippines topped the list of importers of Vietnamese cement, with 8.01Mt (27%), down by under 1%. Bangladesh imported 5.49Mt (19%), up by 11%, and Malaysia imported 1.68Mt (6%), down by 3%.

Bangladesh: Heidelberg Materials Bangladesh has appointed Saikat Khan as its secretary with effect from 1 November 2024. Khan also serves as the director of the company's legal division, according to the New Nation newspaper. He succeeds Emdadul Haque in the post, who has resigned.

Other recent personnel changes include the appointment of Terence Ong Kian Hock as managing director. He assumed the role from 1 September 2024 and succeeded Jose Marcelino Ugarte. Emdadul Haque has also been appointed as chief financial officer from 1 January 2025. He will follow Jashim Uddin Chowdhury in the role.

Bangladesh: Confidence Cement is building a new 1.8Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Narsingdi. The project has an investment of US$68m, according to the Daily Star newspaper. Germany-based Loesche is reportedly supplying equipment for the unit, which is scheduled to start operation in early 2025. Around two-thirds of the project cost is being supplied by loans with the rest coming from company equity.

Confidence Cement currently operates a 1.2Mt/yr grinding plant near Chattogram.

Vietnam: The Philippines, Bangladesh and Taiwan were the leading importers of Vietnamese cement and clinker in the first eight months of 2024, reports the General Department of Vietnam Customs. The Philippines imported 5.35Mt valued at US$214.3m, seeing a decline of 1.8% in volume and 12.97% in value year-on-year. Bangladesh followed, purchasing 4.18Mt worth US$133.9m, up by 5.2% in volume but down 11.4% in value compared to the previous year. Taiwan ranked third, importing 994,735t valued at US$35.5m, with decreases of 17.2% in volume and 24.5% in value year-on-year.

From January to August 2024, Vietnam's total earnings from cement and clinker exports reached US$788.8m from over 20.5Mt, marking a decrease of 3.2% in volume and 14.5% in value year-on-year.

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited (LHBL) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group. The agreement focuses on the sustainable disposal of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable materials from PRAN-RFL's food products at LafargeHolcim's Chhatak cement plant in Sunamganj.

Corporate finance director Uzma Chowdhury noted its operation of three recycling plants capable of processing 40,000t/yr of discarded materials. He said "Some materials cannot be recycled. These often mix with soil and water, causing significant environmental harm. This is why we are partnering with LafargeHolcim to ensure that non-recyclable materials are managed in an effective and environmentally friendly manner. Now, non-biodegradable and non-recyclable food products produced by Pran-RFL Group will be managed in a sustainable manner at the LafargeHolcim plant."

CEO of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury said "LafargeHolcim has been working for a zero waste future though its Geocycle wing. Our Chhatak plant is the only integrated cement plant in Bangladesh that produces clinker. This enables us to manage different kinds of ‘waste’ sustainably."

Bangladesh: Bengal Cement has appointed Khandker Ataur Rahman Rifat as its chief operating officer. He has been working as the Group Chief Marketing Officer for Metrocem Group since 2019, according to the Business Standard newspaper. Prior to this Rifat, held roles with Hyundai Cement, Cemex, Meghna Group, LafargeHolcim Bangladesh and Aman Cement dating back to the mid-1990s. He holds a PhD in social science and business and a master of business administration qualification from the University of Dhaka.