Displaying items by tag: Export

Vietnam: Vietnam exported 6.72Mt of cement and clinker worth US$235m in the first four months of 2017. This represents a 12.8% increase in volume terms compared to the first four months of 2016, but only a 7.9% in value terms.

In April 2017 the country’s clinker and cement exports rose by 6.7% month-on-month in volume terms and by 7.6% in value to 1.92Mt at a value of US$67.4m, according to the latest data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Peru, Mozambique, Malaysia and Taiwan remained the biggest importers of Vietnamese cement and clinker in the four-month period.

At present, Vietnam has become the fifth biggest cement producer and consumer in the world after China, India, Iran and the United States. The country now has 76 cement production lines with a combined output of 82Mt/yr. It is predicted to face a glut of between 25-35Mt/yr of cement by 2020 as domestic production has outstripped the real demand and local firms have failed to compete with other exporters in the region.

Pakistan: Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT), the country’s first dry bulk unit for coal and cement, has started commercial operations with a consignment of coal in early May 2017. The US$285mn Muhammad Bin Qasim Port, which was built with support from the World Bank, will also be used to export cement and clinker, according to the Express Tribune newspaper. The terminal is capable of handling 12Mt/yr of cargo and has a storage yard spread over 62 acres. PIBT, under a 30-year build, operate and transfer agreement with the Port Qasim Authority, built its own jetty and is equipped with two coal ship unloading cranes and one cement and clinker loading crane.

Spain: Cementos Cosmos has stopped exports from its Niebla cement plant due to an increase in the price of petcoke. The subsidiary of Brazil’s Votorantim has also implemented a Temporary Regulation of Employment from June 2017 to May 2018 that will enable it to suspend workers or reduce working hours, according to the Huelva Información newspaper. The cement producer says it is waiting for planning permission to install a dosing system for waste fuels that will cut it fuel bill. However, the local community has opposed attempts to use alternative waste fuels previously.

Tajikistan: Cement producers exported around one third of the country’s cement production in the first quarter of 2017. Cement production in January to March 2017 rose by 12% year-on-year to 426,000t of cement, according to the Asia Plus news agency. The country exported 120,400t of cement to Afghanistan, 10,000t to Uzbekistan and 2700t to Kyrgyzstan in the period.

The country has 13 cement plants with a total production capacity of 4.7Mt/yr. Tajik-Chinese joint ventures Huaxin Gayur Cement, Chzhungtsai Mohir Cement and Huaxin Gayur Sughd Cement accounted for 38%, 28% and 16.6% of the local production in the first quarter of the year.

Vietnam: Data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs reports that exports of cement and clinker rose by 11% year-on-year to 4.82Mt in the first quarter of 2016. Its value rose by 6.4% to US$169m. Bangladesh remained the biggest importer of cement and clinker from the country in the three-month period, accounting for 44.8% and 37.7% of Vietnam’s total clinker and cement exports in volume and value, respectively, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. It was followed by the Philippines, Peru, Mozambique, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Nigeria: Kayode Fayemi, the Minister for Solid Minerals Development, has commended Dangote Cement’s role in making Nigeria self-sufficient in cement. He said that it was a success story that the country had moved from importing 60% of its cement to meeting local demand with excess available for export. The Cement Manufacturing Association of Nigeria originally declared the country ‘self sufficient’ for cement in 2012.

“We need to collaborate and partner in these areas at this time that government is trying to reduce the dependence on oil. We need to turn around our mineral resources just as in the cement sector. When you look at our solid mineral industry, there is a wide gap between what we can produce and what is consumed. Imports in these sectors is huge,” said Fayemi. He added that the government wants to replicate the success of the cement industry in other non-oil sectors to diversify the economy. He made the comments as part of a tour to the Ibese plant in Ogun State.

Dangote Cement saw its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fall in 2016 as the Nigerian economy entered a recession. Despite this it grew its revenue and sales volumes with an emphasis on growth outside of its home country. The cement producer exported 0.4Mt of cement in 2016. However, the company has also faced allegations of dumping in Ghana.

Saudi Arabia: Tabuk Cement says it has obtained an export license from the Ministry of Commerce and Investment. The licence will be valid for one year, according to Mubasher. Sales volumes of cement fell by 25% year-on-year to 4Mt in February 2017.

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia’s sales revenue fell by 3% year-on-year to US$1.95bn in 2016 from US$2.01bn in 2015. Its gross profit fell by 7.4% to US$737m from US$796m. Its overall cement sales volumes remained stable at 28.9Mt although sales from its Vietnamese subsidiary rose by 10.9% to 2.59Mt and its domestic subsidiary Semen Padang saw its sales fall by 3.5% to 6.29Mt. Exports from Indonesia rose by 24.4% to 0.6Mt.

Despite its static cement sales in Indonesia, the cement producer has two new 3Mt/yr cement plant projects respectively underway. The Indarung cement plant in West Sumatra is scheduled for commercial operation in April 2017. The Rembang cement plant in Central Java remains suspended whilst the company seeks environmental clearance. The government revoked permits for the site in late 2016 and it has been the focus of protests. In addition, a 30MW waste heat recovery system at the Tuban plant is scheduled to start operation by the end of 2017.

Tanzania: Sinoma will build a US$1bn cement plant in the coastal city of Tanga that is focused on exports. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa commended the plans following a meeting with representatives of Sinoma, Hengya Cement and local officials, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 70% of cement produced at the plant will be exported to local countries including Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Construction at the site is expected to start in May 2017. The project will also include building a wharf to aid exports.

Australia: Semen Padang, a subsidiary of Semen Indonesia, has started exporting cement to Australia. It delivered 22t of cement to Sydney on 21 February 2017 on the Meratus Minahasa V.1705S, according to the Jakarta Post. Commercial director Pudjo Suseno said that the shipment was made in response to demand from potential Australian buyers revealed at the end of 2016. The cement producer has previously sold exports to countries including Bangladesh, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It exported 396,000t of cement and 90,000t of clinker in 2016.