Displaying items by tag: GCW489

Mali: A strike by two hauliers unions based in Senegal has caused cement shortages. The Union des Routiers du Sénégal and the Intersyndicale du Secteur des Transports Routiers both started strike action in late December 2020, according to Bamako News. The country has three main cement plants - Ciments et Matériaux du Mali (CMM), Diamond Ciment (DCM-SA) and Ciments d'Afrique (CIMAF) – but these companies only have a production capacity of 2Mt/yr. This is estimated to be 50% of Mali’s national requirement of 4Mt/yr. Commentators have called for a national cement supply policy in response to the situation and to reduce reliance on imports.

Oman: Raysut Cement’s revenue grew by 7% year-on-year to US$235m in 2020 from US$219m in 2019. Its profit after tax increased to US$36.5m from US$5.88m.

Sri Lanka: Onyx Group chairman Nandana Lokuwithana says that his company will start operations at its 3.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Mirijjawila, Hambantota later in 2021. The unit has an investment of nearly US$100m, according to the Sunday Observer newspaper. It was previously reported in 2019 that two roller mills for the project had been ordered by Lanwa Sanstha Cement from Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer. Lanwa Sanstha Cement is a related company to Onyx Group.

Spain: LafargeHolcim has successfully demolished a 78.5m high silo at its Los Barrios Port Terminal in the Port of Algeciras. The company is currently dismantling its unit at the port. A specialised company was hired by the cement producer to conduct the operation following a survey.

US: The Maui Planning Commission has approved Hawaiian Cement’s final environmental assessment as part of its plan to move its Kahului Harbour cement terminal to an adjacent facility. The application will now move to the state Office of Environmental Quality Control for a 30 day period before the permitting process can continue, according to the Maui News newspaper. The relocation will see the erection of two new silos, with a total capacity of 6000t.

India: ACC and Ambuja Cements have chosen US-based Blue Yonder to improve their supply chain management. Both subsidiaries of LafargeHolcim are using Blue Yonder’s Luminate Planning software product to help improve sales and operational planning.

"We chose Blue Yonder as our partner for supply chain management digitalisation because Luminate Planning will give us greater visibility into our combined supply chains," said Rajeev Mehta, chief logistics officer, ACC and Ambuja Cement. "The objective of this project is to improve the customer experience and service levels, yet profitably grow by tapping into the synergies of our supply chains, thus maximising capacity utilisation and minimising overall cost."

US: Charah Solutions has been awarded a marketing contract by Dominion Energy for the beneficiation and utilisation of up to 8.1Mt reclaimed ponded coal ash at its Chesterfield Power Station in Chester, Virginia. The contract will run from 2021 until 2032. It follows local state legislation requiring the power company to remove coal ash from sites at the Chesterfield Power Station within 15 years.

As part of the agreement, Charah Solutions will install processing and transportation infrastructure in 2021 to facilitate rail transportation of the ash from Chesterfield Power Station to cement kiln feed markets. The beneficiated ash product will replace other currently utilised virgin raw materials in the production of Portland cement at multiple cement kiln locations in the eastern US for the next decade and beyond, and help supply the growing demand for concrete in the construction industry.

Pakistan: Cement producers including DG Khan have filed pleas to the Pakistan Supreme Court challenging the Lahore High Court’s ruling in favour of parliament’s right to introduce new competition legislation. The pleas challenge the constitutionality of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP)’s existence, according to the Pakistan Today newspaper. The producers claim that the high court made a procedural error in failing to adjourn during the coronavirus pandemic and a domestic ban on air travel.

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) says that the average cement production of each integrated cement plant is 2.2Mt/yr. It alleges this is the lowest output in the Southeast Asian region, according to the Viet Nam newspaper. It further explained that 70% of the country’s plants produce less than 1Mt/yr of cement, accounting for 20% of the total output.

China: Huaxin Cement has forecast a 9 -14% year-on-year fall in full-year net profit in 2020, of up to US$140m. It said that it recorded a net profit attributable to shareholders after deducting non-recurring gains and losses of around US$980m in 2019.

The company said, “The main reason for 2020 performance decline is the hit of Covid-19 in the first half of this year and vast flood disaster along Yangtze River in July 2020. The sales volume of main products were hugely affected and the price fell to some extent, leading to the reduction in the operating revenue.”