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Cement industry results from China have all told an alarming story this week: profits for the first half of 2012 look set to fall by more than 50% year-on-year.

China Resources Cement Holdings warned that its first-half earnings were down sharply. China National Materials Co. Ltd. (Sinoma), the cement equipment and engineering services provider, and Gansu Qilianshan Cement, a small Shanghai-listed cement producer, have both forecast similar drops. Sinoma blamed its drop in profit partly on an overseas project but 'interestingly' no further information was released detailing which project.

Previous to this in June 2012 Anhui Conch Cement warned that its net profit would fall by more than 50% due to weak demand and falling product prices. In May 2012 China National Building Material Co Ltd (CNBM) reported that its net profit for the first quarter of 2012 was down by 45% year-on-year. In April 2012 Jidong Cement reported an increase in its net loss for the first quarter and a year-on-year revenue drop of 14%.

Each of the Chinese big players in the cement industry have issued profit warnings of a similar scale suggesting that the Chinese market faces a uniform downturn or that a slowdown is being centrally managed. Official signs that the Chinese industry faced a slowdown emerged in March 2012 when the national growth target was lowered, analysts' predictions were released forecasting weakened profits for the nation's main producers and government officials admitted that overcapacity loomed within five years.

According to OneStone Research data on the Chinese market in 2010 CNBM, Anhui Conch, Jidong and Sinoma represented over 20% of Chinese capacity. To give these figures some perspective, in 2011 CNBM's profit was US$1.7bn. Holcim's operating profit for the same period was US$2bn and Lafarge's operating income was US$2.74bn. Even halved, CNBM's profit is a massive figure for a company with less of an international presence than the European multinationals.

Germany: Tomasz Czop, former Purchase Director of Ożarów Cement Poland (CRH Group) is now leading business development at MVW Lechtenberg & Partner, the German consulting firm for the implementation of alternative fuels from biomass and useable wastes in the cement industry.

As a former member of the management board of the Polish subsidiaries of Ireland's CRH he was directly responsible for the whole procurement of all business units in Poland and Ukraine. Within MVW Lechtenberg he will lead the business unit of alternative fuels and raw materials trade which is currently focused on the supply of refuse derived fuels for the cement and power generating industry in northern and eastern Europe.

Europe: Koen Coppenholle took over as the new Chief Executive of Cembureau on 1 July 2012. He follows Dr Jean-Marie Chandelle, who retired at the end of June 2012.

Following a distinguished legal career, Koen Coppenholle has been Head of European Affairs for ArcelorMittal in Brussels since November 2007. Between September 2000 and November 2007, he was Senior Counsel European Affairs with General Electric Europe in Brussels. Coppenholle joined the Cembureau team on 2 April 2012 to help to ensure a smooth transition.

Jean-Marie Chandelle has held the position of Chief Executive of Cembureau since 1996. A qualified lawyer, with a Master of Law and a PhD, Chandelle has held numerous positions in his native Belgium and abroad.

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's post-war reconstruction and floods have helped boost demand for cement in the country, according to Tokyo Cement. The Sri Lankan and Japanese joint venture said that much of the demand has come from the government's large scale infrastructure projects.

Total cement consumed in Sri Lanka during 2011 rose by 21.6% year-on-year to 4.58Mt. Local cement production in 2011 rose by 13.6% to 1.97Mt.

According to Tokyo Cement, the private sector has been mainly engaged in building housing and housing schemes as well as hotels. In its 2011-2012 annual report, Tokyo also pointed out that a surge in private credit had contributed towards higher demand for cement.

India: Holcim-controlled Associated Cement Companies (ACC) is mulling a US$913m integrated cement complex in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The company is planning a 5Mt/yr integrated cement complex, along with an 8Mt/yr cement grinding unit and a 100MW captive power plant at Gollapalli village in Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh. To support the cement plant the company is also creating a 7Mt/yr captive limestone mine.

While ACC has made no official comment, industry insiders have expressed surprise that ACC is planning further cement capacity in south India, which is already reeling under excess capacity. ACC has already announced its plans to increase its capacity by 5Mt/yr through brownfield expansion at its Jamul plant in Chattisgarh.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement has started supplying 20MW/hr of electricity to Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company Limited (Hesco), according to a company announcement. The company said that it was aiming to start selling the same amount of electricity to Peshawar Electricity Supply Company Limited (Pesco) by the middle of July 2012. Speaking on 2 July 2012, a company spokesman said that the talks were underway on the sale and purchase agreement with Pesco.

Since 2010 Lucky Cement has operated 22MW waste-heat recovery units on two cement plants in Karachi and Pezu. The sale of surplus power has enhanced the company's balance sheet, as it struggles against continued low demand in the Pakistan market.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has applauded the Government of Canada's announcement that it will invest almost US$1m in Ontario-based Pond Biofuels for the advancement of Canadian biofuel technology and expertise. The investment will be made under the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario's 'Investing in Business Innovation' initiative.

The contribution will help Pond Biofuels complete a pilot demonstration of a technology developed jointly with St Marys Cement to capture and convert CO₂ and other emissions from the cement manufacturing process into oxygen and biomass.

"This technology pioneered by Pond Biofuels in partnership with St Marys Cement speaks to the Canadian cement industry's commitment to innovation and commitment to reducing its carbon footprint," said Michael McSweeney, President and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada. "Government support plays a critical role in fostering innovation and we warmly welcome the investment in this groundbreaking initiative as an important step in the future of sustainable development for Canada's cement industry."

France: Under its Euro Medium-Term Note programme, Lafarge has today issued a Euro500m bond with a 7 year maturity and fixed annual coupon of 5.875% to institutional investors. While the French cement and building materials giant had said that it had no immediate refinancing needs, the proceeds of this bond issuance will reinforce the already strong liquidity position of the group.

The settlement and issuance of the bond are expected to occur on 9 July 2012.

Indonesia: PT Semen Gresik, Indonesia's largest cement producer, plans to spend US$400m-US$500m to expand its operation into Vietnam and Myanmar by the end of 2012, according to its general director Dwi Soetjipto.

Semen Gresik intends to finance 20% of the expansion with internal cash and the remainder with external sources, possibly from a global bonds issue. In case any negotiations conclude by the end of 2012, Semen Gresik would likely issue bonds in 2013, Dwi added.

The company has been assessing potential local partners for a joint venture for a plant in Myanmar to produce around 600,000t/yr, in which Semen Gresik will contribute US$150m. However, Dwi Soetjipto declined to discuss Vietnamese expansion plans in detail, hinting at an acquisition.

Semen Gresik reported total assets of US$2.25bn at the end of March 2012. The firm's revenues in the first quarter of 2012, rose by 20% year-on-year to US$458m. Its cement sales fell at 4.94Mt in Jan-Mar period, making up 39.3% of Indonesia's market share. Semen Gresik predicts that its cement sales will reach 22.5Mt/yr in 2012, up from 19.72Mt/yr in 2011. Revenues are expected to rise 15% year-on-year to US$1.93bn.