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Update on Japan, May 2023

17 May 2023

The two largest cement producers in Japan released their results for their 2023 financial years this week. Much like manufacturers elsewhere in the world they reported mounting sales revenues, but they also noted losses. Input prices such as coal rose in 2022 and these were passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. However, this was insufficient to stop them making a loss.

In the case of Taiheiyo Cement, its domestic sales volumes of cement remained stable at 13.4Mt in the year to 31 March 2023. It made a loss at home in Japan but still reported a profit in its overseas businesses, despite export volumes falling by 41% year-on-year to 2.44Mt. The group also noted delays at construction sites due to a lack of workers. Recent domestic developments for Taiheiyo include an agreement in October 2022 to buy the cement business of chemicals company Denka. Outside of Japan, in China, the group suspended the production and sale of cement from its Jiangnan-Onoda Cement subsidiary in February 2023 citing a 'tougher competitive environment,' although it justified this decision as part of its strategy to refocus on Southeast Asia. Then, in late April 2023, the company was forced to stop its proposed acquisition of the Tehachapi cement plant in the US due to an inability to obtain regulatory approval.

Sumitomo Osaka reported a similar situation, with cement sales volumes also down year-on-year. Again, cement price increases were unable to catch coal prices made worse by negative currency exchange effects. Having got the bad news out of the way, it then it took the opportunity to outline its medium term strategy to 2035. It said that becoming carbon neutral was the key to this. In its 2022 financial year cement accounted for around 70% of total sales. However, it is now aiming to reduce this to 65% by 2025 and 50% by 2035. If this sounds familiar this is because it is similar to what Holcim is doing with its growing light building materials division and its diversification away from the heavy building materials trio of cement, concrete and aggregates. Sumitomo Osaka plans to invest over US$3.5bn towards this goal by developing its presence in the semiconductors sector, building its business in Australia and starting new ventures in decarbonisation.

Of the other cement producers, Tokuyama Corporation said in late April 2023 that it was considering suspending operation of one of the three kilns at its 4.54Mt/yr Nanyo cement plant as part of measures to strengthen profitability. It reported a growing loss for the current financial year that it blamed on raw material and fuel costs. Mitsubishi Materials and Ube Industries formed their merged cement businesses in April 2022 known as Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation. Ube said, as part of its latest financial results, that, despite a gradual decrease in the domestic market, cement sales had remained stable but that the business was “heavily affected” by rising energy prices such as coal. It added that demand for cement and concrete remain strong in its overseas market in North America.

Graph 1: Sales and exports of cement in Japan from 2013 – 2022. Source: Japan Cement Association.

Graph 1: Sales and exports of cement in Japan from 2013 – 2022. Source: Japan Cement Association.

The Japanese cement market peaked in the 1990s. Domestic sales of cement in Japan have declined over the last decade, as can be seen in Graph 1 above, but at a slower rate. Exports rose to a peak of just under 12Mt in 2017 but have slipped a little since then. Data from the Japan Cement Association placed production at 53.2Mt in 2022 compared to 61.7Mt in 2013. This trend explains the move by the cement producers towards decarbonisation, offshoring, diversification and consolidation. The bump in fuel prices over the past year may have accelerated this process, as examples such as Taiheiyo Cement’s takeover of Denka and Sumitomo Osaka’s new business strategy suggest. The race continues to keep cement production profitable in a changing business environment.

Published in Analysis
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Martha Quintero appointed as head of Empresa Colombiana de Cementos

17 May 2023

Colombia: Empresa Colombiana de Cementos has appointed Martha Patricia Quintero Valderrama as its director general. She succeeds Juan Martínez in the post, according to Valora Analitik. The company is a joint venture between Spain-based Cementos Molins and Corona. It operates the Alión brand.

Quintero has worked for Alión as its commercial director since 2018. Prior to this she worked for Polpaico in Chile and spent over 20 years with LafargeHolcim and its associated companies in Colombia. She is a trained civil engineer from the University of Cartagena. She also holds postgraduate qualifications from the EAN University and Tecnológica del Caribe.

Published in People
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Hal Grodzins appointed as head of Sabia

17 May 2023

US: Sabia has appointed Hal Grodzins as its chair and chief executive officer (CEO). He succeeds Clinton Lingren in the post. Grodzins previously held the post of president and chief operating officer at Sabia. Prior to this he worked as the chair and CEO of Heuresis Corporation and also worked for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Sabia produces analytical hardware and software for the bulk materials sector including applications for cement, coal, mineral ores and other markets.

Published in People
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Kalle Saarimaa appointed as chief executive officer of Tana Oy

17 May 2023

Finland: Tana Oy has appointed Kalle Saarimaa as its chief executive officer with effect from 1 June 2023.

Saarimaa is currently working as the Senior Vice President for Circular Solutions at Fortum Oyj. However, he has been a member of the board of Tana Oy since 2021. Prior to working for Fortum Oyj he held posts with Ekokem and Walki Oy. He is also active in Finnish and European waste management organisations and as a board member of circular economy companies.

Tana sells products to the recycling and landfill sectors such as shredders, compactors, screeners, sifters and more.

Published in People
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Andhra Cements to relaunch Durga cement plant clinker line before July 2023

17 May 2023

India: Sagar Cements says that its subsidiary Andhra Cements will relaunch the clinker line at its Durga cement plant in Andhra Pradesh before July 2023. The Hindu BusinessLine newspaper has reported that the producer previously relaunched grinding operations at the plant in April 2023.

Sagar Cements plans to invest a further US$56.8m in Andhra Cements’ Durga cement plant to increase its installed cement capacity by 67% to 3Mt/yr and its clinker capacity by 39% to 2.3Mt/yr before 2025.

Published in Global Cement News
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Eagle Cement acquisition boosts San Miguel Corporation’s first quarter 2023 sales

17 May 2023

Philippines: San Miguel Corporation’s cement sales more than tripled year-on-year to US$183m during the first quarter of 2023, from US$57.1m during the first quarter of 2022. The group’s cement business contributed 3% of consolidated sales, compared to 1% in the first quarter of 2022. Overall, group sales rose by 9% to US$6.17bn, the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper has reported.

San Miguel Corporation completed its acquisition of Eagle Cement in December 2022.

Published in Global Cement News
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Vietnam National Cement Association forecasts 13% profit drop for producers due to high energy prices in 2023

17 May 2023

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) expects members to record a 13% drop in their gross profit in 2023 due to a 3% rise in electricity prices. At the same time, it expects cement demand to fall due to the slowing of residential construction activity. During the first quarter of 2023, Vietnamese cement exports to China fell by 90% in value terms.

Việt Nam News has reported that electricity costs constitute 15% of operating expenses for the Vietnamese cement sector.

Published in Global Cement News
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Cemex France and Ecocem to collaborate on reduced-CO2 concrete production

17 May 2023

France: Cemex France and Ecocem have signed a deal to collaborate on the development of reduced-CO2 concrete development at 10 Cemex France ready-mix concrete batching plants. The partnership will explore methods that include the use of supplementary cementitious materials in place of clinker. Cemex hopes that the collaboration will help to realise its goal of a 55% CO2 emissions reduction across its European operations by 2030.

Cemex Western Europe vice president materials and Cemex France president Michel Andre said “Cemex continues to reinforce its commitment to advancing the sustainability agenda with the announcement of this extended partnership with Ecocem. We know that if we are to achieve our global ambition of operating as a net-zero business by 2050 we must prioritise exploring innovation and new technologies with like-minded companies who share our dedication to leading the industry’s transition to a lower carbon and circular economy.”

Published in Global Cement News
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Flender enlarges Voerde production plant

17 May 2023

Germany: Flender has officially completed construction work on an expansion at its site in Voerde with the opening of its new logistics and storage hall for the assembly of large gear units. The hall has been built on an open area on the company's premises covering almost 8000m2. The new building is part of the drive manufacturer’s investments to be able to handle the expected growth in the global wind energy business and to drive the energy transition in Europe. In addition to large components for wind power gearboxes, the logistics hall will also serve its industrial business. The company has also leased another 10,000m2 hall, directly next door to its Voerde unit, to further support its logistics.

Flender’s chief executive officer Andreas Evertz said "With the new storage areas, we are making our logistics processes sustainable and thus reducing a considerable part of the previous transport routes and the associated CO2 emissions. Components that were previously stored elsewhere can now be stored centrally and made available for assembly more quickly with optimised transport routes.”

Flender’s Voerde plant is the company’s largest in Germany with an area of 276,000m2. It employs 1500 people.

Published in Global Cement News
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Regenera to supply municipal solid waste to Cemex's Tepeaca cement plant

16 May 2023

Mexico: Cemex's waste management subsidiary Regenera has signed a deal with the municipal council of Huajuapan de León to receive the latter's sorted non-recyclable municipal solid waste (MSW). Under the deal, Regenera will receive up to 6000t/yr of MSW, which it will supply to Cemex's Tepeaca cement plant in Puebla.

Published in Global Cement News
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