Displaying items by tag: Kenya
National Cement plans US$198m plant in Uganda
14 April 2015Uganda: National Cement is set to invest US$198m in a new plant in Uganda, its first plant outside of Kenya. Construction of the 1Mt/yr capacity plant, located in Mbale, will start in May 2015 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
The project is the first in National Cement's regional expansion plan. The company also intends to venture into South Sudan in the next three years. "The first phase of the project is expected to commence in May 2015, after which we will continue expanding the plant over a three-year period," said Narendra Raval, the chairman of Devki Group, the parent company of National Cement. "Once the main plant is operational, we will expand it to include a clinker plant, which will ensure that we are self-sufficient." The Uganda project is being funded by loans from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and two local banks.
The plant signals increased competition in the regional cement market, which is grappling with price wars brought about by the entry of new players and expansion of established firms. Indian conglomerate Cemtech and ARM Cement, for instance, plan to set up new plants in Pokot and Kitui respectively. Nigeria's Dangote Cement has also announced plans to build a 3Mt/yr plant in Kitui.
The increased investment is set to worsen the glut and force further price cuts, placing more emphasis on volume growth and efficiency as the major profit drivers for individual companies. The increase in output is set to offset the projected 12% increase in consumption in the region over the next three years.
Seruji buys 60% stake in Savannah Cement
31 March 2015Kenya: Mauritian company Seruji has acquired a 60% stake in Athi River-based Savannah Cement following approval from the Competition Authority of Kenya (CA).
Seruji completed the buyout from China's Wan Ho International, which held 40% and Acme Wanji, which owned 20%. Savannah Heights has retained a minority stake in Savannah Cement. The shareholding shake-up makes Savannah Cement Kenya's first fully-owned cement producer, as both Seruji and Savannah are owned by Savannah Cement founder Benson Ndeta.
The buyout comes ahead of a planned US$250m clinker plant project in Athi River by Savannah Cement, which aims to reduce its operating costs by eliminating clinker imports. Cement demand has risen steeply over the past two years in tandem with a host of several large projects in both the public and private sectors. The US$1.88bn Lamu coal power plant and the US$3.23bn standard gauge railway are among the projects that have increased domestic cement demand.
Domestic cement consumption grew by nearly 20% to hit a record 5Mt in 2014, driven mainly by robust growth in property development. However, Kenya's cement producers have been producing more cement than the market can absorb. In 2014 production hit 5.7Mt, up from 5.05Mt in 2013. The Standard Investment Bank has forecast that production will rise to 6.3Mt in 2015 and 6.7Mt in 2016.
ARM Cement’s 2014 pre-tax profit flat
26 March 2015Kenya: ARM Cement posted a pre-tax profit of US$22m for 2014, up by 1% from 2013. ARM's revenue fell by 3% year-on-year to US$150m, mainly because there was no additional capacity expansion during the year.
ARM Cement has predicted that 2015 will be better, with growth in turnover and profit.
"The cement markets continue to grow at double digits with significant demand from the infrastructure segment," said ARM in a statement. Booming economies in east Africa have buoyed cement demand in recent years, but local firms are preparing for increased competition from new entrants like Nigeria's Dangote Cement.
Spotlight on EAPCC in tyre bribery scandal
04 March 2015Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has been named as one of the companies that received bribes in a tyre scandal. The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) said that it was willing to work with the government to establish the truth behind the allegations that EAPCC obtained bribes before awarding tyre contracts.
"The Authority is in the process of requesting further information from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to help in the investigations, after which appropriate determinations will be made," said the CMA. EAPCC bosses who headed the organisation in 2007 - 2011 will explain how the alleged bribery happened.
The scandal came to light recently after Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company, which owned Treadsetters Tyres Ltd in Kenya, was ordered by the SEC to pay US$10.7m to the US Treasury after it was found liable for bribing public officials and private company bosses. According to documents from the SEC, the bribes paid by Goodyear amounted to more than US$1.5m in Kenya, while another US$1.6m was paid in exchange for contracts in Angola.
The report implicated unnamed employees from EAPCC, Telkom Kenya, Armed Forces Canteen Organisation, Kenya Ports Authority, Nzoia Sugar Company, the Kenya Air Force, Ministry of Roads and Ministry of State for Defence.
Bamburi subsidiary gets US$5m loan for operations
08 January 2015Kenya: Seruji Limited, a distribution subsidiary of Bamburi Cement, has borrowed US$5m from TriLinc Global to finance its activities at a time when competition in the industry has reached new heights.
"TriLinc funded a US$5m trade finance transaction at a fixed interest rate of 14.75% to a Kenyan cement distributor engaged in the production and distribution of cement," said TriLinc. "The transaction, set to mature on 17 March 2015, is supported by inventory, receivables and other liquid assets." TriLinc added that Seruji met one of its investment criteria of being a small or medium enterprise (SME) in its growth stage.
"Founded in 2008, the borrower is a growing Kenyan cement distributor that utilises cutting-edge energy-efficient and eco-friendly cement grinding technology to improve sustainability," said TriLinc, which has also invested in Zambian, Namibian and South African SMEs. Kenyan companies are increasingly using foreign-based lenders with the capacity to lend larger amounts and at a lower cost than local financiers.
Kenya: Lafarge has appointed two directors to the board of East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) following the exit of Titus Naikuni after eight years with the company. EAPCC said that the terms for ex-Capital Markets Authority chairman Kung'u Gatabaki and Sarone Sena, chairman of Eldoret University council, are effective immediately. Bill Lay was reappointed as EAPCC chairman for a three year period, effective from 7 November 2014, by president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Savannah Cement plans US$200m plant upgrade
02 January 2015Kenya: Savannah Cement plans to spend US$200m in 2015 to increase its production capacity by building a new cement grinding plant. The project will be funded through internal cash reserves and is expected to start in early 2015. The new plant will be based in Kitengela, where its current cement plant stands. Savannah Cement management said that the investment would to help to meet growing demand for its products in the market.
"Once the two plants are installed, Savannah Cement will take pole position as a truly integrated and eco-friendly cement manufacturer," said Savannah Cement managing director, Ronald Ndegwa. "We shall also be expanding our product range to meet our customers' demands." Ndegwa said that the installation of the second grinding plant and the clinker production plant is part of the firm's strategy to operate a fully-integrated cement manufacturing business.
EAPCC begins US$11.1m upgrade at Athi River plant
11 November 2014Kenya: The East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) has begun the process of upgrading its Athi River cement plant, a project that is expected to cost approximately US$11.1m. The upgrade will halt the plant's normal operations for six weeks.
According to EAPCC head of production, Joseph Kombo, the upgrade targets the kiln and the packing plant. "In the packing plant, we are upgrading the mechanical and electrical components of the packers as well as improving the bag conveying system, all geared towards improved the loading process and quick turnaround thus ensuring customer satisfaction," said Kombo. "We are installing a bag house to replace the electronic precipitators, retrofitting the raw-mill gear box, replacing three sections of the cement kiln shell and installing a radio link into the raw material handling sections, among others."
EAPCC plans to improve reliability, increase production and improve energy-efficiency. The bag house will reduce emissions from the plant to insignificant levels, complying with international emission standards.
National Cement plans US$19m coal fired power plant
05 November 2014Kenya: National Cement is set to build a 15MW coal-fired power plant in Kajiado at a cost of US$19m as part of its expansion plan. The plant will feed its upcoming limestone mining and clinker manufacturing operation in the same location.
National Cement will transport the clinker to its plant in Lukenya, which is being expanded to 1.7Mt/yr capacity from the current 600,000t/yr. National Cement, which produces the Simba cement brand, said that it decided to generate its own electricity because of delays in connecting to the national grid, where power is also more expensive. "The cost of procuring electricity from Kenya Power is twice as much when compared with the cost of generating power using coal," said National Cement.
Electricity supplied from the national grid currently costs an average of US$0.18/kWh. Based on current international coal prices, power generated from coal costs US$0.15/kWh. Coal prices have dropped by 18% since the start of 2014 and a further fall could make energy derived from coal even cheaper. However, the Kenyan government has said that the cost of power form the national grid could halve in the medium term on expansion of the country's generation capacity to 5000MW from the current 1300MW.
Besides seeking lower costs, National Cement has said that it has been forced to construct the coal plant due to Kenya Power's delays in connecting its Kajiado operations. "Kenya Power is also unable to provide power to National Cement within the required time frame (within two years) and only install the electricity in three years' time, while electricity is needed for the clinker manufacture in 24 months' time."
National Cement states that it will import coal from countries like South Africa, but Kenya's move to start mining its own coal could see the firm source the commodity locally in the future. The coal consumption for the proposed power plant is estimated at 63,360t/yr. Saving on energy costs is expected to boost the firm's margins, underlining the importance of lower operational costs in an industry hit by vicious price wars.
EAPCC posted full-year net loss
27 October 2014Kenya: EAPCC has posted a net loss of US$4.32m for the year that ended on 30 June 2014. The company said that it had been hurt by price competition, high staff costs and the weakening Kenyan shilling. In the year that ended 30 June 2013, EAPCC posted a net profit of US$18.9m.
EAPCC said that it hopes to capitalise on the growing construction industry and plans to spend US$27.9m in the coming year on new investments. "The company has not been left behind and is aggressively investing in new machinery and equipment to increase efficiency and capacity," said EAPCC. However, it added that, "The market will continue to be highly competitive and is likely to see declining prices for the foreseeable future."