Displaying items by tag: Ministry of Construction

Vietnam: Vietnam sold 64.6Mt of cement in the first 10 months of 2017, a rise of 4% year-on-year compared to the same period of 2016, according to the Ministry of Construction. Of the sum, 49.3Mt was sold domestically, a 2% year-on-year rise, while 15.3Mt was exported, a rise of 2%.

In October 2017, local firms sold 6.2Mt of cement, including 4.7Mt of domestic sales, and 1.5Mt of exports. As of October 2017, Vietnam had 3.3Mt of cement and clinker inventory, mostly clinker.

At present, Vietnam’s cement output has reached 86Mt/yr, while domestic demand is estimated at only 60Mt. The country is thus predicted to face a surplus of 26Mt of cement overall in 2017, according to the Vietnam Cement Association (VNCA).

Vietnam: Vietnam sold 59.3Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2017, a rise of 6% compared to the same period of 2016. The country has now fulfilled 74.1% of its whole-year plan, according to the Ministry of Construction. 45.3Mt of cement was sold domestically, a 4% rise year-on-year, while 14.0Mt of cement was exported.

In September 2017, the country’s cement sales rose by 9.4% compared to August 2017 to 6.7Mt, comprising 5.2Mt of domestic sales and 1.5Mt of exports. As of September 2017, Vietnam had 3.0Mt of cement and clinker inventory, most of which is clinker.

At present, Vietnam’s cement capacity is 86Mt/yr but domestic demand is estimated at 60Mt/yr, a surplus of 26Mt/yr, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VCNA).

Vietnam: Sweden’s BillerudKorsnäs has signed a letter of intent with Vissai Group regarding the use of its QuickFill Clean (QFC) cement paper sack product line. The deal was agreed at a workshop organised by the Embassy of Sweden with the Vietnam Ministry of Construction, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The new type of cement bags are intended to reduce leakage although their use will require changes in the handling of sacks throughout the supply chain. Representatives from the Vietnam National Cement Association, Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Associations and other ministries also attended the event.

Vietnam: Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has asked the ministries of industry and construction to revise the zoning plan for mineral mining for cement production and the cement industry development strategy to meet actual demand. The Ministry of Construction has said that the zoning plan to 2020, which was originally approved in 2010, needs changing following recent geological surveys, according to the Vietnam News Agency. The ministry is also compiling a cement industry development strategy for the 2017 - 2035 period with a vision towards 2025.

The construction ministry will collaborate with provinces and cities to look into the investment and exploitation of minerals for cement production, supply and demand for clinker and cement as well as using heat at cement plants for electricity generation. The country has 70 operational cement production lines with a production capacity of 82Mt/yr but consumption is 72Mt/yr. The government has approved shutting down 14 cement plants with a daily capacity of less than 2500t of clinker each, equivalent to 910,000t/yr, from the strategy since 2011.

Vietnam: The Ministry of Construction is planning to sell its stake in Vicem through an initial public offering in the fourth quarter of 2016. The cement producer has said previously that the state is planning to reduce its holding to 51%. Investors from Indonesia and Thailand have expressed interest in acquiring stakes in Vicem, according to the Dau Tu newspaper.

Vicem, previously known as the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation, has stakes in 31 companies, mostly cement producers and distributors. Its gross profit reportedly doubled last year to US$105.2m in 2015. It currently controls 34% of the market in Vietnam.

Russia: The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has held a meeting to discuss cement pricing and mandatory certification. Representatives of FAS, cement producers, industry associations and government authorities - including the Ministry of Economic Development, the Federal Accreditation Service, the Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Industry and Trade - took part in the event on 17 May 2016.

Attendees reported that the pricing of bulk cement to industrial customers had increased slightly due to seasonal demand. FAS had received a growing number of complaints about rising prices from purchasers of bagged cement. To counter this, FAS has proposed using points of sale for bagged cement with the intention to remove intermediaries from the supply chain and cut costs.

On mandatory cement certification the Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology and the Ministry of Economic Development reported that over 50 cement plants in Russia and several Belarusian cement producers have certified their products. However, some cement importers have experienced difficulties with certification. FAS agreed to coordinate the forwarding of issues importers and other producers have experienced to the supervising body. It will also draft proposals on amendments to the certification. Mandatory cement certification came into force on 7 March 2016 due to No. 930 Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Vietnam: LafargeHolcim is considering leaving Vietnam due to oversupply of cement in the local market, according to Nguyen Cong Bao, general director of Holcim Vietnam. The company met with the Ministry of Construction to notify it of its forthcoming business plans in Vietnam. Bao’s statement was reported by the Dau Tu newspaper.

The cement producer has five cement plants with a production capacity of 6Mt/yr, making it the largest manufacturer in the country. It also operates eight ready-mixed concrete plants. The Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem), the country’s leading cement producer, holds a 35% stake in Holcim Vietnam. LafargeHolcim retains the brands of Lafarge and Holcim’s products including Lavilla (Lafarge) and Holcim Power-S. Holcim Vietnam holds 26% of the domestic market and Lafarge Vietnam holds 12% of the market.

Vietnam: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed to add the Thaicement Ha Tien plant in Kien Giang to a portfolio of projects to be invested in the 2011-2020 period with a vision to 2030. The cement plant will have a production capacity of 4.5Mt/yr.

Nguyen has assigned the Ministry of Construction and People’s Committee of Kien Giang province to conduct a survey and exploration of limestone and clay deposits and present it to the National Mineral Reserves Councils for approval before granting an investment license. He also requested the relevant agencies to assess the financial capacity of the investor, which must be able to provide at least 20% of the project’s total investment under current regulations.

The Ministry of Construction has forecast that Vietnam's sales of cement and clinker will rise by 4 - 7% year-on-year to up to 77Mt in 2016 despite economic problems.

Vietnam: Total clinker and cement sales rose by 9.8% year-on-year to 15.71Mt in the first quarter of 2016, the Building Material Department under the Ministry of Construction has said. The sales figure represents 20.7% of the country’s target for 2016.

In March 2016, the country’s cement sales rose by 17% year-on-year to 6.27Mt, supported by growing construction projects and the recovery of the real estate market. Clinker and cement exports grew by 115% year-on-year to 1.35Mt March 2015. Total export volumes for the first quarter of 2016 rose by 2% to 3.5Mt.

The Ministry of Construction forecasts that Vietnam's sales of cement and clinker will rise 4 - 7% on year to between 75 – 77 Mt in 2016 despite economic concerns. The country now has 76 cement production lines with a combined production capacity of 82Mt/yr.

Vietnam: The Government of Vietnam has approved the Ministry of Construction's proposal to increase the capacity of two cement plants in Ha Nam and Nghe An Provinces.

The Thanh Liem Cement plant in Ha Nam Province's Bong Lang Commune will be upgraded with an additional 2.3Mt/yr capacity production line, which is expected to open in 2018. Currently, the plant has just one production line with 450,000t/yr of cement production capacity. Nguyen Quang Bay, director of the Thanh Liem Cement plant, said that it was necessary to increase the capacity of the plant in order to fully exploit the limestone resources in the province.

The Song Lam Cement plant, which is currently under construction in Nghe An Province's Bai Son Commune, will now have 4Mt/yr of cement production capacity when complete. Construction on the plant began in February 2015 with investment capital of US$494m. Three production lines will be built by 2020. The first two are scheduled to be put into operation in 2017.

Prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the Construction Ministry to re-examine cement plant projects in the 2011 - 2020 period and forecast market demand, then report it to the Government later in 2015. Cement consumption reached 5.87Mt in January 2015, an increase of 30% compared to January 2014, according to the Construction Ministry's Building Material Department. Domestic cement production currently meets demand, according to the department.
The Vietnam Cement Association predicts that cement exports in 2015 could earn as much as US$1bn via the export of 20 - 21Mt of cement and clinker, a 15% increase in value year-on-year.