Displaying items by tag: Paraguay
Paraguay: Gerardo Guerrero, the president of Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC), says that the state-owned company is close to reaching its target of producing 11 million bags of cement in 2024. In October 2024 it manufactured 1.07m bags of cement and sold 1.27m, according to the Agencia de Información Paraguaya. Guerrero attributed the achievement to the company switching its supply chain to land-based transport due to poor conditions on the Paraguay River. INC reportedly has a 37% market share. It operates an integrated cement plant at Vallemí and a grinding unit at Villeta.
Bolivian cement exports decline
24 June 2024Bolivia: Cement exports from Bolivia have dropped significantly, falling from US$10.5m in 2017 to just US$0.2m in 2023, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics and the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE). Bolivia’s main export market is Paraguay, with over 95% of cement exports heading there. The decline reportedly began when the Paraguayan government started to protect its local industry by limiting imports, according to CE NoticiasFinancieras.
Yguazú Cementos warns of high import levels in Paraguay
04 September 2023Paraguay: Andrés Wardle, the head of Yguazú Cementos, has warned that the government does not need to allow the current levels of cement imports. He said that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce was issuing “unnecessary” licences for imports because local demand levels were too low, according to the ABC Color newspaper. He added that local cement producers were able to meet domestic demand for cement as they had idle production capacity. The government has authorised import licences for 80,000t of cement and licences for another 60,000t have been authorised but are pending entry.
INC investigating large-scale internal cement theft
13 April 2023Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) is investigating the large-scale theft of cement from its plants involving company employees. Company president Ernesto Benítez told local radio that at least 10 workers had been stealing around 600 bags of cement on average five times a week to a value of around US$21,000/week, according to the Ultima Hora newspaper. They had been using the company computer system to hide their activities. However, the theft was discovered when company officials noticed that the number of trucks recorded leaving the plant concerned did not match CCTV footage.
Staff members so far found to be part of the fraudulent activity include those working in cargo dispatch, bagging, security and refuse collection. They have all been removed from duty. However the investigation continues and more perpetrators may be found.
Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has suspended cement production and despatches at its Vallemí cement plant in Concepción. The La Nación newspaper has reported that torrential rain washed away raw materials stocks stored at the site. INC expects the plant to remain shut until 17 March 2023. It reassured customers that its Villeta grinding plant will continue to despatch cement as usual. CEO Ernesto Benítez said that it was 'inconceivable' that the suspension would not disrupt the domestic cement supply, given INC's 40% market share.
Paraguay: Ernesto Julián Benítez Petters, the president of Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC), has reassured the market that the company can continually to operate normally despite low water levels in the Paraguay River. He reported that, in the fourth quarter of 2022, boats were loading with 1.5m of draft, according to the Última Hora newspaper. This has meant that barges can only accommodate around half of their normal capacity. Benítez Petters added that it is uncertain when the river will recover its previously normal water levels.
The state-owned cement producer says it has enough raw materials to keep its plant operating at Villeta as it has used more barges to cope. It also conducted maintenance works at the docks of both its Viletta and Vallemí plants in 2021. Widening work at the Paso Queso on the river is a long term goal of the government.
Paraguay: Cementos Concepción says that it will begin to commercially supply cement to Paraguay's major cities in early December 2022. The La Nación newspaper producer commissioned its US$300m Concepción cement plant in November 2022. It now operates with a production capacity of 20m 42.5kg bags annually.
Paraguay: Cementos Concepción (CECON), a company belonging to the Cartes Group, has begun commissioning its US$300m cement plant in the Concepción Department. Test bags are currently being made, with commercial operations expected in late 2022 or early 2023.
Jorge Méndez, CECON's manager said that the test production represented an ‘historic day for the production of 100% Paraguayan cement.’ He added, “Cementos Concepción will bring many benefits to the country. Paraguay needs many infrastructure works, but the deficit of the lack of cement always played against us.”
The 1.0Mt/yr plant was built with the support of nine Paraguayan banks. Méndez emphasised that the cement plant is now generating labour in the ‘forgotten’ Department of Concepción.
Paraguay: Cementos Concepción (CECON) has started commissioning its new plant at San Lázaro in the Concepción department by grinding raw material. Alexander Gonzalez, the project manager for the plant, told La Nación newspaper that start-up of the unit had been successful and that the process would now continue along the production line. The plant’s kiln is expected to start operation in October 2022.
INC’s Vallemi cement plant to continue to dispatch cement despite grinding mill breakdown
22 November 2021Paraguay: State-owned Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) says that its Vallemi plant has suffered a grinding mill breakdown due to an ‘engine failure.’ The producer reassured customers that the issue will not affect the plant’s regular dispatches of cement.