Displaying items by tag: Sales
Argentinian cement sales rise in 2022
10 January 2023Argentina: Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP) members sold of cement sold 13Mt of cement in 2022, up by 7% year-on-year. Local press reported that sales volumes were at their highest since 2012. Exports dropped by 24% year-on-year to 83,300t, from 115,000t.
Australia: Adbri has extended Independent Cement and Lime (ICL)'s contract to exclusively distribute its products to the New South Wales and Victoria markets. ICL is a 50% subsidiary of Adbri. Volumes under the renewed contract will be similar to those during 2022, while prices will reflect market conditions. Adbri said that ICL distributes a 'substantial' proportion of the cement produced at its Birkenhead cement plant in South Australia.
Adbri's interim chief executive officer Mark Irwin said “Independent Cement and Lime is Victoria’s pre-eminent cementitious products distributor and is an important part of Adbri’s supply chain across Victoria and New South Wales. We are pleased to extend our distribution arrangement with ICL through to the end of 2023. We look forward to the commissioning in 2023 of the Melbourne cement facility’s new 45,000t silo at Port Melbourne, which will enhance Independent Cement and Lime’s ability to service the Victorian market.”
Adbri had previously considered buying Barro Group's cement assets, which included the remaining 50% stake in Independent Cement and Lime, in 2018.
Pakistani cement despatches drop as exports nearly halve in first half of 2023 financial year
05 January 2023Pakistan: All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) members despatched 21.8Mt of cement during the six-month period up to 31 December 2022, the first half of Pakistan’s 2023 financial year. The figure corresponds to a decline of 21% year-on-year from 27.5Mt during the first half of the 2022 financial year. Producers exported 1.73Mt of cement, down by 49% from 3.39Mt in the first half of the 2022 financial year.
The drop in sales was most pronounced in Southern Pakistan, where producers despatched 4.66Mt of cement, down by 31% year-on-year from 6.75Mt. Meanwhile, Northern Pakistani producers despatched 17.1Mt of cement, down by 17% from 20.7Mt.
An APCMA spokesperson said “The current economic turmoil has badly impacted on cement consumption. Inflation has played havoc with the pockets of consumers. New construction projects, including housing, are few in number, while routine maintenance of residential buildings has been postponed for better times.” They added “The Russia-Ukraine war has badly impacted cement exports too.”
Melón reports fire at Puerto Ventanas port
03 January 2023Chile: A fire at Sites 1, 2, 3 and 5 of Puerto Ventanas port in Valparaíso Region has disrupted clinker transportation to Melón’s Puerto Ventanas cement plant. The La Tercera newspaper has reported that the fire destroyed a clinker conveying system connecting the port to the cement plant. The producer expects the damage to ‘significantly impact’ its cement production capacity for a period which it is ‘not yet possible to specify.’
Melón said, “We have deployed contingency and operational continuity plans in order to ensure our supply to our customers." It added that it could not yet quantify the ultimate impacts on its assets, liabilities or results.
Vicat revenues rise against uncertain backdrop
08 November 2022France: Vicat’s revenue in the first nine months of 2022 came to Euro2.70bn, a 15% rise year-on-year compared to Euro2.35bn in the same period in 2021. Its revenues in France rose by 8% to Euro889m from Euro824m. Its revenue in the rest of Europe fell by 4.5% to Euro288m from Euro301m. In the Americas, Vicat’s revenues increased by 27% to Euro637m from Euro500m, while they rose even more dramatically across the Mediterranean rim, up by 57% from Euro166m to Euro260m. In Africa revenues came to Euro245m, broadly unchanged on the year. In its Asia region, including Kazakhstan and India, its revenues rose by 18% to Euro376m from Euro320m.
The group’s sales volumes of cement fell by 5% to 20.3Mt from 21.3Mt. However, price rises enabled it to increase its operational revenue by 18% to Euro1.69bn from Euro1.43bn. Similarly, concrete sales volumes fell by 4.8% to 7.48Mm3 but operational sales rose by 16% to Euro1.04bn.
Guy Sidos, the group's chair and chief executive officer said "Vicat's nine-month sales performance reflects the resilience of its markets despite a high basis of comparison in 2021. Against a backdrop of very high inflation, the group's sales posted a solid increase compared with the same period of 2021, supported by strong growth in selling prices across all its regions. In a global environment that provides little short-term visibility, especially regarding energy costs, we are executing our strategy to improve our industrial performance, make greater use of secondary fuels, reduce our carbon footprint and implement a pricing policy tailored to these new conditions."
Vicat announced that it expects its overall earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to be lower in 2022 as a whole than in 2021 but comparable to 2020.
Argentine cement sales drop in October 2022
08 November 2022Argentina: Shipments of cement fellby 1.3% year-on-year to 1.14Mt in October 2022. This was the first decrease following nine consecutive months of year-on-year growth, according to the Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP).
In the first 10 months of 2022 the country produced 10.9Mt of cement, a rise of 9.5% year-on-year compared to the same period in 2021. The entire volume was consumed domestically with no exports.
The AFCP’s provisional projections for 2022 show a total production estimate of 13.2Mt that, if realised, would represent growth of 8.9% year-on-year compared to 2021, as well as the highest volume since 2017.
Pakistan’s cement dispatches fall in October 2022
07 November 2022Pakistan: Cement dispatches declined by 18.5% year-on-year across Pakistan in October 2022, according to data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA). Total cement dispatches during October 2022 were 4.25Mt, compared to 5.22Mt in October 2021. Local dispatches fell by 3.98Mt in October 2022 from 4.60Mt in October 2021, a fall of 15.5%. Exports fell by 40.7% from 611,000t in October 2021 to 362,000t in October 2022.
During the first four months of the current fiscal year, which began on 1 July 2022, Pakistan’s total cement dispatches - domestic and exports - were 13.9Mt, down by 23.1% from more than 18Mt during the corresponding period of the prior fiscal year. Domestic dispatches during this period were 12.5Mt against 15.9Mt a year earlier, a reduction of 21.4%. Exports were 36.0% lower than in the first four months of the 2021 - 22 fiscal year, falling to 1.38Mt.
Vietnam's ten-month cement and clinker exports fall in 2022
01 November 2022Vietnam: During the first ten months of 2022, Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) members exported 25.9Mt of cement and clinker, with a total value of US$1.16bn. Volumes dropped by 30% year-on-year from 37Mt, while the value of exports dropped by 20% from US$1.43bn.
In 2021 Vietnam exported 43.5Mt of cement and clinker, worth US$1.78bn, up by 13% year-on-year in volume and by 24% in value.
Pakistan: Attock Cement recorded standalone sales of US$92.6m in its 2022 financial year, down by 3.6% year-on-year from US$96.1m in its 2021 financial year. The company produced 2.18Mt of clinker, down by 32% from 3.19Mt, corresponding to a capacity utilisation of 76%. The decision to reduce production came about due to high coal costs. Attock Cement sold 1.8Mt of cement, down by 10% from 2.01Mt in the 2021 financial year. The producer's cost of sales rose by 1.1% year-on-year to US$75.9m from US$75.1m. It profit after tax nonetheless grew by 1.2%, to US$5.07m from US$5.01m.
Chair Laith Pharaon said "The 2022 financial year was a challenging year for the company, as export sales remain depressed due to uncompetitive prices demanded by regional markets, which were also facing the uncertainties." He continued "Due to higher input costs owing to the significant increase in energy prices, the gross margin also declined by 4%. However, because of exchange gain on foreign receivables and dividend income received from its Iraq-based 60% subsidiary Saqr Al Keetan, operating margin improved by 3%.
Brazilian cement sales drop in first nine months of 2022
14 October 2022Brazil: Cement producers sold 47.7Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2022, down by 3% year-on-year from the same period in 2021. The Brazilian National Cement Industry Association (SNIC) has forecast a 2% year-on-year decline in full-year cement sales to 63.7Mt in 2022. The association foresees global finance-related challenges and high energy and raw materials costs during the fourth quarter of 2022. Annual cement sales previously grew by 23% to 65Mt in 2021 from 53Mt in 2019.
SNIC president Paulo Camillo Penna said “Our expectation for 2022 was to maintain the gains of this three-year period, but, unfortunately, due to high interest rates, indebtedness and cost pressure, we were not able to.”