Displaying items by tag: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Halla Waleed Al-Juffali has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors (independent director) of the Saudi Cement Company. Her appointment is subject to shareholder approval. She replaces Waleed Ahmed Al-Juffali, who resigned with effect from 4 February 2016 due to health reasons.

Halla holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business administration degree, majoring in International Business, from the International University of America in London. She has been a director with Ebrahim Al-Juffali and Brothers and Walid Juaffali & Partners. Halla has previously worked as a business analyst for British, European and Chinese investment markets.

At today's official launch of LafargeHolcim, CEO Eric Olsen was asked to comment on the group's position in Iran. It doesn't have one, but that won't necessarily always be the case given events in Austria this week.

On Tuesday 14 July 2015, Iran and the P5+1 countries (US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany) agreed an historic deal to limit Iranian nuclear activity in return for a significant lifting of existing trade sanctions at a meeting in Vienna. The country's cement industry will be delighted by this agreement. The talks, in progress since 2006, could mark what has been termed a 'new chapter' in relations between Iran and the rest of the world by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. For his part, US President Barack Obama stated that the deal would ensure that 'every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off' for Iran, but critics from the US, Iran, Israel and elsewhere, suggest that cutting all routes will not be possible. They are alarmed and have warned that the deal could lead to an arms race between Iran and Saudi Arabia, amid increasing animosity in the Middle East.

While the geopolitical implications of the deal are huge, the lifting of trade restrictions will greatly improve Iran's ability to deal internationally. This includes allowing increased oil exports. An article by Reuters anticipates that Iranian oil production could increase drastically from around 1 million barrels per day (mbpd) at present, possibly to its former peak of 3mbpd. (What this might do to the global oil price could be the subject of an entirely separate column). The easing of banking restrictions will make Iranian products more competitive and increase trade in many sectors.

Against this backdrop sits the Iranian cement industry, the world's third or fourth largest by production in 2014, depending on your source. It has an incredible 84.4Mt/yr of cement production capacity in a country of 77.5 million people. Assuming that it could produce and consume all of that cement at home, this would represent consumption of around 1100kg/capita/yr, far above the 600-800kg/capita/yr rate that is typical of a rapidly-developing economy.

Of course, Iran has not been consuming anything like this level of cement recently. According to figures released by its Employers Guild Association this week, Iran made 66.4Mt of cement in its 1393 calendar year, which ended on 21 March 2015. Assuming the above capacity, this gives Iran a cement utilisation capacity of around 78%.

Much of the cement made in Iran was exported in 2014 and so far in 2015. The country exported an incredible 18.4Mt/yr of cement and clinker in the year to 21 March 2015, up from 18.8Mt a year earlier. A large amount of this cement was available at low cost, to the extent that Iran has been accused (along with Pakistan) of dumping cement in the Middle East and East Africa. (Pakistani producers have even pointed out that Iranian cement is making inroads into the Afghan market, more traditionally a target for exports from Pakistan).

So what might happen to the cement trade dynamic in the region? Some suggest that the easing of sanctions can only increase the potential for Iranian cement imports in the region. Trade should become easier, facilitating exports.

Indeed, this is a factor, but it is only part of the equation. Instead, it is likely that, having earned foreign exchange via increased oil sales, Iran will be able to spend more at home. Reuters anticipates that demand for steel and cement will skyrocket as the country undertakes much-needed construction and infrastructure works. This situation would be similar to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. How Saudi Arabia reacts to this, both politically and in terms of cement trade, will be of high interest in the region and around the world.

Instead of increasing cement exports, the effect of the lifting of sanctions may decrease them. This will surely be welcome news to local producers currently being undercut in East Africa, as well as exporters in Pakistan, India and elsewhere. Could Pakistan even find itself exporting to Iran? If a US-Iran nuclear deal is possible, anything can happen...

Saudi Arabia: The boards of directors at the Arabian Cement Company has approved the appointment of Abdullah Mohammed al-Eissa as board chairman, with a three-year term starting from 1 January 2015.

In early December 2014, the company elected a new board of directors. The other newly-elected board members are Ghassan al-Souleiman, Saud al-Souleiman, Adel al-Zaid, Ibrahim al-Rajhi, Ibrahim Aba al-Khail, Sami Baroum, Mu'taz al-Azawi and Alwaleed al-Dareean

Saudi Arabia: The management board of Tabuk Cement Company has appointed Ali al-Asmari as director general, effective as of 1 January 2015. Al-Asmari, who joined Tabuk Cement in 1996, has held various positions within the company's management, including head of quarries, factory director and deputy director general.

Saudi Arabia: Mohammed Aba al-Ala has resigned from Najran Cement effective of 31 December 2014. Without disclosing the reasons for the resignation, Najran Cement explained that Aba al-Ala will remain with the company as board chairman. Badr Jawhar has been appointed CEO as of 1 January 2015.

Demand for cement is so intense in Saudi Arabia that certain producers have reported production line shutdowns in dedicated stock market statements. Notably, industry newcomer Hail Cement reported a scheduled shutdown for late October/early November 2013, Al Jouf Cement reported unscheduled shutdowns in October and June 2013 and Najran Cement reported scheduled maintenance in July 2013. Even a short delay to cement production is a newsworthy event for both investors and analysts.

Saudi cement producers have risen to the infrastructure challenges of the country's Ninth Development Plan, increasing cement production by 6% year-on-year to 42.7Mt for the first nine months of 2013. In this febrile environment, the king ordered 10Mt of cement imports in April 2013 followed by government demands for producers to build up a two-month 'strategic' inventory reserve. Unsurprisingly, as we report this week, exports of cement from Saudi Arabia have fallen by 55% for the first nine months of 2013.

At the time of Global Cement's feature on Saudi Arabia in December 2012 only two of the country's cement producers had an inventory of joint clinker and cement stock meeting the government's stockpiling request. For the first nine months of 2013 the situation remains the same although the overall inventory has increased by 18% year-on-year to 10.3Mt. This compares to the end of 2012 where inventories fell year-on-year by 14% to 7Mt.

Unsurprisingly again, the Kingdom's major cement producers have seen balance sheets bulge so far in 2013. Yamama Cement reported a 12% year-on-year rise in net profit to US$145m for the first half of 2013 on the back of local demand. Saudi Cement Company reported a 5% year-on-year rise in its net profits to US$173m and Southern Province Cement saw a 4% year-on-year rise in its net profits to US$150m for the same period. Yanbu Cement saw its net profit rise by 29% year-on-year to US$176m for the first nine months of 2013.

With more large government infrastructure contracts pending, analysts expect the Saudi cement market to remain heated. Although as NCB Capital pointed out in September 2013, uncertainties over fuel supplies for coming cement plant expansions provide uncertainty to the situation. Nobody wants a repeat of the Yanbu - Aramco spat over fuel supplies that occurred in 2011. Irony would barely describe the situation if a Saudi Arabian cement boom was dented by a lack of fuel in one of the countries with the biggest oil reserves in the world.

Global Cement will be at stand T9 at the 18th Arab-International Cement Conference and Exhibition in Jordan from 11 – 13 November 2013

Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has appointed Eissa Baissa as director general, effective from 15 September 2013.

Prior to joining Al-Jouf, Baissa was general manager of one of the cement companies operating in Saudi Arabia, Al-Jouf said without disclosing the name of that company. Al-Saleh has a Bachelor Degree in mining engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and a Ph.D. in business administration from University of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Saudi Arabia: The management board of Najran Cement has approved the appointment of Mohammed bin Mani bin Sultan Aba al-Ala as board chairman and managing director, with a three-year term. The company also named Daifullah al-Ghamidi as deputy board chairman.

Saudi Arabia: Tabuk Cement Company has announced the resignation of its director general Isa bin Baissy. He will work at the cement producer until 9 September 2013. His successor, Ali bin Mhmiaa Asmari, has worked with the company since 1996 as head of quarries, then director of the cement plant and deputy general manager.

Chinese and Iranian companies have released information on two new projects in Iraq. Chinese cement equipment provider Sinoma has signed a contract with the Faruk Investment Group to build a cement clinker production line and the Islamic Republic News Agency has reported Iran's intention to build a 2Mt/yr plant.

Sinoma's project seems targeted at the domestic market. It is based at Sulaymaniyah, at one of Faruk Group's two plants that it runs with Lafarge near the northern Kurdish city. Lafarge also runs a third plant in Kerbala that announced the arrangement of a US$70m loan for renovations in January 2013. Lafarge holds a cement production capacity of 6.5Mt/yr, 20% of Iraq's total installed capacity of 32.5Mt/yr. Although, following years of neglect installed capacity and actual cement produced can vary significantly. Faruk Group's decision to choose Sinoma marks a move away from the German firm ThyssenKruppPolysius whom they have used previously. The new line will be Sinoma's seventh in Iraq through its Nanjing subsidiary.

Meanwhile, the Iranian project carries more international motives because the clinker for the plant will come exclusively from Iran. The build is based in the southern Muthanna province and is being overseen by the Iranian Azar-Abadegan Khoy cement plant. As reported in late January 2013, clinker stocks rose in Iran due to a decline in cement demand in the country. Iraq is one of the countries Iran has been able to export cement to during the 2012 – 2013 Persian year. In this context expanding into Iraq makes a lot of sense to combat potential Iranian overcapacity.

In addition all the products made at this plant will carry Iranian branding. Given that this plant is in southern Iraq relatively near to the Saudi border this will complicate any plans to sell stock across the border. As we report this week in Global Cement Weekly, Saudi cement producers have been asked to build reserves of cement to manage the shortage better.

Both projects reveal some of the issues facing Iraq's cement industry, specifically Iraq's redevelopment and the pressures it faces lying between massive demand for cement in Saudi Arabia and overcapacity in Iran. After years of low capacity utilisation rates, Iraq is predicted to hit a production capacity of 22Mt/yr by the end of 2014 with demand expected to reach 35Mt/yr.

For more information on the Iraqi cement industry read Global Cement Magazine's article.