Displaying items by tag: Strategy
Mexico: Elementia’s first quarter sales were US$49.0m, down by 5.0% year-on year from US$52.0m in 2019. Group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$20.4m, down by 7.0% from US$22.0m in the first quarter 2019. Cement volumes fell by 11% year-on-year to 1.08Mt from 1.22Mt.
The company suspended all operations in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador from 20 March 2020 and in Colombia and El Salvador from 30 March 2020. It says that it has moved its 2020 strategic focus to ‘inventory reduction and sustained US cement growth.’
Cemex reports on sustainability steps taken in 2019
27 March 2020Mexico: Cemex has shared its 2019 sustainability achievements in an integrated report entitled ‘Innovating for a Better World,’ which analyses the company’s strategic vision, operational performance and corporate governance against its commitment to drive innovation in the cement sector. Throughout the year, the company introduced its new Climate Action strategy to reduce CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030 and established an ambition to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete by 2050. It achieved an alternative fuel substitution rate of 28%, its highest since 2014, bringing its net specific CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious product to 624kg.
Cemex’s net income was US$179m in 2019, down by 69% year-on-year from US$570m in 2018. Its sales declined by 8%, to US$4.3bn from US$4.7bn
Russian consumption rises by 9.6% year-on-year in January 2020
11 February 2020Russia: Russian producers sold 2.4Mt of cement in January 2020, up by 9.6% from 2.2Mt in January 2019. This is in line with Unioncement’s optimistic forecast of 6% year-on-year demand growth. The coming construction season promises sustained growth due to the planned renovation of housing stock, the implementation of integrated development projects and an increased share of roads built using cement concrete, in line with the country’s 2020 Housing and Urban Environment programme and President Putin’s social initiatives.
Taiheiyo Cement agrees with Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations
24 June 2019Japan: Taiheiyo Cement says it agrees with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). It is promoting research and development business strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The cement producer is also intending to publish a long-term plan to reduce its CO2 emissions by 2050.
JSW Cement targeting northern India after initial public offering
14 December 2018India: JSW Cement is planning to target the north and north-east of the country after a proposed initial public offering (IPO) in 2020. The company is looking for acquisitions in the region to meet its production capacity target of 20Mt/yr by 2020, according to a company executive quoted by the Economic Times newspaper. The cement producer has purchased two limestone mines via auction at Nagaur in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat. It is also considering building new cement plants near the mines. The company has a production capacity is 12.8Mt/yr at present.
Chile: Cementos Bío Bío is considering expansion plans in Argentina and Peru, according to the El Mercurio newspaper. The plans are part of its 2021 strategy. It also wants to consolidate its leadership in its local market.
Germany: Beumer Group has launched two start-up companies as part of its business strategy for 2018: ‘The best, not the biggest’. The new subsidiaries are intended to develop minimum viable products (MVP) or prototypes that feature minimum equipment and generate sustainable added value. Both companies are intended to use ‘advanced and disruptive’ business ideas to influence and improve existing business models.
BG.evolution is located in Dortmund near the Digital.Hub Logistics innovation centre. Researchers at this company are working on designing the logistics for digital business models in conjunction with the Technical University of Dortmund and other external specialists. BG.challenge in Berlin is intended to develop new business models that may disrupt existing business models from outside. BG.challenge also offers start-up support for young entrepreneurs.
PPC to focus on consolidation in South Africa and expansion abroad
15 December 2017South Africa: Peter Nelson, the chairman of PPC, says that the company is not interested in merger or acquisition activity. Instead the cement producer will focus on its current business strategy by development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, executing its ‘mega plant’ plan in South Africa and making further efficiency drives in its subdued domestic market. In an interview with Reuters he described talks with LafargeHolcim about a potential takeover as ones that, “…fell short on value”. "PPC is not looking to sell its assets, it's not looking to merge it's assets, it's looking to focus on its business, deliver cash flow and deliver shareholder value," said Nelson.
Chile: Cemento Polpaico has changed its commercial strategy following a poor year for the construction industry in 2016. The cement producer has moved from a geographical approach to one based on the profile and sector of its customers, according to the Diario Financiero newspaper. It has also reorganised its business into three segments: retail, construction and special projects.
LafargeHolcim agreed to sell its controlling stake in Cemento Polpaico to Inversiones Caburga in late 2016. However, the transaction is still awaiting approval by the Fiscalía Nacional Económica.
Vietnamese ministries ordered to revise cement industry strategy
30 September 2016Vietnam: 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.