Displaying items by tag: Venezolana de Cementos

Venezuela: The Venezolana de Cementos (Vencemos) Guayana grinding plant in Bolivar state needs US$47m to repair its transport fleet. Union head Johnny Linares said that only four vehicles out of 65 are working correctly in comments made to the Ultimas Noticias newspaper. The fleet is used to move clinker from the cement producer’s Pertigalete cement plant to the grinding plant. Production capacity at the plant fell to 28% at 97,000t in 2016 from 346,000t in 2012. Linares added that the national cement industry only received an investment of US$7m in 2016 but that he believes it requires US$25m/yr.

Venezuela: The filter system at the Venezolana de Cementos (Vencemos) plant in Pertigalete is to be upgraded. The plant has reportedly had a capacity utilisation rate of 20% due to its filters, according to the Nueva Prensa newspaper. The state-owned company lacks the funding to import new equipment so the work will be conducted locally with a budget of US$25m. The upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of February 2017.

Following inspections at the plant, managers denied that the plant was operating at 20% of its capacity, despite the comments of workers at the plant. However, they did agree that its was operating below full capacity due to faulty equipment at the Planta I unit. Workers protested in mid-January 2017 over high levels of emissions at the plant

The Pertigalete plant reportedly produced 45% of all cement in the country in 2016 and it has a target of 66% in 2017.

Venezuela: Representatives from the Sintuecav union have urged the government to invest in the cement industry. The union said that if no money is provided then Venezolana de Cementos might not be able to continue operations past June 2016, according to El Informador. Sintuecav added that cement production has more than halved since the country nationalised its cement industry in 2008. Before nationalisation Venezolana de Cementos exported clinker from its Pertigalete cement plant. From January to September 2014 it imported 120,000t of clinker from Peru and Spain.

Venezuela: The Venezuelan government is considering centralising the running of all the state-run cement firms in the country under a single entity, Corporacion Socialista del Cemento. In 2009, the state took over the three main cement companies, and while the aforementioned firm owns Industria Venezolana de Cemento, Fabrica Nacional de Cementos, Cemento Andino and Venezolana de Cementos, each company currently operates autonomously.

Venezuela: Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has authorised the transfer of US$10m to build a new quarry to help stimulate cement production in the country. The executive also greenlighted a measure to change local cement firm Cemex Venezuela's name to Venezolana de Cementos, as well as measures to develop and strengthen the firm.

The Venezuelan government nationalised Cemex Venezuela, formerly operated by Mexican cement maker Cemex in August 2008. The Mexican firm received US$600m in compensation in 2011.

Chávez also said that future investments for the cement sector would aim to develop relevant technology, perform environmental impact studies and improve benefits for cement workers.