Displaying items by tag: Vietnam

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has raised the import duty per 40kg bag of cement to US$0.20 from US$0.19. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the department issued the administrative order following a petition from the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP). The petition suggested a US$0.25/bag levy as an effective means to maintain domestic cement production. The association has blamed growing imports on a surplus in countries such as Vietnam.

The DTI previously imposed tariffs on imported cement for three year from October 2019 with a staggered reduction in the duty. However, the DTI said it would review the safeguard measure in order to modify the rate as it deemed necessary.

Vietnam: The General Statistics Office (GSO) has estimated total domestic cement production in the first eleven months of 2020 of 90.0Mt, up by 3.4% year-on-year from 87.0Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported that November 2020 production reached 9.1Mt, up by 4.6% year-on-year from 8.7Mt in November 2019.

In 2019 Vietnam’s full-year cement production rose by 7.9% to 96.5Mt.

Vietnam: The General Department of Vietnam Customs has reported total cement and clinker exports in the first ten months of 2020 of 31.6Mt, up by 19% year-on-year from 26.5Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported that the value of exports rose by 7% to US$1.78bn. China bought 18Mt, worth US$611m, corresponding to 57% by volume and 34% by value of Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports.

In October 2020 Vietnam exported 3.58Mt of cement, down by 18% month-on-month from 4.37Mt in September 2020, at a total value of US$142m, down by 12% from US$160m.

Vietnam: The government of Quang Ninh Province has ordered the closure of two cement plants in Ha Long, the 2.0Mt/yr Ha Long cement plant and 2.3Mt/yr Thang Long cement plant, to close in 2030. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported that the closures aim to protect the local environment and nature as part of the city’s move towards becoming a tourism and service hub centred on Cua Luc Bay. In 2014 the provincial government advised the cement plants to stop expanding and relocate before 2030.

Vietnam: Long Son Cement says that it has nearly completed the installation of a new kiln line at its Long Son cement plant. When commissioned in December 2020, the latest expansion will increase the plant’s capacity by 2.5Mt/yr to 7.0Mt/yr. The Việt Nam News newspaper has reported the cost of the upgrade as US$172m.

The new line is Vietnam’s 86th and brings the country’s integrated capacity to 106Mt/yr, against a domestic demand of 70Mt/yr.

Vietnam: Tan Thang Cement has commissioned a control system package supplied by Switzerland-based ABB for a new cement plant in Nghe An province. The order included an ABB Ability System 800xA DCS (Distributed Control System), which integrates control, electrical and communication systems, ABB Ability Knowledge Manager and ABB Ability Expert Optimizer products which are integrated with the DCS, and basic communication and electrical system infrastructure and equipment.

"This was a challenging project many years in development and we delivered the control system package within our customer's timeframe. We used remote support and provided all necessary training to ensure that the plant team could complete the commissioning accurately and safely," said Nguyen Hoang Giang, Division Manager for Process Industries, ABB Vietnam.

On the electrical side, ABB provided a 110kV air insulated substation, with a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system based on ABB Ability System 800xA for Power Control, as well as telecommunications, and high voltage primary and secondary equipment to support the electrical infrastructure. ABB also delivered power transformers, distribution transformers, a motor control centre, auxiliary control centre, emergency diesel generator, DC power supply, various field devices, and related commissioning services.

Vietnam: Siam Cement Group (SCG) subsidiary SCG Packaging has launched Doozypack, a Kraft paper cement bag made using recycled paper. The company “applied the circular economy principle to the product’s development, enabling consumers to live sustainably,” according to general director Ekarach Sinnarong. Viet Nam News has reported that SCG Packaging partner Vina Kraft Paper is able to recycle Doozypack bags, along with all other SCG paper cement bags, thereby “extending the circular economic principle into the next cycle of use.”

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM) says that total cement and clinker exports in the first eight months of 2020 were 23.9Mt, up by 16% year-on-year from 20.7Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The total value of exports rose by 1.2% to US$882m from US$872m, corresponding to a price drop of 12% to US$36.9/t from US$42.1/t.

Saigon Online News has reported that the main source of demand growth is China’s burgeoning post-coronavirus lockdown construction market, where a 35% year-on-year increase in cement consumption in July 2020 has enabled Vietnamese producers and traders to undercut the cement prices of the newly streamlined domestic industry. China received 12.6Mt (53%) of Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports, followed by the Philippines with 4.5Mt (19%) and Bangladesh with 1.7Mt (7.1%).

Vietnam: China-based Sinoma International Engineering has announced its receipt of a provisional acceptance certificate (PAC) from the owner of the 1.8Mt/yr Tonglin cement plant, signifying the handover of the finished plant. The parties originally signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the plant in August 2009.

Vietnam: Cement producers increased the total domestic output of cement by 3.9% year-on-year to 64.2Mt in the first eight months of 2020 from 61.8Mt over the corresponding period of 2019. Continuing at this rate, Vietnam will produce 96.3Mt of cement in 2020, down by 0.2% from 96.5Mt in 2019.