Displaying items by tag: White cement

Italy: Cementir Holding’s sales rose by 22% year-on-year to Euro811m in the first half of 2022 from Euro665m in the first half of 2021. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 7.7% to Euro144m from Euro134m. Its net profit grew by 39% to Euro66.6m from Euro47.9m. During the half year the group sold 5.41Mt of cement and clinker, down by 0.8% from 5.46Mt. The group attributed this to local sales declines in China, Denmark and Turkey.

Chair and chief executive officer Francesco Caltagirone said, “The first-half 2022 results are aligned with our forecasts. Despite the severe geopolitical tensions and the significant increase in raw materials, energy and logistic costs, the group is showing great resilience thanks to an increased geographical and product diversification and a focused cost management.”

UAE: UltraTech Cement subsidiary UltraTech Cement Middle East Investments has newly acquired 29% of the equity share capital of RAK White Cement. The acquisition brings its total stake in the producer to 30%.

Benelux/France: Cementir Holding has introduced its Futurecem limestone calcined clay cement into the Benelux and French cement markets. Futurecem cement applies Cementir Holding’s patented processes to substitute over 35% of clinker in cement with limestone and calcined clay, preserving the cement’s strength and quality while reducing its carbon footprint by 30% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

Cementir Holding previously rolled out Futurecem cement in Denmark in 2021. In 2022, it plans to launch InBind high performance concrete (HPC) and ReCover ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) to expand its range of HPC and UHPCs using Futurecem technology.

Eddy Fostier, managing director of Cementir Holding’s Belgian subsidiary CCB, said “Thanks to the joint efforts of the group and CCB teams, Futurecem technology is the main pillar for CCB’s low carbon transition within the Group roadmap. This product technology is matching customer needs, highlighted through a specific survey carried out across the most relevant market areas and applications.” Fostier concluded “I’m fully convinced that Futurecem will play a relevant role in the decarbonisation of the construction industry, where cement and concrete are essential building materials both in the present and in the future.”

Turkey: Çimsa Çimento revenue grew by 80% year-on-year to Euro240m in 2021 from Euro133m in 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 46% to Euro41.4m from Euro28.5m. The subsidiary of Sabancı Holding says that 54% of its sales in 2021 came from foreign sales. However, it noted that its production energy costs increased by 94%. It also reported that its alternative fuels substitution rate hit 15%.

“In July 2021 we took over the Buñol Factory in Valencia, Spain with Cimsa Sabancı Cement. With the addition of the Buñol Factory to our production and distribution network, we have strengthened our export network and expanded our sphere of influence in Europe, North Africa and South America,” said chief executive officer Umut Zenar. With the acquisition of the white cement plant in Spain, Çimsa Çimento says it has become one of the largest white cement producers in the world.

Algeria: Lafarge Algeria says it exported 2.6Mt of cement in 2021, more than double the 1.18Mt it exported in 2020. It aims to export over 3Mt in 2022. The subsidiary of Holcim also announced that it will carry out two new large simultaneous shipments from the port of Oran, one of 35,000t of cement in bulk, and the other of 30,000t of white cement in big bags. Both shipments will be exported to the Americas.

France: Cemex France has supplied 900m³ of its white architectural concrete to the site of Vitesco Technologies’ upcoming Toulouse campus in Occitanie Region. The producer also supplied pumping services and managed the project through its Cemex Go digital platform. It said that the campus aims to achieve High Environmental Quality (HQE) certification for its environmental and energy performance, while ensuring acoustic, hygrothermal and visual comfort for occupants.

India: UltraTech Cement plans to invest US$129m in capacity expansion projects in order to increase the production capacity of its Birla White brand white cement by 93% to 12.5Mt/yr from 6.5Mt/yr. The Aditya Birla subsidiary says that it will commission the new capacity in a phased manner. The investment aims to strengthen Birla White cement’s presence in the growing white cement market and to reduce its dependence on high-cost imports.

India: The government of Kerala plans to increase its cement production in order to help lower the price of cement in the state. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the state owns 10% of its cement industry. It plans for state-owned Travancore Cements to increase grey cement, white cement and wall putty production at its Nattakom grinding plant in Moolavattom. Its other cement company, Malabar Cement, previously increased its cement production.

The state government also convened a meeting of private sector cement producers in order to discuss the possibility of a reduction in the price of cement.

Ivory Coast: LafargeHolcim Côte d'Ivoire has announced plans for the launch of white cement production at its Abidjan grinding plant in 2022. APA News has reported that the plant's clinker costs increased by 80% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2021. This, along with a drop in grey cement prices, inspired the strategic change.

Chief executive officer and managing director Rachid Yousry said "Our ambition is clear; it is to be the benchmark cement supplier in the Ivory Coast through our services." The 2.5Mt/yr-capacity producer held a 20% market share in the country in 2020.

Russia: Cemix, a subsidiary of the Austrian firm Lasselsberger, has launched its new 0.24Mt white cement plant at Bashkiria, near Magnitogorsk in Chelyabinsk Oblast. President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony. The building materials producer plans to distribute its products nationally from terminals at Lukhovitsy in Moscow Oblast and Afipsky in Krasnodar Krai. The company is a subsidiary of Austria-based Lasselsberger.