Displaying items by tag: coronavirus

Trinidad & Tobago/Barbados: Trinidad Cement has halted most of its operations in Trinidad & Tobago and temporally halted operations at its Arawak Cement subsidiary in Barbados following government advice in each country with regards to coronavirus. It said that it had stopped ‘almost all operations’ at its Trinidad Cement integrated plant except for activities related to maintaining the kiln and the continuation of some port operations. Both lockdowns are expected to last initially until mid-April 2020. The subsidiary of Mexico’s Cemex said that it expected the global response to coronavirus would negatively affect economic growth in the Caribbean. To counter this it has delayed certain capital expenditure planned for 2020 and it is maintaining inventory at its facitlies to serve customer demand.

Dominican Republic: Cemex has used its concrete mixer trucks to aid a disinfection day in San Pedro de Macorís, where the company operates an integrated cement plant. The local subsidiary of the Mexican company supported a cleanup drive coordinated by the Dr Antonio Musa Regional Hospital to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Cemex trucks transported soap and water and company volunteers helped local officials. Further initiatives are planned in the city.

Austria: RHI Magnesita’s revenue from its cement and lime sector rose by 6.4% year-on-year to Euro344m in 2019 from Euro324m in 2018. It attributed the growth to selective price increases, product portfolio choices and market share gains specifically in China, the Middle East and Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It said that demand for its products in Europe had been ‘slightly’ weaker in 2019 due to customer inventory build-up in 2018 as a result of tightening magnesite and dolomite raw material availability. It forecast a stable market in 2020 however it said that coronavirus was likely to affect this.

Overall, the company reported a 6.5% fall in revenue to Euro2.9bn in 2019 due to decreased revenue in its steel division. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell at a similar rate. However, coronavirus aside, chief executive officer Stefan Borgas expected the company’s Production Optimisation Plan to continue strengthening the business.

Mexico: The National Cement Chamber (CANACEM) has suspended the activity of all member producers with cement plants in the country following the government’s national industrial shutdown in response to coronavirus. The suspension will last until 30 April 2020, during which time employees will draw their full salaries. CANACEM President Jaime Rocha Font said, "It is necessary to carry out technical, operational and administrative actions in each of the plants whose activity will be suspended in order to be able to completely stop operations in a safe and technically orderly manner.” Companies have until 10 April 2020 to complete the shutdown.

Cement dispatches to public and private works, as well as to the country’s 62,000 cement retailers, will proceed until 3 April 2020.

Spain: Coronavirus has forced the suspension of operations at all Cementos Molins facilities, in accordance with a royal decree. Europa Press has reported that the company began the progressive shutdown of the 1.6Mt/yr integrated line at its Sant Vincenç dels Horts cement plant in Barcelona, Catalonia, on 31 March 2020, and switched off the plant on 2 April 2020.

Cementos Molins said that it has already suspended production in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia and Tunisia. It says it has ‘implemented the teleworking model in the areas of the company where its application is possible.’

Ireland: UK-based Breedon Group has announced the suspension of operations at its 0.7Mt/yr integrated Kinnegad plant in County Westmeath and all other sites in Ireland. Breedon Group guaranteed 100% to pay to all Irish and UK staff to 30 April 2020.

Two non-executive directors of Breedon Group, Susie Farnon and Peter Cornell, have taken retirement.

Oman: Construction companies have reported delays to several projects resulting from a cement shortage that begun on 21 March 2020. Al-Watan newspaper has reported that most of the affected works are residential. The reason for the shortage is the suspension of cement imports from UAE from mid-March 2020.

US: Germany-based Lehigh Hanson has announced a suspension of work on its 2.0Mt/yr expansion of the 0.8Mt/yr Mitchell plant in Indiana to 2.8Mt/yr to early 2021 at the latest due to ‘uncertainties resulting from’ the coronavirus. The target date for commissioning has also moved, to late 2023 from September 2022. Lehigh Cement Mitchell plant manager Jerry Miller said, “A construction project of this magnitude has numerous components, such as supply chain certainty, material deliveries and, importantly, worker availability.”

The upgrade received environmental clearance in July 2019 and the company broke ground at the site in October 2019.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos earned revenues of US$2.47bn in 2019, up by 3.0% year-on-year from US$2.39bn in 2018. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation rose by 1.1% to US$513m from US$507m in 2018. Throughout the year, the company says that it paid off approximately US$570m of debt and contracted with a syndicate of banks for a new committed credit facility (CCF) for its alternative fuel substitution and CCF reduction initiatives of US$55.1m, due in August 2024.

On 30 March 2020 Votorantim Cimentos donated US$5.5m to fighting the effects of the coronavirus in Brazil.

UK: Breedon Group has suspended production at all UK sites except operations that ‘serve critical supply needs,’ such as those of the Hope, Derbyshire, cement plant. The group’s Ireland operations also continue, ‘pending further guidance from the Irish government.’

Breedon Group says that it has taken the temporary measures ‘to ensure the safety and wellbeing of colleagues, subcontractors, customers and communities.’