Cambodia: Siam Cement Group’s (SCG) sales in Cambodia grew by 15% year-on-year to US$396m in 2018 due to higher sales of cement. The Thai company operates six subsidiaries in the country, including Kampot Cement, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. Chiv Sivpheng, general manager of the Cambodia Constructors Association, said that demand for construction materials had been increasing annually as the population increases and urbanisation intensifies.

Kyrgyzstan: Shukhrat Sabirov, the head of the State Antimonopoly agency, has reported to parliament that South Kyrgyz Cement was fined for selling exported cement at a price lower than it sells cement locally. The official made the comment in response to questions from a member of parliament, according to Kyrgyzstan Newsline.

India: Anjani Portland Cement’s revenue grew by 16% year-on-year to US$44.5m in the nine months to 31 December 2018 from US$39.1m in the same period in 2017. However, its expenses rose by 20% to US$42.1m from US$35m due to fuel and logistic cost increases. Its profit before tax fell by 31% to US$2.54m from US$3.68m.

Germany/Russia: Intercem has been awarded new orders in Germany and Russia. In Russia it will supply a high-efficiency separator ICS 143, as well as the associated plant aggregates to a new cement plant. The high-efficiency separator, an in-house development manufactured in the company workshop, has a capacity of 115t/hr at 3000cm²/g acc. to Blaine and a total output of 258t/hr. The volume flow classifying air is 143.000m³/hr. The scope of supply also includes the engineering for the complete grinding plant as well as the supervision of the assembly and the commissioning of the components included in the delivery.

In Germany it will supply silos for Zementwek Lübeck’s grinding plant. The order includes a silo unit consisting of four steel silos with a capacity of 1200m³ each. In addition, the bulk loading and the complex cement conveying via air slides and bucket elevators leading over the complete area of the plant are part of the scope of supply. The scope of supply also includes the engineering and associated plant components, such as support structure, catwalks, filters, bucket elevators, return lines, electrical equipment, as well as building application and dispatch automation. Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2019.

The German engineering company has also won a contract to optimise a secondary fuel dosing system at a German cement plant.

Mexico: Cemex’s operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) rose by 1% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis to US$2.56bn in 2018 from US$2.57bn in 2017. It has attributed this decrease in real terms to lower earnings from its territories outside of Mexico and the US. Its net sales rose by 5% to US$14.4bn from US$13.6bn.

“We are pleased with our 6% top-line growth during 2018, supported by higher consolidated volumes and prices in our three core products. Operating EBITDA grew by 1% on a like-to-like basis in this period,” said Fernando A Gonzalez, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cemex. He added the company had reduced its total debt to nearly US$1bn in 2018.

By region, Cemex’s sales and earnings rose in Mexico and the US, fell in the rest of the Americas and were mixed in Europe. In the Asia, Middle East and Africa sales increased due to growth in the Philippines but earnings fell.

Canada: The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) says it no longer wants to sell its majority stake in McInnis Cement. CDPQ’s chief executive officer (CEO) said that the pension and insurance fund is ‘convinced’ of the potential the company, according to the Journal de Quebec newspaper. The company hired consultants in 2018 to look at a potential sale.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (Fancesa) plans to target markets in La Paz and Cochabamba. It will open agencies in the locations in early 2019, according to the Correo del Sur newspaper. The cement producer operates a plant at Sucre in the south of the country.

US: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it the policy of the federal government to buy goods locally, including cement, for infrastructure projects. The directive aims to strengthen the ‘Buy American and Hire American’ executive order issues in 2017 by giving a preference for raw materials manufactured in the US for use in government-backed projects.

China: Data from the National Development and Reform Commission reports that the profits of local cement companies more than doubled to US$64bn in 2018 compared to 2017. Cement output grew by 3% year-on-year to 2.18Bnt, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Cement sector growth has been attributed to rising cement prices. In December 2018 the average price of cement was 10.6% higher than at the same time in 2017.

Nepal: Udayapur Cement’s production is being reduced due to power cuts. The plant has a production capacity of 800t/day of clinker but at times it has been reduced to only just 100t/day, according to the Republica newspaper. The cement producer says that the cuts have cost it over US$0.4m.

The electricity outages have also damaged machinery such as gears in cement-packaging equipment and raised general costs through repeated start-ups. The unit suffered 62 power cuts from 15 January to 2 February 2019 lasting a total of 23 hours. As many as six stoppages in a single day have been reported.

The Nepal Electricity Authority supplies electricity to the plant. It has blamed the ‘incompetence’ of officials at a substation.