Italy: Bedeschi has signed a contract to supply a clinker storage system to Cementeria Costantinopoli in Barile. The order includes a type STK P bridge stacker and a type BEL C bridge reclaimer. The storage system consists of: a belt conveyor (15m x 1m); a belt conveyor (60m x 1m); a STK P 25/1000 bridge stacker; and a BEL C 160/21 bridge reclaimer. The system will have a stacking capacity of 100t/hr and a reclaiming capacity of 130t/hr.

Oman: The board of directors of Oman Cement has agreed to move ahead with the construction of an integrated cement plant at Duqum. The unit will have a clinker production capacity of 5000t/day and an expected investment of US$212m. The project is being financed by the company and its shareholders. Previously the project was linked to Raysut Cement as a joint venture run under the Al Wusta Cement brand.

Argentina/US: US law firm Howard G Smith has filed a class action lawsuit against Argentina’s Loma Negra on behalf of investors that purchased securities in the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in late 2017. The legal complaint alleges that the cement producer misled investors by: misrepresenting Loma Negra's exposure to a corruption scandal affecting its owner, Brazil’s InterCement; misrepresenting demand for Loma Negra’s products; misrepresenting the general state of the Argentine economy; and including references to known potential risks that had already happened.

Loma Negra launched its IPO in November 2017. Since then cement sales in Argentina have fallen year-on-year in the second half of 2018 and the general economy has floundered. The local competition body, the National Commission for Protection of Competition, also started an investigation into alleged collusion and coordinated behaviour in the cement industry in May 2018

Dominican Republic: The Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) says that the local industry is on track for 4.1% year-on-year growth in cement consumption in 2018. This follows a decrease of 2% in 2017, according to the Acento newspaper. The association’s president Rayza Rodriguez forecast the growth was likely to continue in the short to medium term.

Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has launched a new masonry cement product ‘CAB 4.5.’ The new offering is intended for small scale applications. It will be sold in 40kg bags. However, local media has questioned whether the state-owned producer should be launching a new product during a cement shortage.

Fiji: The Department of Environment has issued a Stop Work Notice to Pacific Cement’s Lami plant due to complaints about dust emissions. The notice was issued following a visit by Sandeep Singh, the Director of Environment, to the unit, according to the Fiji Sun newspaper. The work orders are normally temporary to give industries time to implement mitigation measures.

Nouzab Fareed, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Pacific Cement’s parent company Fijian Holdings, acknowledged that the plant emitted dust ‘sometimes.’ However, he pointed out that the site imports over 0.1Mt/yr of clinker and that this comes from another plant.

Nigeria: Four workers of Dangote Cement have faced criminal charges at the Ogun State High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged US$40,000 fraud. Adewale Dalmeida, Ibrahim Lawal, Afeez Olaniba and Lukman Adam were arraigned before the court on two counts of conspiracy and stealing, according to the Punch newspaper. The defendants allegedly diverted nine cement trucks, which were meant to be delivered to Togo. The EFCC alleges that the individuals used fake identity cards and truck number plates to carry out the misdemeanour. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case will now go to trial.

Vietnam: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved an upgrade to the Long Son cement plant in Thanh Hoa province. The plant will have two new production lines with a total production capacity of 2.3Mt/yr, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The new lines will also include waste treatment systems. Line 3 is expected to begin operation in 2020 and line 4 in 2021. The Ministry of Construction has been assigned to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the provincial People’s Committee to supervise the project.

India: The board of directors of Sagar Cements has approved investments in new cement plants in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. It plans to invest US$21m in Satguru Cement towards building a new 1Mt/yr plant at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The project will also include a waste heat recovery unit. The total cost of the project is US$60m. Sagar Cements will hold a 65% equity share in Satguru Cement upon completion.

In Odisha the company has approved an investment of US$15m in Jajpur Cements in Jajpur. This project will build a new 1.5Mt/yr cement plant. The project has a total budget of US$43m. It is subject to approval by the Government of Odisha and other regulatory authorities as required.

Guinea: LafargeHolcim Guinée has ordered a modular grinding plant from China’s CBMI. The deal was signed in late November 2018 and was launched in early December 2018. The project will be based at Dubréka, north of Conakry. For CBMI it is the first modular grinding plant it has officially sold.