Germany: HeidelbergCement has warned that its result from current operations before depreciation will be lower than expected so far in 2018 due to poor weather in the US and rising energy costs. It maintained that its sales volumes and revenue for the first nine months of 2018 would be ‘within expectations.’ The building materials company also reassured investors that its group share of profit for 2018 would also be as expected. It will release its results for the third quarter of 2018 on 8 November 2018.

India: ACC’s net sales rose by 13% year-on-year to US$1.45bn for the first nine months of 2018 from US$1.3bn in the same period in 2017. Its sales volumes of cement grew by 8% to 20.9Mt from 19.3Mt. Its operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6% to US$212m from US$200m and net profit after tax rose by 10% to US$107m from US$98m. The cement producer attributed its performance to growing cement sales that were able to offset rising input costs including coal, petcoke, diesel and slag.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement has approved a waste heat recovery project with its associated company, Thatta Power, at its annual general meeting. The two subsidiaries of the State Cement Corporation of Pakistan have ratified a waste heat utilisation agreement. The cement producer operates a 0.6Mt/yr plant at Thatta near Karachi.

Philippines: Cemex Philippines says that its subsidiary Solid Cement has chosen China’s CBMI as the main contractor for an upgrade project at its plant in Antipolo, Rizal, according to ABS-CBN News. The new US$225m production line will increase cement production by 1.5Mt/yr to 3.4Mt/yr.

Uzbekistan: Eurocement has started building an upgrade to its Akhangarancement plant at Akhangaransky. Botir Zaripov, chairman of the board of Uzstroymaterialy, and Mikhail Skorokhod, the president of Eurocement, attended a ceremony laying the foundation stone. The project has a cost of over US$160m and it will increase the production capacity of the plant to 3Mt/yr. The first batch of products from the new production line is expected in mid-2020. China’s CNBM is the main contractor on the project.

Russia: Sibirsky Cement’s production from its three plants has remained stable year-on-year at 2.5Mt for the first nine months of 2018. Its Topkinsky plant manufactured around 1.7Mt, Krasnoyarsky Cement’s production rose by 8% to 0.54Mt and Timlyuysk Cement’s output fell by 8% to 0.27Mt, according to the Siberian News Agency. The decline at Timlyuysk Cement has been blamed on market saturation in the Buryat Republic in Siberia.

Palestine: Saudi Arabia’s Al Jouf Cement has signed a deal with Sanad Trading and Marketing to export 50,000t/yr of cement and clinker. The financial impact from the agreement is expected to be noticed from the middle of the fourth quarter of 2018 onwards. The deal follows a memorandum of understanding that was signed between the companies in August 2018.

Nigeria: Sales in Nigeria have boosted Lafarge Africa’s sales revenue so far in 2018. It added that increasing prices in South Africa had also helped. The cement producer’s sales rose by 5% year-on-year to US$643m in the first nine months of 2018 from US$614m in the same period in 2017. However, its operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 8% to US$115m from US$124m due to poor performance in South Africa in the first half of the year.

“We continued to deliver strong margins in our Nigerian business as a result of our successful commercial strategies with improved product visibility and the fast tracking of the new route to market. Our energy efficiency plan translated in increased use of alternative fuel and coal,” said Michel Puchercos, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Lafarge Africa.

South Africa: PPC has started a cost cutting campaign at its head office following poor cement sales so far in 2018. A source quoted by Business Report told the newspaper that staff redundancies had taken place already. The fall in sales has been blamed on poor local economic growth, the impact of a value added tax (VAT) increase on consumer spending and problems in the construction industry, including a fall in large infrastructure projects and private non-residential building.

Colombia: Cementos Argos has lost a trademark dispute over its Luz Verde brand. The Superintendent of Industry and Commerce (SIC) has authorised wholesale travel agent Luz Verde Representaciones to register its Luz Verde brand despite the objections of the cement producer, according to La República newspaper. SIC considered the opposition of Cementos Argos invalid as the companies operate in different business sectors. The company had previously lost another legal conflict with Energy Evolution Colombia for the registration of a motto including the element Luz Verde.