Colombia: Grupo Argos subsidiary Cementos Argos increased its consolidated net sales by 6% year-on-year to US$618m in the first quarter of 2021 from US$582m in the first quarter of 2020. Cement sales over the period rose by 19% to 4.1Mt from 3.5Mt. The company’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 30% to US$119m from US$91.5m. Its net profit was US$14.7m, compared to US$1.07m in the first quarter of 2021.

The company recorded increased cement volumes in all regions during the quarter. The sharpest regional increase was of 21%, to 1.4Mt from 1.2Mt in the Caribbean and Central America Region. In Colombia, volumes increased by 19% to 1.2Mt from 1.0Mt and net sales increased by 15% to US$161m from US$139m.

Chief executive officer Juan Esteban Calle said, “We are mindful of the social and economic challenges that Colombia is facing after more than 4m people fell below the poverty line as a consequence of the economic impact of the pandemic. We consider ourselves part of the solution and will continue working to build a better country with our optimism intact.”

The company also updated its climate change strategy in line with its target of carbon neutral concrete by 2050.

Indonesia: SCG Packaging, part of Thailand-based Siam City Group, has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire a 75% stake in Intan Group, a corrugated container producer. The purchase is intended to strengthen SCG Packaging’s downstream paper-based packaging business in the country. It awaits approval from the relevant authorities and the transaction is expected to close in mid-2021.

New Zealand: The New Zealand Ministry of Finance plans to launch a commission to investigate high building materials prices. The New Zealand Herald newspaper has reported that finance minister Grant Robertson said that New Zealanders pay too much for building materials. Robertson indicated that any probe would look into cement, among other building materials. The Productivity Commission previously estimated that average national building materials prices are 20 – 30% higher in New Zealand than in Australia.

India: Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech Cement’s net sales rose by 6% year-on-year to US$6.04bn in its 2021 financial year from US$5.70bn in the same period in 2020. Its cement sales volumes increased by 5% to 80.2Mt. The company’s profit before interest, depreciation and tax grew by 24% to US$1.68bn from US$1.35bn. It attributed the result to ‘prudent’ working capital management and control on cash flows aided by its overheads control programme.

The producer forecast an increase in cement consumption from pent-up urban construction demand in the 2022 financial year.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) says that the country’s installed cement production capacity will reach 99Mt/yr within the next few years, with most of the planned work to be completed by mid-2023. The Dawn newspaper has reported that producers are launching new cement plant projects and expanding existing plants with a total new capacity of 18Mt/yr. Upon completion, the current projects will increase domestic cement production capacity by 43% to 99Mt/yr from 69Mt/yr. 94Mt/yr of the new capacity is situated in Northern Pakistan and 5.0Mt/yr in Southern Pakistan.

APCMA says that the reason behind the new expansion cycle is estimated annual sales growth of 10 – 15% from 2021.

Lithuania: Germany-based Schwenk Zement has sought to increase its stake in 50% subsidiary Akmenes Cement to 97%. The company is also seeking the acquisition of a 75% stake in limestone supplier Kalcitas. The producer took over Mexico-based Cemex’s stake in Akmenes Cement in 2019.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s first-quarter consolidated net sales fell by 1% year-on-year to Euro683m in the first quarter of 2021 from Euro689m in the first quarter of 2020. Cement sales volumes were 6.2Mt, up by 3% from 6.0Mt. Adverse weather caused slight sales declines in Europe and North America. The company called full-year growth prospects for 2021 ‘encouraging.’

Germany: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has launched GooVi, a digitised vibrating screen with an ‘intelligent’ control system. The supplier says that the screen offers increased efficiency, reduced weight and height. It combines the control system with a new patented drive technology. The product’s name plays on the title of the Beach Boys’ 1967 hit song Good Vibrations.

Head of product line screens and feeders Achim Schönfelder said, “With the GooVi, all vibration modes (circular, linear and elliptical) can be realised in one machine, allowing flexible adaptation to changing job requirements and material properties. In addition, the low height of the GooVi facilitates simple installation in existing plants.”

Poland: The Polish Cement Association (SPC) has forecast a 2% year-on-year drop in cement sales to 18.5Mt in 2021. President Krzysztof Kieres attributed the fall to growing imports and reduced construction due to a cold start to the year. He predicts that sales will rise again, by 4% to 19.3Mt, in 2022.

The SPC has warned that the industry faces large costs in meeting the European Green Deal’s required 40% CO₂ emissions reduction by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In particular, the local industry noted that the rising European Union (EU) CO₂ price has caused a direct increase in electricity prices. It has called on the government and the EU to compensate it for this rise.

Imports of cement also present a key challenge. In 2020, imports of Belarusian cement increased by 80% to 440,000t and imports of Ukrainian cement increased by 50% to 32,000t. The association expressed strong support for the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as a means of protecting the industry against imports both from neighbouring countries outside the EU and via polluting shipping from cement exporters further afield such as Turkey.

North Korea: The North Korea government says that it will supply 10,000t/yr of cement to every city and county in the country. The new target will help to fulfil the aims of the January 2021 Five Year Plan, under which the state aims to build 10,000 apartments/year in Pyongyang and 5000 apartments/year in Komdok. The 38 North project has reported that in order to realise this vision, it plans to establish 8.0Mt/yr of new capacity via upgrades and new projects by January 2026.

In March 2021 a North Korean delegation visited a Chinese cement plant to learn about modern cement production.