Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW568 / 03 August 2022

Headlines


A disturbing story has emerged this week concerning attempts by an unknown party to seize control of Holcim Russia. The situation marks a dangerous new phase for multinational companies operating in Russia. This includes a number of building materials producers and their suppliers.

The public side of events started on 26 July 2022 when Holcim Russia announced on its website that a legal case concerning an unpaid loan against it had been initiated at a court in Chechnya and that someone was also trying to change ownership documents with the Federal Tax Service. This was then followed by an interview by Forbes Russia with the new alleged owner of the construction materials company explaining how he had made the so-called acquisition. Holcim Russia immediately hit back hard with multiple and well researched reasons why this couldn’t be so. These included the supposed private investor’s apparent lack of a business past, a long criminal history, psychiatric records, social media accounts of an individual of seemingly modest means and so on. Kommersant FM has since reported that the court in Chechnya took the side of the asset raider but that both the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are now investigating the case.

Taking loans from a mystery businessman with no apparent past does not look credible for a multinational like Holcim and its subsidiaries. This particular method was also flagged up by one of the legal sources quoted by Kommersant FM as a recognisable corporate scam in Russia dating back to the 2000s. What is more certain is that Holcim reported that it had a 100% interest in Holcim Russia in its annual report for 2021. It then said it was going to leave the Russian market in late March 2022 following the start of the war in Ukraine a month earlier. By May 2022 it said that it had attracted the interest of 30 possible buyers. Only this week Holcim’s chief executive officer Jan Jenisch confirmed in the company’s second quarter conference call that divestment discussions were 'active' and ongoing with a 'solution' expected in the coming months. The timing of Holcim Russia’s sudden difficulties is therefore noteworthy given that a potential buyer has not yet been publicly announced.

Whoever has tried their luck at taking over Holcim Russia has done so at a time when anti-Western sentiment is high in Russia. For example, the government attempted to pass a new law seizing the assets of Western companies trying to leave the country in July 2022. Any intervention by the authorities is likely to take some of this into account and they may be wary of helping an organisation with perceived European links. Naturally, the nationalist card was played up in the interview with Forbes Russia. For its part, Holcim Russia has commented that the ongoing 'illegal action' might lead to production delays for building materials supporting key housing and infrastructure projects. Whatever is going on it must be a tense time for Holcim Russia and its 1500 employees. We’ll leave the last word to Holcim Russia’s general manager Maxim Goncharov who has described the situation as the “theatre of the absurd.” He is not wrong.


Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has appointed Abdullah bin Odeh Al-Ghabeen Al-Enezi as its chair. It follows the resignation of Mohammed Saeed Attia in mid-July 2022.


India: Star Cement recorded sales revenues of US$82.3m in the first quarter of its 2023 financial year, up by 29% year-on-year from US$63.9m in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. The producer's net profit dropped by 24% year-on-year to US$5.23m from US$6.86m. This was primarily due to a 34% rise in operating expenses toUS$72.5 from US$54.6m.


India: Shree Digvijay increased its sales by 3.9% year-on-year to US$20.4m in the first half of the 2023 Indian financial year, from US$19.6m in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. Despite this, higher costs resulted in a 21% fall in the producer's net profit to US$2.17m from US$2.75m.


New Zealand: Golden Bay Cement says that proposed changes to New Zealand's emissions trading scheme (ETS) would force it to review the viability of cement production at its 0.9Mt/yr Portland cement plant in Whangārei, Northland. The Northern Advocate newspaper has reported that the government proposes to reduce the number of ETS credits available to industrial enterprises under free allocation from 2024.Since the scheme's introduction in 2008, highly emissions-intensive businesses such as Golden Bay Cement have enjoyed 90% free allocation of ETS credits for their emissions.


Indonesia: A Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) academic has estimated a 33% rise in Indonesian cement consumption to 84Mt/yr from the start of construction of the country's planned new capital city, Nusantara, and for the following 20 years during which the city is under construction. National coal consumption is forecast to rise accordingly, by 9% to 126.5Mt/yr. Mongabay News has reported that the Indonesian government has more than tripled the coal domestic market obligation for cement production to 15Mt/yr in 2022 - 2025, from 4.5Mt in 2021.

The site of Nusantara sits on the present border between North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara districts. Construction of the city's upcoming government district is beginning in August 2022. 100,000 workers will be engaged in the first phase of construction. A researcher at Beihang University, China, has reportedly estimated that the eventual 10m people-strong city will consume 60Mt of cement for residential construction alone.


Colombia: Cementos Argos has shared plans for an 80% increase to its planned aggregates production capacity in Colombia to 4.5Mt/yr by 2024. In 2022, the company predicts that its aggregates business will contribute full-year earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$2.8bn.

Colombia's annual aggregates consumption is 130 - 140Mt/yr.


Turkey: Çimsa Çimento has completed the divestment of its 1Mt/yr Kayseri and 1.2Mt/yr Niğde integrated cement plants and its Ankara grinding plant to Fernas Group. The transaction was valued at Euro110m. The sale was originally announced in mid-June 2022.


Turkmenistan: Turkmencement’s integrated Lebap plant has increased its production of cement to 0.47Mt in the first half of 2022. This is an improvement over the 0.45Mt level reported in the same period in 2021, according to Jeyhun News. The plant was originally built in 2013. A new production line at the site was reportedly ordered from Germany-based Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions in mid-2021.


Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has announced its next price rise from the start of October 2022. It previously raised the price of its cement-related products by 20% in April 2022. It blamed this on rising raw material, energy and logistics costs. A further price will be considered from April 2023.


Algeria: Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) has obtained a certificate of conformity with European standards (CE) for three types of cement. The certification should allow the company to export more products to Europe, according to the Expression newspaper. It applies to its Gica Moudhad and Gica Béton products. The move follows similar certification of products with the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR) from the company’s Aïn El Kebira plant in July 2021. At the same time the Minister of Industry said it was helping the group with its export strategy.

In 2021 GICA exported 2.25Mt of cement to countries including the Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal , Cameroon, Benin,  Guinea, Brazil, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and a number of European countries.


Greece: Titan Cement Group has successfully started a pilot CO2 capture demonstration project at its Kamari plant. As part of the RECODE2020 project it said it had reached a CO2 purity above 99% during initial operation by using ionic liquids as the CO2 adsorbents. The captured CO2 is then intended to be utilised by converting it to nanocalcite and additives that can reused in cement production in different ways. The cement producer is also running the CARMOF project at the plant.


Nigeria: Dangote Cement increased its sales by 17% year-on-year to US$1.9bn in the first half of 2022 from US$1.63bn in the first half of 2021. The group increased its cement sales volumes by 26% to 15.Mt, including a 33% increase in Nigeria to 9.9Mt there. Its production costs rose by 17% to US$760m from US$651m. This resulted in a 10% profit drop to US$406m from US$452m.

Chief executive officer Michel Puchercos noted a ‘very volatile’ global environment and increased energy costs. He said “Our business model remains robust, thanks to the prudent and flexible approach we have taken across our operations. Our continuous focus on efficiency, meeting market demand and maintaining our costs leadership drives our ability to consistently deliver superior profitability and value to all shareholders.”


Nigeria: BUA Cement recorded US$444m in sales revenues in the first half of 2022, up by 52% year-on-year from first-half 2021 levels. The producer’s profit after tax was US$145m, up by 41% year-on-year.


India: Ramco Cements reported consolidated sales of US$225m in the first quarter of its 2023 financial year, up by 44% year-on-year. The producer recorded ‘weak’ cement prices in the quarter, during which time fuel costs rose ‘sharply.’ Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 17% to US$39.2m, while its net profit fell by 34% to US$14.4m.

Ramco Cements’ capital expenditure during the quarter totalled US$61.3m.


India: Adani Group has secured US$5.25bn-worth of bank loans from Barclays, BNP Paribas and Citigroup for its acquisition of Holcim’s Indian cement businesses ACC and Ambuja Cements. The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the group plans to expand its cement capacity by 43% to 100Mt/yr from 70Mt/yr.


Jamaica: Caribbean Cement recorded operating earnings of US$28.2m in the first half of 2022, down by 2% from US$28.8m in the first half of 2021. The company’s net income also fell by 2%, to US$19.7m, despite a 10% rise in sales to US$88.5m. The company attributed its decline in earnings to increased operational expenses amid a ‘downturn in the global economy.’


Nigeria: Dangote Cement says that it raised the thermal substitution rate of alternative fuels (AF) in its group cement production by 25% year-on-year in the first half of 2022. It co-processed 67,200t of locally-sourced waste in its operations during the half.

Chief executive officer Michel Puchercos said “Although significant increases in energy and AGO costs are impacting production, we are strengthening our efforts to ramp up the usage of AF. Our on-going Alternative Fuel Project aims to leverage waste management solutions, reduce CO2 emissions and source material locally.”


Austria: Refractory producer RHI Magnesita increased its consolidated sales by 33% year-on-year to Euro1.6bn in the first half of 2022 from Euro1.2bn in the first half of 2021. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 37% to Euro245m from Euro 179m. Profit before tax rose by 14% year-on-year to Euro142m from Euro125m.

Looking forward to its full-year 2022 results, RHI Magnesita forecast unchanged earnings, based on ‘strong demand’ in the year to date and its order book for the second half of the year. It said that inflation and monetary policy responses, labour and energy market tightness and on-going supply chain disruption have impacted its global growth outlook. It will rely on price rises to maintain its margins, as well as on strategic cost saving initiatives.

Chief executive officer Stefan Borgas said “In the first half of 2022 we further demonstrated the benefits of prioritising customer deliveries in an environment of continued supply chain volatility. Our investment in inventories to ensure our customers remain supplied with essential refractories has underlined the importance of supply reliability and has enabled us to simultaneously increase prices and gain market share. Following major investments in our production network, a reduction in our selling, general and administrative expenses and progress on our sales strategies, the group is in a strong position to maintain its leadership position in the refractory industry and to navigate future challenges.”


UK: Breedon Group has acquired marine aggregates producer Severn Sands. With sales revenues of Euro10.5m in 2021, Severn Sands holds multiple dredging licences for operations in the Bristol Channel.

Breedon Group said that the acquisition ‘enhances our operational capability, secures scarce mineral reserves and resources, and ensures our downstream operations in the Gloucestershire and South Wales region are fully vertically integrated.’


US: Calucem, part of Cementos Molins, plans to establish a new calcium aluminate cement plant in New Orleans, Louisiana. The company will invest US$35m in the project and expects to commission the plant in mid-late 2023. It expects to create 70 new direct jobs and a total of 228 new jobs locally.

Calucem president and chief executive officer Yuri Bouwhuis said “Calucem is taking on a new investment that will support our growth and diversification in the US and ensure that we continue to offer high-value products to our global customers. Our choice of Louisiana for our first all-new manufacturing project in the US is due to the availability of strategic raw materials such as limestone and natural gas, access to waterways and skilled labour and the long history of using speciality cement products in the US.”


China: Hainan Ruize New Building Material has agreed to sell an 85% stake in its cement subsidiary Zhaoqing Jingang Cement to China Resources Cement. Reuters News has reported the value of the deal as US$80.1m.


China: Anhui Conch Cement and Xinjiang Tianshan Cement plan to launch a joint venture. Reuters News has reported that the companies will inject the joint venture with registered capital of US$297m.


Spain: Cementos Molins increased its first-half 2022 consolidated sales by 35% year-on-year to Euro608m and its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by 4% to Euro132m. The group said that its implementation of operational efficiency plans successfully offset cost inflation. Its net profit was Euro57m, in line with that in the first half of 2021.

Chief executive officer Julio Rodríguez said "Despite the markets growth slowdown and the uncertain global context, at Cementos Molins we continue to move confidently towards achieving the objectives of our strategic plan 2020-2023.”


India: CK Birla Group’s fibre cement roofing subsidiary HIL has agreed to acquire Fast Build Blocks for US$8.22m in a ‘slump sale.’ Fast Build Blocks produces autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks in Cuttack, Odisha. Press Trust of India News has reported that HIL is using the acquisition to establish a leadership position in the Eastern Indian market.


US: Holcim has successfully acquired leading US independent spray foam producer SES Foam. SES Foam has a track record of double-digit growth and expects to record sales revenues of US$200m in 2022, according to Holcim. The group says that the producer stands out for its value-added services to contractors, including onsite technical instruction, business consulting, branding and lead generation support.

Global head of solutions and products Jamie Gentoso said “I warmly welcome all SES employees into the Holcim family. With SES’ leadership in thermal insulation, we are expanding our range of innovative systems for sustainable buildings, from roofing to insulation, to enhance buildings’ energy efficiency. We look forward to entering our next era of growth together.”


France: Despite a 12% year-on-year increase in consolidated sales to Euro1.75bn from Euro1.56bn, Vicat recorded a net income drop of 17% to Euro77.8m from Euro93.5m in the first half of 2022. The group attributed the decline to increased global energy costs and to non-recurring industrial costs in France, India and the US. These costs included investments in exceptional maintenance at its Montalieu cement plant in France and a debottlenecking capacity expansion at its Kalburgi, India, cement plant. Geopolitical events also impacted the profitability of the producer’s business in Mali. Group cement sales rose by 17% year-on-year to Euro1.1bn.

Chair and chief executive officer Guy Sidos said “The basis for comparison in the first six months of 2022 was unfavourably high given the sales and profitability levels achieved in the same period of the previous year.”


US: Eagle Materials offset higher energy and maintenance costs by raising the prices of its products in the first quarter of its 2023 financial year. This contributed to an 18% year-on-year sales rise to US$561m. The group achieved earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$184m during the quarter, up by 13% year-on-year.

President and chief executive officer Michael Haack said "Our results this quarter exceeded our expectations, as our portfolio of businesses performed well, and we executed on the opportunities available to us. Construction activity remained healthy across our markets, and we realised broad pricing gains across our portfolio again this quarter."

The producer’s cement sales rose by 5% year-on-year to US$285m. Haack said "In our heavy materials business, we implemented a second round of cement price increases in early July 2022 given the strong demand environment and our sold-out position. Looking ahead, we expect demand for cement to remain strong, with infrastructure investment increasing as federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act begins in earnest this fiscal year.”


India: JK Lakshmi Cement recorded consolidated sales of US$209m in the first quarter of the 2023 financial year, up by 25% year-on-year from US$167m in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. The group’s net profit was US$14.5m, down by 15% from US$17.2m.

ZeeBiz News has reported that the producer experienced a 29% year-on-year increase in costs to US$188m, which it attributed to rising global fossil fuel prices.


Mexico: GCC increased its sales revenue by 11% year-on-year to US$320m in the second quarter of 2022. Its US cement sales volumes rose by 6%, with a 10% rise in prices, while its Mexico cement volumes fell by 2.3%, with a 12% rise in prices. The group’s cost of sales was US$220m, 69% of total sales, compared to 67% in the second quarter of 2021.


Russia: Switzerland-based Holcim has written to multiple Russian government ministries to challenge a court ruling changing the benefactors of its Russian business. Local press has reported that the producer is subject to attempted assets raiding, with multiple anonymous submissions to the Russian Federal Tax Service requesting structural changes to its legal entities in Russia.

Holcim decided to leave the Russian market in March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.


Germany: HeidelbergCement’s sales revenue rose by 11% year-on-year to Euro9.95bn in the first half of 2022 from Euro8.94bn in the same period in 2021. Its cement and clinker sales volumes dropped by 4.8% to 58.8Mt from 61.8Mt, while its profit for the period attributable to shareholders dropped by 28% to Euro542m from Euro755m. During the reporting period, the producer reduced its net debt by 8.9% to Euro6.79bn from Euro7.45bn.

Chair Dominik von Achten said "The first half of 2022 was characterised by the strong increase in energy and raw material prices. In this persistently difficult market environment we were again able to significantly increase our revenue.” He continued, “In view of the unprecedented increase in energy prices in recent weeks, the second half of the year remains challenging. For the full year, we continue to expect a significant increase in revenue, while for the result from current operations we now anticipate a slight decline on a comparable basis compared to the strong previous year.”


Mexico: Cemex’s consolidated sales grew by 9% year-on-year to US$7.85bn in the first half 2022 from US$7.2bn in the same period in 2021. It sold 32.1Mt of cement, down by 4% from 33.6Mt. Its cement sales volumes rose by 4% in its US and by 1% in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, but fell by 10% in Mexico and by 3% in South and Central America and the Caribbean. The group says that record levels of alternative fuel usage and a lowered clinker factor helped it to reduce its total CO2 emissions by 3% year-on-year in the reporting period.

Chief executive officer Fernando González said “I am pleased that our pricing strategy is yielding results and has fully offset inflationary costs in the second quarter of 2022. With improved supply chain dynamics and continued success of our pricing and cost containment strategies, we remain confident we can recover 2021 margins. 



Vietnam: Taiwan-based Chinfon Cement has received clearance to expand its installed cement capacity to 4.2Mt/yr, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. Chinfon Cement operates an integrated cement plant in Trang Kenh and a grinding plant in Hiep Phuoc.


Greece: Titan Cement’s consolidated sales rose by 26% year-on-year to Euro1.04bn in the first half of 2022 from Euro821m in the first half of 2021. The group’s US sales rose by 23% to Euro595m from Euro482m. Its Southeastern Europe sales grew by 28% to Euro169m, while its Greece and Western Europe sales grew by 21% to Euro158m and its Eastern Mediterranean sales grew by 49% to Euro113m. The producer also holds a stake in Brazil-based Cimento Apodi, which recorded sales growth of 38% to Euro50.5m. Titan Cement’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to Euro139m, down by 2.5% from Euro143m. The producer expects cost pressures to persist throughout 2022. It says that its focus is on safeguarding its production, protecting its margins, improving its efficiencies and continuing with its carbon mitigation strategies.

Titan Cement’s CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious product fell by 5.6% year-on-year, driven by a reduction in the clinker factor.


Italy: Cementir Holding’s sales rose by 22% year-on-year to Euro811m in the first half of 2022 from Euro665m in the first half of 2021. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 7.7% to Euro144m from Euro134m. Its net profit grew by 39% to Euro66.6m from Euro47.9m. During the half year the group sold 5.41Mt of cement and clinker, down by 0.8% from 5.46Mt. The group attributed this to local sales declines in China, Denmark and Turkey.

Chair and chief executive officer Francesco Caltagirone said, “The first-half 2022 results are aligned with our forecasts. Despite the severe geopolitical tensions and the significant increase in raw materials, energy and logistic costs, the group is showing great resilience thanks to an increased geographical and product diversification and a focused cost management.”


India: Shree Cement recorded consolidated sales of US$527m in the first quarter of its 2023 financial year, up by 22% year-on-year from US$432m in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. The company’s profit for the quarter was US$39.6m, down by 52% year-on-year from US$83m.