China: BBMG has agreed to sell its stake in seven cement companies to Jidong Cement for US$227m. It has also arranged with Jidong Cement to contribute nearly US$150m into BBMG Jidong Cement (Tangshan), a joint venture owned by the two companies. Both companies will also inject capital into each other’s subsidiaries. BBMG owns a 7% stake in Jidong Cement. Both agreements have been set up to resolve the issues of competing business between BBMG and Jidong Cement.

The seven companies that BBMG is selling to Jidong Cement are Zhuoquan BBMG Cement, Lingchuan BBMG Cement, Baoding Taihang Heyi Cement, Handan Shexian BBMG Cement, Qinyang BBMG Cement, Lanxian BBMG Cement and Xuanhua BBMG Cement. BBMG owns a 100% or majority stake in each of these companies.

Turkey: YD Madencilik, part of Üstyapi Insaat Group, has ordered two grinding plants from Germany’s Christian Pfeiffer for a new cement plant in the Düzce region. Christian Pfeiffer will supply two parallel grinding plants, consisting of a roller press (2x 1450kW) and a ball mill (Ø 4.0 x 13.0m, 3200kW), supplemented by a KS200 static separator and a TFS 325-Z twin feed separator.

Each of the two plants ensures a production of 210t/hr of ordinary Portland Cement. Alternatively, the two grinding plants can also be operated separately to allow production of different types of cement. It is also possible to operate the roller presses or the ball mills in single mode. Delivery of components for the plants started in late 2018 and they are scheduled to be completed by the end of may 2019. Christian Pfeiffer previously worked with YD Madencilik in 2015.

China: Anhui Conch expects its net profit to rise by nearly 100% year-on-year to US$2.3bn in 2018. It has attributed the growth in profit to rising cement prices, growing operating income and effects from structural reform in the industry.

Vietnam: Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has allowed Thanh Thang Cement to add two new production lines to its plant at Thanh Nghi in Ha Nam. Lines 4 and 5 will have a combined production capacity of 2.3Mt/yr, according Viet Nam News newspaper. Line 4 is expected to be commissioned in 2022 and line 5 in 2026. The cost of the upgrade has been disclosed.