Saudi Arabia: Southern Cement’s sales revenue and profits have fallen so far in 2018 due to falling sales volumes and prices. Its revenue fell by 15% year-on-year to US$172m in the first nine months of 2018 from US$203m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit after Zakat and taxes decreased by 44% to US$38m from US$68.5m.

Niger: Nouvelle Cimenterie de Niger (NCN) is preparing to open a new plant at Malbaza in December 2018. Company officials told Prime Minister Brigi Rafini that construction the unit had been completed and that it was preparing to start production, according to Niamey et les 2 jours and the l’Agence Ecofin. The plant has a production capacity of 2000t/day and it is estimated that it will provide 80% of the country’s demand for cement. The unit has 347 employees. The project was originally started in mid-2011 but was construction halted.

Iran: Cement exports rose by 7% year-on-year to 3.8Mt in the first seven months of the current local calendar year , which started on 21 March 2018. Abdul Reza Sheikhan, the secretary of the Cement Industry Association, added that clinker exports grew by 13.6% to 3.8Mt, according to ISNA. However international sanctions and increasing shipping costs have reduced exports in the most recent reporting month. Overall, clinker production by the local industry grew by 2.4% to 37.3Mt.

French Guiana: Cementos Argos is supplying around 54,500t of cement for the Ariane 6 launch pad at the European Space Agency’s spaceport at Kourou. The Colombian cement producer is a strategic supplier for the project and it has been supporting Eiffage, the main contractor. The new launch pad is 90% complete and it is expected to be finished in 2019. The first launch is scheduled for 2020.

Cementos Argos is supplying three different types of cement for the project: a road binder, a soil stabiliser and a sulphate-resistant product. These will be used to build the launch platform, including a mobile base with a height of 90m, the assembly building for the rockets and other structural work.