Global Cement News

India: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed an appeal by cement producers against a US$975m fine for alleged cartel-like behaviour. The Competition Commission of India penalised 11 cement companies in August 2016, according to the Press Trust of India. The companies included UltraTech Cement, ACC, Ambuja, Ramco and JK Cement and the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). UltraTech Cement has been fined US$171m, the highest amount in the group.

Ukraine: Cement production fell by 3.5% year-on-year to 4.01Mt in the first half of 2018. In June 2018 production rose by 5.2% year-on-year to 1.03Mt, according to the Ukrainian News Agency. In 2017 the country’s cement production increased by 2.3% to 9.31Mt.

India: ACC’s net sales rose by 14% year-on-year to US$1.06bn in the first half of 2018 from US$934m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit after tax rose by 8% to US$125m from US$108m. Its sales volumes of cement increased by 8% to 14.4Mt from 13.3Mt.

Neeraj Akhoury, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of ACC, said that input prices, such as fuel and slag, and logistics costs were continuing to mount. However, the company has made operational and productivity efficiencies that had partly offset this.

Qatar: Qatar National Cement’s sales revenue dropped by 21.9% year-on-year to US$119m in first half of 2018 from US$153m in the same period in 2017. Its net profit rose slightly to US$46.2m, according to the Qatar Tribune newspaper.

Italy: Italcementi plans to keep the Arquata Scrivia grinding plant open. The assurance was given to union representatives following worker redundancies at the unit, according to Alessandria News. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement competed its purchase of the plant from Cementir Italia in January 2018. It has since been rebranded under the Cemitaly brand.