Global Cement News

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) has appointed Thammasak Sethaudom as its president and chief executive officer. He will succeed Roongrote Rangsiyopash, following his resignation, from January 2024. Thammasak has also been appointed as the president of Cementhai Holding Company. Surachai Nimlaor the president of SCG’s cement division will also be appointed to president of the division from the start of 2024.

Thammasak has worked for SCG for over 30 years in a variety of financial and investment positions, primarily in the chemicals business. Prior to this, he was the general director of Long Son Petrochemicals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, a master of business administration (MBA) postgraduate degree from the London Business School and has also attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Australia: Adbri recorded sales of US$599m during the first half of 2023, up by 14% year-on-year. Its net profit grew by 13%, to US$33.7m. The producer noted continued ‘solid’ demand, and traction on its price increases. It faced high capital requirements for its on-going upgrade of its Kwinana grinding plant to consolidate its Western Australian operations there. The company expects its second-half 2023 earnings to rise ‘moderately’ due to the effects of its cost discipline and price increases, as well as sustained levels of cement demand.

India: UltraTech Cement has awarded a contract to Vibrant Energy to build a 21.6MW wind farm in Maharashtra. The wind farm will provide energy for UltraTech Cement’s cement plants in the state.

Saur Energy has reported that Vibrant Energy chief executive officer Srinivasan Viswanathan, said “We are excited to partner with UltraTech and accelerate their green energy transition. This partnership marks a significant step towards a sustainable and carbon-neutral future. This will act as a catalyst for transforming not just the cement industry, but other energy-intensive industries as well.”

France: The French cement sector association, France Ciment, has called on the government to make ‘heavy investments’ in the industry amid its on-going transition to net zero CO₂ cement production. It estimated the total cost of its transition, which will include carbon capture, at Euro3.5bn,according to Les Echos newspaper. The association said that producers currently benefit from the government’s partial price cap on electricity for industrial plants. It sought clarity as to whether the cap will remain in force beyond its scheduled limit in 2025. Lafarge France said that capped prices covered 50 – 60% of its electricity consumption in 2022.

Vietnam: State-owned Vicem Ha Tien has despatched its first shipment of cement to the US. The Vietnam government says that Vicem Ha Tien will continue to further diversify its markets.

Domestic-focused cement producers like Vicem Ha Tien have experienced increased competition in the past year due to a slowdown in the Chinese market.