Global Cement News

Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s first-quarter consolidated net sales fell by 1% year-on-year to Euro683m in the first quarter of 2021 from Euro689m in the first quarter of 2020. Cement sales volumes were 6.2Mt, up by 3% from 6.0Mt. Adverse weather caused slight sales declines in Europe and North America. The company called full-year growth prospects for 2021 ‘encouraging.’

Germany: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has launched GooVi, a digitised vibrating screen with an ‘intelligent’ control system. The supplier says that the screen offers increased efficiency, reduced weight and height. It combines the control system with a new patented drive technology. The product’s name plays on the title of the Beach Boys’ 1967 hit song Good Vibrations.

Head of product line screens and feeders Achim Schönfelder said, “With the GooVi, all vibration modes (circular, linear and elliptical) can be realised in one machine, allowing flexible adaptation to changing job requirements and material properties. In addition, the low height of the GooVi facilitates simple installation in existing plants.”

Poland: The Polish Cement Association (SPC) has forecast a 2% year-on-year drop in cement sales to 18.5Mt in 2021. President Krzysztof Kieres attributed the fall to growing imports and reduced construction due to a cold start to the year. He predicts that sales will rise again, by 4% to 19.3Mt, in 2022.

The SPC has warned that the industry faces large costs in meeting the European Green Deal’s required 40% CO₂ emissions reduction by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In particular, the local industry noted that the rising European Union (EU) CO₂ price has caused a direct increase in electricity prices. It has called on the government and the EU to compensate it for this rise.

Imports of cement also present a key challenge. In 2020, imports of Belarusian cement increased by 80% to 440,000t and imports of Ukrainian cement increased by 50% to 32,000t. The association expressed strong support for the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as a means of protecting the industry against imports both from neighbouring countries outside the EU and via polluting shipping from cement exporters further afield such as Turkey.

North Korea: The North Korea government says that it will supply 10,000t/yr of cement to every city and county in the country. The new target will help to fulfil the aims of the January 2021 Five Year Plan, under which the state aims to build 10,000 apartments/year in Pyongyang and 5000 apartments/year in Komdok. The 38 North project has reported that in order to realise this vision, it plans to establish 8.0Mt/yr of new capacity via upgrades and new projects by January 2026.

In March 2021 a North Korean delegation visited a Chinese cement plant to learn about modern cement production.

Brazil: Federal police in Pernambuco have launched an investigation into the alleged involvement of organised crime in João Santos Group, the owner of Cimento Nassau. 53 search warrants have been issued in four Brazilian states with the involvement of over 240 police officers, according to the Valor Econômico newspaper. The police are looking into allegations of asset diversions and tax evasion up to a value of around US$1.6bn.