Global Cement News

Japan: Ube Machinery has made changes to its management team with effect from 1 April 2020. Hiroaki Furuya has been appointed as Managing Executive Officer. His previous role as Director & Executive Officer has been filled by Michiharu Takeda. Ube Machinery manufactures a range of products for the cement industry, including mills, kilns and dryers. Its parent company Ube also produces cement from its own plants.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement has appointed Masood Karim Shaikh as an independent director following the resignation of Mohammad Javed Iqbal at the end of March 2020. Shaikh also takes Iqbal’s position as chairman of the company’s Resource and Remuneration Committee. He will remain in post as a director for the remaining term of the board.

India: Dalmia Bharat has donated US$262,000 to the Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help people survive the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown. United News of India has reported that Dalmia Bharat has participated in extensive humanitarian efforts during the on-going pan-Indian coronavirus lockdown, including delivering a week’s groceries to 650 families in the Odisha town of Rajgangpur and dry food packets to 900 families in districts around its Biswali, Odisha plant. The group has cooked meals for 3000 people and arranged with local administrators to feed a further 8800. Dalmia Bharat has also opened its technical centres, guest houses and schools to medical authorities for use in treating coronavirus cases. Dalmia Bharat East regional manufacturing head Sunil Gupta said, “We are totally committed to supporting the national and state governments in their fight to contain the spread of COVID-19.”

India: Shree Cement has said that it will resume production across its 37.9Mt installed capacity as soon as the government lifts its coronavirus lockdown. Shree Cement general manager Hari Bangur said, “We are technically ready to start our cement plants.” The Business Standard newspaper reported that other producers are equally determined to get back to work. JK Lakshmi Cement has said that it will require a minimum of 15 days after the end of lockdown to streamline its operations.

China: Huaxin Cement has announced a predicted profit drop of 46% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020, to US$100m from US$188m in the corresponding three months of 2019. Huaxin Cement said, “During the reporting period, the company's performance declined significantly, mainly due to the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which caused sales to fall by 36%.”