Global Cement News

Germany/Russia: Intercem has been awarded new orders in Germany and Russia. In Russia it will supply a high-efficiency separator ICS 143, as well as the associated plant aggregates to a new cement plant. The high-efficiency separator, an in-house development manufactured in the company workshop, has a capacity of 115t/hr at 3000cm²/g acc. to Blaine and a total output of 258t/hr. The volume flow classifying air is 143.000m³/hr. The scope of supply also includes the engineering for the complete grinding plant as well as the supervision of the assembly and the commissioning of the components included in the delivery.

In Germany it will supply silos for Zementwek Lübeck’s grinding plant. The order includes a silo unit consisting of four steel silos with a capacity of 1200m³ each. In addition, the bulk loading and the complex cement conveying via air slides and bucket elevators leading over the complete area of the plant are part of the scope of supply. The scope of supply also includes the engineering and associated plant components, such as support structure, catwalks, filters, bucket elevators, return lines, electrical equipment, as well as building application and dispatch automation. Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2019.

The German engineering company has also won a contract to optimise a secondary fuel dosing system at a German cement plant.

Mexico: Cemex’s operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBTIDA) rose by 1% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis to US$2.56bn in 2018 from US$2.57bn in 2017. It has attributed this decrease in real terms to lower earnings from its territories outside of Mexico and the US. Its net sales rose by 5% to US$14.4bn from US$13.6bn.

“We are pleased with our 6% top-line growth during 2018, supported by higher consolidated volumes and prices in our three core products. Operating EBITDA grew by 1% on a like-to-like basis in this period,” said Fernando A Gonzalez, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cemex. He added the company had reduced its total debt to nearly US$1bn in 2018.

By region, Cemex’s sales and earnings rose in Mexico and the US, fell in the rest of the Americas and were mixed in Europe. In the Asia, Middle East and Africa sales increased due to growth in the Philippines but earnings fell.

Canada: The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) says it no longer wants to sell its majority stake in McInnis Cement. CDPQ’s chief executive officer (CEO) said that the pension and insurance fund is ‘convinced’ of the potential the company, according to the Journal de Quebec newspaper. The company hired consultants in 2018 to look at a potential sale.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (Fancesa) plans to target markets in La Paz and Cochabamba. It will open agencies in the locations in early 2019, according to the Correo del Sur newspaper. The cement producer operates a plant at Sucre in the south of the country.

US: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it the policy of the federal government to buy goods locally, including cement, for infrastructure projects. The directive aims to strengthen the ‘Buy American and Hire American’ executive order issues in 2017 by giving a preference for raw materials manufactured in the US for use in government-backed projects.