Global Cement News

Egypt: Helwan Cement has agreed to sell its white cement plant in Minya Governorate to Emmar Industries. The transaction is planned to take place following the de-merger of the white cement unit from the rest of the company. The subsidiary of HeidelbergCement and Suez Cement said that the sale was part of its plan to restructure the business and improve its financial position. The company previously said it had received bid for the white cement plant in June 2018.

Egypt: The Ministry of Public Business Sector has shut down the National Company for Cement due to mounting losses. Hisham Tawfik, the Minister of Public Business, said that the plant’s losses had reached Euro43m in the last year, according to Egypt Today magazine. Its creditors include the Gas Company and the Egyptian Electricity Company.

The company’s registration with the local stock exchange was closed in August 2018. The government is now intending to sell its stocks in the Suez Cement Company and Al-Nahda Company. The company’s assets will then be sold. The minister said that workers aged 50 years or more will receive redundancy and that younger workers will be moved to other cement companies.

The cement producer reported mounting losses in recent years due to higher production costs. Reportedly, the cost of producing one ton of cement was 60% higher than the average comparable cost of its competitors. In addition the company was paying its workers twice the average wage than other state-owned businesses.

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement says that an earthquake that took place in early September 2018 in Hokkaido has had a limited effect upon its business. No injuries to employees were reported. Cement production at its Kamiiso plant is continuing using in-house power generation although the unit is working on saving energy. The 6.7 magnitude earthquake has caused widespread disruption on the island, including knocking out local power generation.

Gabon: Morocco’s Ciments de l’Afrique (CIMAF) says it plans to start a new production line at its Cimgabon integrated plant by November 2018. The measure has been announced to meet a sudden surge in demand, according to the L’union newspaper. Cement prices have reportedly nearly doubled in the high construction season.

The cement producer first announced the new clinker production line in mid-2017. It will increase the plant’s production capacity to 0.85Mt/yr from 0.5Mt/yr at present. In addition the company has launched a Euro10m project for an admixture unit for completion by mid-2019.

Ireland: Quinn Cement has launched a new range of bagged cement products in Ireland following its launch previously in the UK. The company invested over Euro3m in their cement plant to bring the new range to the market, which includes three new cement products: General Purpose Cement, Master Grade Cement and Premium Grade Cement.

General Purpose Cement is intended to be a versatile cement product, suitable for general use, particularly in smaller jobs and repairs. Master Grade Cement is targeted at plastering and mortar due to its workability. Premium Grade Cement is a high-strength product at 42.5N.

“We’re delighted to bring the new range to Ireland, particularly given the success we’ve seen in the British market, where bagged cement sales have seen a huge increase since the range was launched earlier this year. News of the Irish launch has been very well received by our merchant customers, and the demand to stock the new products here has been growing since they were unveiled for the British market. In particular, we expect the weatherproof bags to be very popular across Ireland, as they have been in Britain,” said Quinn Building Products’ Irish Sales and Marketing Director, Seamus McMahon.