Peru: UNACEM’s income rose by 8% year-on-year to US$295m in the first half of 2018 from US$272m in the same period in 2017. Its cement despatches fell slightly to 2.4Mt. The cement producer attributed the rising income to higher prices. However, its net profit fell by 48% to US$62.2m from US$119m due to less income from its subsidiaries.

Poland: Fives FCB has released more information about an upgrade to a limestone grinding workshop for Lhoist Bukowa. In late May 2018 it signed an acceptance certificate with the lime producer for a FCB TSV Classifier 1400 HF. The classifier was selected to close a circuit consisting in a ball mill in open circuit. This FCB TSV Classifier 1400 HF is the third one ordered to Fives by Lhoist Bukowa.

Bangladesh: Hong Kong’s Shun Shing Group has ordered two mills from Germany’s Loesche for its local subsidiaries, Seven Circle Bangladesh (SCB) and Shun Shing Cement Mills (SSCM).

SCB has ordered a vertical roller mill for a new grinding plant in Gazipur. With four main and four support rollers, the mill will be used for grinding clinker and slag. It will have a throughput capacity of 400t/hr and it will be the largest Loesche cement mill in the country. The cement mill for SCB is equipped with a Compact Planetary Electric Drive (COPE) and has a drive power of 9.2MW.

Loesche has also received a mill order for SSCM. A LM 53.3+3 CS mill will be used, with three main and three support rollers and a drive power of 4650kW. The mill will grind clinker and slag at a capacity of 180t/hr in a newly-built grinding plant belonging to SSCM in Shikalbaha near Chittagong.

The scope of delivery for both mills includes the complete mill including the static mill components. Both mills will continue to be equipped with Pronamic wear parts, developed by for the main rollers, support rollers and the grinding table. It is anticipated that commissioning of both grinding plants will take place in autumn 2019.

Both SCBL and SSCM produce around 4.4Mt/yr of cement with their production facilities there under the brand ’Seven Rings Cement.’ Additionally, the business areas of the parent company Shun Shing Group also extend to the trade and transportation of raw materials and industrial chemicals for construction.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim’s first half profit fell by 43% from Euro561.8m in 2017 to Euro320.3m in 2018. Sales rose by 2.7% to Euro11.45bn. Under new CEO Jan Jenisch, who took over in September 2017, the company has been slashing costs, announcing earlier in 2018 that it will close its head offices in Zurich and Paris and shed around 200 jobs as it aims to save Euro345.2m/yr by the end of first quarter of 2019.

Jenisch said he was pleased with the sales growth, particularly the acceleration during the second quarter, when sales increased by 5%, up from a 2.7% rate in the first three months of the year.

"Operational issues in some markets have been addressed and we expect to deliver increasing margins as we capture the upward trend in demand through the second half of 2018," said Janisch. "We had a couple of plants where I was not happy that the output was not in line with market demand. We have made sure we can maximise their output in the second half."

Sales were supported by strong growth in India, one of the company's largest markets, where its subsidiary Ambuja Cement posted a 27% increase in profit during the second quarter. However, losses in Africa weighed heavily on the firm, with the regional unit reporting a loss after being hit by higher finance charges and losses from its South African business.

Jenisch said that the Africa and Middle East region will remain tough, while adding that the company would press ahead with its disposal programme. It aims to raise about US$1.73m from selling cement plants."We are on track here. We have done our portfolio review and will hopefully announce something later this year," said Jenisch. "However, there is nothing I can talk about at this time."