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ACC’s net profit falls in first quarter of 2017 24 April 2017
India: ACC’s net profit after tax has fallen by 9% year-on-year to US$32.7m in the first quarter of 2017 from US$36m in the same period in 2016. Its sales revenue grew by 8% to US$482m and its cement sales volumes grew by 4% to 6.6Mt. The cement producer blamed the fall in profit on higher costs of petcoke, coal, packing materials and freight, as well as a shortage of fly ash. ACC also reported that it launched two new products in 2017, including ACC High Performance Cement (HPC), a slag cement.
Australia: The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has expressed concern over contaminated cement produced at Adelaide Brighton’s Birkenhead plant. Several large construction projects around Adelaide have used the contaminated cement the union has told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News. Adelaide Brighton says it is investigating an issue with its bulk cement that took place at the plant between 7 April and 10 April 2017.
Several companies including Boral distributed the cement. Adelaide Brighton says it has reviewed the situation and taken action subsequently to minimise the effect. This has included disposing of a large volume of cement.
Guatemala: Austria’s Doppelmayr has started up a RopeCon conveyor system for Cementos Progreso’s San Gabriel plant near Guatemala City. The 1.6km conveyor will transport 2100t/hr of limestone from a quarry to the plant across wooded terrain and it rises up to a height of 200m off the ground using four tower structures. The long rope structure of the system has enabled it to use a minimum amount of space on the ground. The new cement pant is expected to start operation in the first half of 2017.
Chile: Cemento Polpaico has changed its commercial strategy following a poor year for the construction industry in 2016. The cement producer has moved from a geographical approach to one based on the profile and sector of its customers, according to the Diario Financiero newspaper. It has also reorganised its business into three segments: retail, construction and special projects.
LafargeHolcim agreed to sell its controlling stake in Cemento Polpaico to Inversiones Caburga in late 2016. However, the transaction is still awaiting approval by the Fiscalía Nacional Económica.
Cemex opens admixture plant in Panama 21 April 2017
Panama: Cemex Panama has opened its first admixture plant in the Panama Pacifico Free Trade Zone. The unit is part of US$15m series of investments by the construction materials company in the country, according to the El Economista newspaper. Products from the plant will be used locally and exported elsewhere in Central America and to the Caribbean.