Global Cement News

Ecuador: FCT Combustion has won an order to supply a clay dryer to Cemento Chimborazo. The order includes a complete raw material drying system. It consists of a 41.2t/hr Triplex drier and a fluidised bed combustion system for petcoke and alternative fuel firing. No value or commissioning date has been disclosed.

Kenya: ARM Cement has cut its staff pension plan and medical insurance scheme due to cash flow problems. The staff schemes have been suspended from the end of June 2018 until further notice, according to the Business Daily newspaper. The suspension of the two benefits follows erratic salary payments and failure to pay pension contributions since June 2017. The cement producer has attempted to raise funds from asset sales and find a strategic investor. Its executive director Rick Ashley resigned in early May 2018 citing personal reasons.

Vietnam: The environment ministry has approved fly ash from the Formosa steel company for use in cement production. Sông Gianh Cement in Quảng Bình Province has been cleared for its use provided the materials meet current technical specifications and that the company has the responsibility to monitor the transport of ash, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper.

Sông Gianh Cement initially denied receiving fly ash from Formosa. However, the transport company carrying the by-product from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Bình admitted to local media that it had been hired for the job. The Quảng Bình environment department then revealed that Sông Gianh had asked the government if it could buy fly ash from Formosa but that it had been denied due to poor public opinion regarding the steel producer.

Formosa received widespread public criticism when it was blamed for a chemical spill into the sea in 2016 that caused mass deaths of marine life and public outcry.

Laos: The Ministry of Industry and Commerce says that the value of cement exports rose by 25% to US$19m in the first quarter of 2018 from US$15.2m in the same period of 2017. However, imports fell by 14% to US$16.4m from US$19.1m, according to the Vientiane Times newspaper. Exports have risen as new production capacity has been commissioned in the country.

Laos exported a value of US$0.2m in 2016 but this grew to US$47.6m in 2017. Imports fell to US$68m in 2017 from US$84.3m in 2016. The country has 16 cement plants and other units are being built. At present the country has a capacity of 4.4Mt/yr. This is expected to grow to 6.7Mt/yr once all the current projects are completed. Local infrastructure projects are driving local demand including the several hydropower plants and the Laos-China railway.

Spain: FYM, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, is facing a potential legal battle to expand the quarry at its La Araña cement plant near Malaga. It has applied to the local government for a compulsory order to buy land at the site, according to the Diario Sur newspaper. FYM says that it has the authorisation to use up to 176 hectares near its plant for mineral extraction but that it is only using 43 hectares at present. The agreement in place allows the cement producer to buy land on a compulsory basis if an agreement can’t be reached with the land owners. However, the current land owner and FYM have disagreed over the price.