Global Cement News

Pakistan: Business activity slowed during the month of Ramadan in Pakistan, with cement demand also affected. In May 2018, domestic cement sales were the slowest seen in the current fiscal year, which runs until the end of June 2018, yet they still rose by 2.4%. When exports, which rose by 41.8%, are also included, the year-on-year change rises to 5.7%.

The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA) reported that 3.92Mt of cement was sold in May 2018 compared to 3.71Mt in May 2017. Sales in the country's northern region stood at 2.81Mt, compared to 2.8Mt in May 2017. In the south, sales came to 0.67Mt in May 2017, as opposed to 0.59Mt in May 2017. Exports from the northern region were 0.224Mt in May 2018 compared to 0.219Mt in May 2017. From the southern region, exports totalled 0.215Mt compared to just 0.09Mt in May 2017.

Total cement sales in the first 11 months of the 2018 Fiscal Year hit a record high, with 42.92Mt sold, a 14.2% rise year-on-year compared to 37.6Mt in the first 11 months of the 2017 Fiscal Year. The APCMA reported that the national capacity utilisation rate over the 11 months period was 94.7%, beating the previous 93.6% record from 1992-1993.

An APCMA spokesperson said the association anticipated that domestic cement consumption would once again rise after Ramadan, while a continued increase in exports was a welcome sign for the industry. However, he said the major factor behind the rise in exports had been the decline in the value of the Pakistani Rupee against the US Dollar, which greatly improved the competitiveness of cement manufacturers in global markets.

Chile: Cementos Bicentenario (BSA) has signed a deal with energy company Engie to supply its Quilicura grinding plant near Santiago with renewable energy. All of the energy supplied to the plant will come from renewable sources including solar and hydroelectric. The contract, equivalent to 35GWh, will see the plant achieve the I-REC certification.

Azerbaijan: Akkord Cement plans to increase production at its Gazakh plant to 1.3Mt/yr from 1Mt/yr. It is working with an unnamed German company on the investment for the project, according to the Trend News Agency. The cement producer mostly sells its cement locally, with some export sales to Georgia.

Russia: Iskitimcement has expanded its fleet with three Scania G Series 440LA6 trucks for around Euro0.5m. The new 28.1t vehicles, with trailers than can carry up to 30t, have been designed specifically for the Russian market. The new trucks will join the cement producer’s fleet to 26 vehicles to support its bulk cement business. In 2017 19.4% of Iskitimcement’s total volumes of products were delivered by truck.

Turkey: Germany’s Aumund Fördertechnik has been awarded projects by the Dinçer Çimento Group and Aşkale Çimento.

The scope of supply to Dinçer Çimento supports a new kiln production line at its plant near Bilecik near Bursa. It includes three Aumund BWZ chain bucket elevators with centre distances between 27m and 36m, and capacities of up to 400t/hr. These recirculation bucket elevators will be installed in the raw mill and in clinker conveying. Aumund BWG belt bucket elevators, six altogether, will be installed in the areas of raw meal conveying, heat exchanger, cement silo feed and in the packing plant. The belt bucket elevators have centre distances between 25m and 145m, and are designed for capacities from 120t/hr up to 500t/hr. Two Aumund KZB pan conveyors with a capacity of up to 300t/hr and a lift of 38.5m will be supplied to transport clinker to the clinker silo of the new line. Underneath the clinker silo three more 400t/hr Aumund pan conveyors will be installed, along with silo discharge gates. Another Aumund KZB pan conveyor with a lift of 25.5m and a capacity of up to 200t/hr will convey additives. Dispatch of the 15 Aumund machines for this order will be in stages, commencing in June 2018.

Aumund’s order for Aşkale Çimento is for a heavy-duty Aumund chain bucket elevator for recirculation of bulk material for the plant’s roller press. It has a centre distance of 47m and a capacity of up to 1250t/hr. It also includes an Aumund chain bucket elevator with a heavy-duty Aumund AU19 chain that has a breaking load of 2450kN.