Global Cement News

Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has said in a bourse statement it has launched trial operations of a second production line. The new production line will have a clinker production capacity of 5000t/day. The trial period will take three months.

Al Jouf announced in October 2013 that it had signed an agreement with Al Rajhi Bank for a US$107m loan to partially finance the construction of the new production line. The loan is to be repaid by June 2019.

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales have dropped by 30% since the beginning of 'correction campaigns' against illegal foreign workers in early November 2013, according to Zamil Al-Miqrin, head of the National Committee for Cement Companies.

Speaking to local media, Al-Miqrin said the rate of sales reduction varies from one region to another adding that supplies currently surpass demand in the cement companies. The first week of the campaign saw a sharp fall in sales, as high as 50% for some companies, but Al-Miqrin expected an improvement in prices by the beginning of January 2014. He added that sales growth in cement had fallen by 10% in 2012 to 3% in 2013.

Saud Al-Araifi, CEO of the Northern Province Cement, said that cement producers in Saudi Arabia are unable to react to the crisis because exporting cement to foreign countries is banned by the Ministry of Commerce. He added that the crisis will be temporary until the current labour shortage in the construction market corrects itself. Other commentators have noted that the rate of stalled construction projects has been much higher in the private sector than in the government sector.

Turkey: Bolu Cimento Sanayii AS, a member of the OYAK Group, has ordered three vertical roller mills from Gebr Pfeiffer SE for the new production line at its cement grinding plant in Kazan near Ankara. Installation of the mill will expand the existing plant into an integrated cement plant. Delivery of the mills is scheduled for mid-2014 and will boost the total number of Pfeiffer mills installed at OYAK Group cement plants to eight.

An MPS 4500 B with a drive power of 3150kW will be used for cement raw material grinding. The mill is guaranteed to produce 320t/hr at a product fineness of 12% residue on the 0.090mm screen.

Pet-coke and lignite will be ground in an MPS 225 BK vertical roller mill with a drive power of 400kW. The throughput rate of this mill when grinding pet-coke will be 20t/hr at a fineness of 3% residue on the 0.09mm screen and 35t/hr when processing lignite.

Bolu Cimento has also ordered an MPS 4500 BC mill with a drive power of 3300kW, which will yield 130t/hr of CEM I at a specific surface of 3900cm²/g acc. to Blaine.

China: CKI Holdings has announced that the cement plant owned by its subsidiary, Green Island Cement, has officially commenced production. The cement plant is located in Yunfu city, Guangdong province and the total investment was US$1.3bn.

Lambert Leung, chief of materials division at CKI Holdings, stated that the group might invest another US$600m to build a second production line if the operating performance is satisfactory.

Nepal: CG Cement Industry, a subsidiary of the Chaudhary Group, plans to enter the domestic cement market with the launch of its CG Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) at the end of December 2013. Trial production runs are already underway at the plant in Dumbikas, Nawalparasi district. The plant has an OPC production capacity of 1500t/day.

"We will ship our products to the market after completing some government procedures," said Varun Chaudhary, executive director of the Chaudhary Group. He added that the cement will arrive in stores after receiving certification from the government. CG also plans to establish a mine and cement plant in Palpa with a US$137m investment. The Palpa unit will produce clinker destined for cement production at the Dumbikas plant. Currently the Dumbikas plant sources its clinker from local producers and Indian imports.

Since 2010, Nepal's cement imports have declined due to increased domestic production. According to Chaudhary, there are now 50 grinding units and 70 cement brands in the country. Cement demand in Nepal is estimated at 4Mt/yr, 70% of which is fulfilled by domestic supply.