Global Cement News

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia forecasts that domestic cement consumption will grow at a rate of 5 – 7% year-on-year in 2018, a lower rate than the level of 7.8% recorded for the first 11 months of 2017. Semen Indonesia corporate secretary Agung Wiharto said that the prediction was based on continued demand for cement from government infrastructure projects, according to the Jakarta Post. The company also took other factors - such as inflation, political stability and market confidence - into account in its sales projection. Indocement has also forecast a cement consumption growth rate of 5 – 6% in 2018. Both companies reported reduced earnings in the third quarter of 2017.

China: Clinker imports more than quadrupled to 184,600t in the first 11 months of 2017. Data published by the Chinese Cement Association suggests that rising domestic cement prices encouraged the import market, according to Caixin Media. Most of the imports were purchased from Vietnam by companies based in Hainan, Shangdong, Zhejiang and Beijing.

India: The credit agency ICRA forecasts that rising energy and freight costs due to higher pet coke, coal and diesel prices during the first half of 2017 – 2018 financial year may hit the profits of cement producers. Petcoke prices grew by 32% year-on-year in the first half of the year and coal prices rose by 44%, according to the Press Trust of India. Sabyasachi Majumdar, an analyst at ICRA, said that higher power, fuel and freight costs were likely to continue. He added that the ability of cement companies to raise their prices was crucial to maintaining profit levels.

Uzbekistan: Aumund Fördertechnik has provided an update on an order for Almalyk Mining and Processing (AGMK) for a 1.5Mt/yr cement plant it is building in Sherabad. In May 2017 Aumund won the order for three drag chain conveyors with capacities from 7.5t/hr to 200t/hr for discharge of limestone, gypsum and pozzolan for the plant. In October 2017 an additional order was added for a Louise type drag chain conveyor for discharge of clinker dust.

Overall, Aumund is providing over 250t of machinery to AGMK. In 2018 the engineering company will supply to Uzbekistan at least 10 belt chain bucket elevators with capacities from 21t/hr to 500t/hr, and centre distances between 16.6m and 120m. The largest item in the delivery is a pan conveyor, with a centre distance of 148m and a clinker conveying capacity of 300t/hr. The clinker conveying system comprises two further Aumund pan conveyors with the same capacity but centre distances of 54m and 65m. There are also 19 silo discharge gates included in the package.

Cuba: The Punta Alegre gypsum mine near Ciego de Ávila supplied over 56,400t of gypsum to the local cement industry in 2017. The mine mainly supplied Cementos Cienfuegos, according to the Invasor newspaper. Despite the disruption caused by Hurricane Irma in mid-2017 the mine beat its annual production target of 50,000t. The unit installed a new mill from Chinese suppliers that increased its production capacity to 100t/hr in 2015.