Global Cement News

Brazil: Steel manufacturer CSN has announced plans to set up four cement assets in Minas Gerais state. The company wants to grow its current cement production capacity of 2.4Mt/yr to 5.4Mt/yr with an investment of US$491m.

CSN has proposed setting up three cement plants and a second clinker unit, adding to one at Arcos that began operations on May 2011. Currently the clinker unit at Arcos supplies 2500t/day the company's plant at Volta Redonda in Rio de Janeiro. The second clinker unit would expand this to 6500t/day, making it the largest clinker production site in Latin America.

Other cement companies investing in Minas Gerais state include Cimentos Liz's US$147m expansion to its capacity at plants in Vespasiano and Lagoa Santa. Holcim is growing the capacity of its plant in Barroso from 1.3Mt/yr to 3.5Mt.yr. Both Holcim and Cimentos Liz are receiving funding from the state development bank BDMG.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has reported a pre-tax profit of US$674m for the nine months ending 30 September 2012, a rise of 13.5% compared to the same period in 2011. The company's sales revenue increased to US$1.33bn, a rise of 19.8%. The cessation of lower-margin imports and their replacement with locally-produced cement has helped to reduce the cost of sales, but the potential gains in margin were largely offset by increased use of furnace oil at higher-than expected levels during 2012.

In its unaudited results for the first nine months of 2012 Dangote reported that cement sales were 7.7Mt, with all cement sold produced locally. In spite of these achievements, the company said the third quarter sales were seriously affected by heavy rainfall and flooding but that margins were rising as gas supplies return to normal. Serious flooding affected Kogi and Benue states in the third quarter of 2012 where two Dangote plants are located.

"In spite of these problems we have increased sales by nearly 20% in the first nine months of 2012, with sales of locally produced cement rising by nearly 51%. Even in the difficult third quarter we increased shipments by nearly 8% during a period in which we estimate the industry increased volumes by less than 4%, so it is clear we are increasing our market share," said chief executive of Dangote Cement, Devakumar Edwin.

Dangote Cement is Nigeria's leading cement producer with three plants in Nigeria and plans to expand in 13 other African countries. The group is a fully integrated quarry-to-depot producer with an expected production capacity of 19Mt/yr in Nigeria by the end of 2012, increasing to as much as 35.25Mt/yr by 2015. The group plans to build a further 19Mt/yr of production and import capacity across Africa by 2015.

Germany: Dyckerhoff Group has released financial results for the first nine months of 2012 showing cement volume increases in Russia, Ukraine and the US, which have been balanced by volume declines in Germany and western Europe.

Cement sales volumes remained flat in the first nine months of 2012 at Euro1.24bn, compared to 1.22bn in 2011. By region, sales in Germany and western Europe fell by 7% to Euro588m from Euro633m. Sales in eastern Europe rose by 7% to Euro487m from Euro456m. Sales in the US rose by 24% to Euro160m from Euro129m. Group earnings before earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were Euro232m in 2012, compared to Euro231m in 2011.

"For 2012 as a whole, we continue to expect the level of group sales and results to remain stable compared to 2011," said CEO of Dyckerhoff AG, Wolfgang Bauer.

Mexico: Cemex has been named by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as the best Latin American company in terms of climate change data disclosure and one of the top ten in overall carbon emissions performance.

The rankings were announced during the launching of the CDP's latest report, CDP Investor Latin America 2012, which comprises data on the emissions of greenhouse gases from 32 major companies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. The CDP is a UK-based independent non-governmental organization that possesses the world's largest database of self reported climate change data.

According to data released by Cemex, the company achieved a 22.7% reduction on CO₂ net emissions per ton of cement produced in 2011 relative to its 1990 baseline. Cemex's rate of alternative fuel use rose to approximately 25% in 2011, an improvement from its rate of 20.3% in 2010. Cemex is on track to reach its 2015 target of 35% alternative fuels substitution rate.

China: China's cement industry is facing massive overcapacity despite a recovery in output in September 2012, said Liu Ming, an official of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

By the end of 2011, a total of 1513 cement works were operating in the country, with a total cement output of 2.3Bt. According to Liu, 210 new cement works are either under construction or to be opened. Once they are all in operation, the nationwide cement output is expected to reach 2.8Bt/yr.

The official said that China would strictly control new production capacities, raise the thresholds for access to the industry, promote mergers and acquisitions in the industry, and eliminate outdated production capacities.

In the first nine months, China's total cement output reached 1.591Bt, an increase of 6.7% year on year. In September 2012 alone, the monthly output hit a record high of 210Mt, reflecting a recovery in the industry.