Global Cement News

Canada: WEG will supply the substation of Votorantim Cimentos North America’s St Marys Cement plant in Bowmanville, Ontario with its transformers. The order includes four transformers with capacities of 20MVA and 25MVA and voltage levels of 43.8/4.16kV. Sales and engineering teams from Brazil collaborated with VJ Pamensky Canada, the exclusive distributor of WEG in Canada, on the project.

Pakistan: Cement producers across Pakistan have initiated an indefinite nationwide strike in response to increased withholding and turnover taxes introduced in the federal budget for 2024-25. The mandatory implementation of Point of Sale systems has also been criticised, due to a lack of resources and training. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association is urging the government to adopt a presumptive tax regime to mitigate these challenges. Meanwhile, despite domestic challenges, Pakistan's cement exports rose by 40.5% in the first 11 months of the 2023-2024 financial year (FY23-24), which ended on 30 June 2024. reaching almost US$237m from US$168m in the corresponding period in FY22-23.

Vietnam: State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) reported a loss of US$34m in the first half of 2024, a figure that has increased by 200% year-on-year.

The losses are attributed to a stagnant real estate market, rising material and fuel costs, exchange rate fluctuations and intense competition within the industry. Vicem produced 7.63Mt of clinker and 9.77Mt of cement during the period, experiencing over a 7% year-on-year decline in both. Its revenue also fell by 19.4% year-on-year to nearly US$520m. This is the second consecutive year the firm has recorded a loss, following a US$43m deficit in 2023.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement reported on 12 July 2024 that its revenue in the first half of 2024 was impacted by lower average cement prices. In the first six months of 2024, sales of cement fell 4% to 0.72Mt from 0.75Mt in 2023. The company generated sales of US$32.4m, down 9.6% from US$36bn in 2023. During the first half of 2024, the cement market in Kazakhstan declined by 1.6% year-on-year from 2023, with much of the decline concentrated in the first quarter. Overall demand in the Kazakh cement market was 11Mt in 2023, and is expected to be similar in 2024. Looking ahead, the company anticipates further growth and increased sales in 2024.

A spokesperson for Steppe said "The cost of transport and some utilities, particularly electricity, have significantly increased year-on-year. However, sales focus in local markets, better production levels and higher productivity have partially compensated for these increased costs."

Denmark: Aalborg Portland, a Danish cement firm, has completed testing for its second carbon capture pilot plant and will now undergo further trials in Romania and Greece, according to M-Brain News. This plant is a key component of the EU-subsidised ConsenCUS project.

A spokesperson for Aalborg Portland said "This experience offers preliminary knowledge ahead of establishing a full-scale CO₂ capture facility, and we are also contributing to the progression of this area where we, within the ConsenCUS collaboration, have verified the existence of multiple potential technologies for CO₂ capture."