Dominican Republic: Cemex Dominicana plans to recommission line 1 at its 2Mt/yr integrated San Pedro de Macorís plant. The move is expected to increase its existing clinker production capacity by more than 0.5Mt/yr. The reactivation is scheduled for the last quarter of 2021. It is part of Cemex Dominicana's growth plan, seeking to strengthen its capacity to response to both local market demand and the export market.

"At Cemex Dominicana, we reiterate our commitment to the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic, in the context of boosting the national economy, aiming with these investment plans to reduce the need for imports, promote local industry, and contribute to the generation of employment in the country," said José Antonio Cabrera, Director of Cemex Dominicana.

Austria: RHI Magnesita recorded consolidated net sales Euro2.26bn in 2020, down by 23% year-on-year from Euro2.92bn in 2019. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were Euro140m, down by 53% from Euro300m. Pre-tax profit for the year was Euro42.0m, down by 30% from Euro200m.

The group attributed the declines to lower refractory volumes as a result of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on market demand. It said that customers began re-stocking supply chains at the end of 2020 and into the first quarter of 2021, driving increased refractory demand. Its cement and lime business declined by 21% in 2020. The supplier said that the business recorded a ‘strong performance’ in the first quarter, characteristic of seasonal demand, followed by weak second and third quarters when demand was negatively impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chief executive officer Stefan Borgas said, “2020 has been the most challenging year that our industry has experienced. Throughout the pandemic, RHI Magnesita has protected the health and safety of our employees, ensured business continuity for our customers and taken initiatives to support liquidity and underpin future profitability. Through one of the severest downturns on record, we demonstrated the resilience of our business model and the outstanding commitment of our people while our strong financial position has enabled us to accelerate investment in our strategic priorities.”

India: JSW Cement has signed a contract with JSW Energy to acquire the latter’s 18MW Salboni thermal power plant for US$13.1m. The Press Trust of India newspaper has reported that the companies are conducting the transaction on a slump sale basis. The cement producer plans to optimise labour costs in light of low power demand on the unit. Both companies are subsidiaries of JSW Group.

Germany: Schenck Process has launched CONiQ, a cloud-based software product designed to access data from machines. The company said that it builds the foundation for all digital services of Schenck Process, enabling data-driven maintenance and performance optimisation. Users are able to monitor equipment using CONiQ’s integrated knowledge base. The supplier said that the product will open up ‘new functionalities’ for various cement plant equipment. Its first version will focus on vibrating screens and provide dashboards and functions to improve condition monitoring.