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Uzpromstroybank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China discuss cement projects in Uzbekistan 12 November 2018
Uzbekistan: Representatives of Uzpromstroybank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (UCBC) have met to discuss investment projects in the country to boost local industrial capacity. Proposals included expanding the production capacity of Kuvasoycement’s Kuvasay plant and the construction of a new cement plant, Yaypancement, according to the Trend News Agency.
Eagle Cement’s sales grow by 9% to US$229m so far in 2018 12 November 2018
Philippines: Eagle Cement’s sales grew by 9% year-on-year to US$229m for the first nine months of 2018. It attributed the growth to rising cement demand in the country due to government infrastructure project, according to the Philippine Star. Its income grew by 6% to US$65.8m. The company is planning to upgrade the grinding capacity of its plant in Bulacan in 2019.
LafargeHolcim Poland invests Euro2.5m in automated laboratory 12 November 2018
Poland: LafargeHolcim Poland has invested Euro2.5m towards setting up an automated laboratory in a new building at its Kujawy cement plant. The laboratory will be used to test and analyse the quality of raw meal, clinker and cement every hour over a 24 hour period. Results are then fed back to the control room to allow for production line modifications.
The new facticity was constructed and commissioned in less than 10 months, covering all sampling points. Setup included installing pneumatic conveyors to connect sample points to the laboratory. The longest was 0.5km.
Ivory Coast hits cement production capacity of 10Mt/yr 12 November 2018
Ivory Coast: Xavier Saint-Martin-Tillet, the head of the Ivory Coast Cement Association, says that the country has a cement production capacity of 10Mt/yr. However, the local market is estimated to only consume 4Mt/yr, according to the Agence de Presse Africaine. Saint-Martin-Tillet made the comment at the Abidjan Infrastructure Exhibition.
Cementir results adjust to business outside of Italy 09 November 2018
Italy: Cementir’s sales and earnings have benefited from new assets in the US as well as good performance in Belgium and China. Its sales revenue rose by 4.8% year-on-year to Euro893m in the first nine months of 2018 from Euro852m in the same period in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 5.2% to Euro163m from Euro155m. Its cement sales volumes fell by 1.8% to 7.52Mt from 7.66Mt. However, these figures take into account the company’s sale of its Italian operations.
Francesco Caltagirone Jr, chairman and chief executive officer, said, “In the first nine months of 2018 the EBITDA benefited on the one hand from the contribution of the US by Euro12.3m and from the improvement in Belgium and China, on the other it suffered the deterioration of earnings in Egypt due to the curfew introduced in February 2018 and the resulting stop of all transport activities until May 2018, in Norway due to bad weather in the first quarter, and in Turkey due to the economic and currency crisis getting worse in the month of August.”
In March 2018 the company purchased a controlling stake in Lehigh White Cement in the US from HeidlebergCement. It operates the company with Cemex as a junior partner. In October 2018 Cementir, through its subsidiaries, acquired an additional stake in Egypt’s Sinai White Cement increasing its share to 71.1% from 66.4% for Euro3.8m.