Global Cement News

Philippines: Cemex Holdings Philippines has recorded a profit of US$17.1m in the nine months to 30 September 2019, compared to US$13.0m losses in the corresponding period of 2018. The company attributed the turn-around to steadily growing sales, up by 1.7% year-on-year to US$0.36bn from US$0.35bn, foreign exchange gains and lower income tax expenses, in spite of falling domestic volumes. The Manila Times has reported that a drop in construction activity and delays to projects failed to prevent a 5% rise in domestic cement prices throughout the period.

Australia: Barro Group, the family-owned supplier of premixed concrete, quarry machinery and associated products, has attracted the scrutiny of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over its 43% stake in Adelaide Brighton due to the possible overlap in the two companies’ roles as suppliers of cement, concrete and aggregates. The Advertiser reported that Adelaide Brighton chairman Raymond Barro defended the pairing, saying the companies had ‘complementary footprints’ with ‘limited crossover of products and locations in which for Adelaide Brighton and Barrow Group to compete.’

China: Xinjiang Tianshan Cement has recorded a net profit of US$72.2m in the three months to 30 September 2019, representing an increase of 12% from US$64.5m in the corresponding quarter of 2018. Revenue leapt up to US$464m from US$376m.

Shangfeng Cement also improved its profits in the quarter by 70% year-on-year to US$839m from US$494m in the three months to 2018.

Mexico: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua (GCC) reported a gross profit of US$188m in the third quarter of 2019, down by 4.8% compared to US$198m in the three months to 30 September 2018. GCC CEO Enrique Escalante stated that the company ‘overcame a difficult start to 2019’ with ‘record cement volumes in an increasingly competitive environment in certain markets’ and strengthened pricing. Sales rose 4.2% year-on-year to US$706m from US$677m, with US sales lagging behind the overall increase at 3.0% to US$515m from US$500m.

Peru: Cementos Pacasmayo recorded a net profit of US$40.2m in the three months to 30 September 2019, up by 20% from 33.4% in 2018’s third quarter. The company has said that structural changes, such as the centralisation of type V production at its Pacasmayo plant, and temporary increases in costs slightly restricted this margin. Net sales likewise increased by 20% year-on-year to US$383m from US$319. July and August 2019 set monthly sales volumes records for the company, driven by increased concrete and prefabricated shipments which it forecasts will continue to grow. This is a positive signal for the realisation of Cementos Pacasmayo’s vision of becoming a construction solutions company by 2030.