Holcim

On 13 July, Holcim inaugurated its new 2.1Mta integrated cement works at Kolomna, some 100 km south of Moscow, in the presence of president Medvedev. The new Shurovo works involves an investment of around €500m and is one of the biggest Holcim plants in Europe. Cement has been produced at the Kolomna site since 1870.

Meanwhile, subsidiary Cement Australia is closing its Kandos works in NSW over the coming months. The comparatively small plant with two kilns and a cement capacity of 0.45Mta has suffered from high costs and a strong Australian currency. The plant is currently supplying the Sydney market by rail and more local markets by road.

ACC Limited, one of Holcim's two main subsidiaries in India, reported a 31% increase in cement production for the month of July, which gives a 13.8% increase for the first seven months of the year to 14.21Mt. Cement deliveries were 14.1% ahead at 14.18Mt. For the first six months of the year, ACC saw its turnover grow by 15.6% to INR50.9518bn (€814.0m/US$11,508m) but the pre-tax profit declined by 9.7% to INR9.5426bn (€152.9m) in response to higher costs, with the cement volume being 11.4% higher at 5.93Mt.

Ambuja Cements, its sister company, reported an 18.6% increase in cement production to 1.67Mt and a 13.2% advance in dispatches, with the cumulative increase for the seven months being a 1.7% rise in production to 12.46Mt and dispatches being 2.9% higher at 12.74Mt. For the three months to the end of June, turnover rose by 6.1% to INR21.73bn (€347.1m) but the increase in production costs meant that the EBITDA declined by 7.1% to INR5.98bn (€95.5m) and the pre-tax profit was off by 5.3% to INR5.32bn (€85.06m).