Cement News tagged: International
Iran's cement consumption up 16% in October
Cement demand in Iran has increased by 16.3 per cent YoY to 6.07Mt in October 2023, reports the Iranian Cement Association. Clinker production slipped 2.3 per cent YoY to 6.93Mt, but cement output saw a 12.3 per cent advance in October 2023 when compared with October 2022. The country exported 0.47Mt of cement, up 20.5 per cent YoY, but clinker exports declined by 15.2 per cent YoY to 0.67Mt...
Cement dispatches in Peru contract 9% in October
Cement dispatches in Peru declined by nine per cent YoY to 1.082Mt in October 2023 from 1.189Mt in October 2022, according to Asocem, the country's cement association. Of this total, Asocem members dispatched 1.004Mt, representing a 13 per cent decrease when compared with October 2022. Cement production from domestic cement plants was down 12.6 per cent to 1.023Mt from 1.171Mt. Clinker produc...
MPS urges UK government to invest
Ahead of the UK Government’s Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) has written to the chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, urging the government to invest in Britain’s infrastructure rather than accepting a managed decline. Prompted by the government’s decision to cancel Phase 2 of the rail project, HS2, compounding already poor delivery of UK...
Soyuzcement warns of rising cement costs in 2024
Russia’s union of cement producers, Soyuzcement, has written to the country’s government warning of a 17-30 per cent YoY rise in cement costs in 2024 on the back of higher logistics and energy costs, higher interest rates, and rising salaries. According to the union, these increasing costs come on top of the 23-30 per cent hike in production costs already seen in 2023, reports bne IntelliNews...
Borneo cement shortage threatens construction projects
A shortage of cement in Sabah, Borneo, is having a significant impact on the state's construction industry, particularly in the towns of Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau in the east coast. According to The Borneo Post, the shortage is in danger of causing all construction activity to grind to a halt. Henry Tsen, president of the Sabah Builders Association (SBA), has expressed concern for ...
Ghana shuts three cement companies
The Ghana Standards Authority has shut down three cement companies due to their use of inferior materials, reports the Daily Graphic. The three cement producers in question are Xin An Safe Cement Ghana Ltd , Kumasi Cement Ghana Ltd, and Uniceme Cement Ghana Ltd. The move is reportedly part of a wider crackdown by the GSA on substandard cement production in Ghana. Along with the closure of ...
Brazil's cement market contracts 2% in October
Cement sales in Brazil declined by 2.1 per cent to 5.257Mt in October 2023 when compared with October 2022, when sales reached 5.368Mt, according to the Brazilian cement association, SNIC. The southeast, the largest market, saw sales contract by 2.9 per cent YoY to 2.382Mt in October 2023 from 2.453Mt in the year-ago period while in the northeast sales slipped by 0.9 per cent YoY to 1.092Mt ...
Zimbabwe issues import licences to meet demand
The Zimbabwean government has issued cement import licences to ensure supply while two of the country’s leading cement producers deal with production issues. According to ZimEye, Lafarge and Sino-Zimbabwean Cement Co are currently experiencing production problems so have been issued with import licences to ensure the country is not left short of cement. Zimbabwe is home to a total ce...
US Portland and blended cement shipments slip in August
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement shipments (including imports) in the USA and Puerto Rico slipped slightly to 10.6Mt in August 2023 when compared with August 2022, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Of the total blended cement volume, 5.7Mt or 98 per cent, was Portland limestone cement (Type IL). The main markets for Portland and blended cement in August 2023 were Tex...
Argentine market contracts by 1% in October
Cement consumption in Argentina slipped by 0.6 per cent YoY in October 2023 to 1,125,049t from 1,131,509t in October 2022, reports the country’s cement association, AFCP. Market demand was met entirely by domestic output, which declined by 0.2 per cent YoY to 1,125,049t from 1,121,509t in October 2022. Argentine cement producers exported 8256t of cement in October 2023, up from 4302t in Oc...
Colombia’s cement demand decreases 5% in September
Cement consumption in Colombia declined 4.9 per cent to 1.131Mt in September 2023 from 1.19Mt in September 2022, according to DANE, the country’s statistics office. The Valle del Cauca market saw the largest contraction, by 18.8 per cent YoY, followed by Norte de Santander (-16.5 per cent), Caldas (-13.7 per cent) and Colima (-13.4 per cent). Meta, ear and Sucre were the only markets that sh...
Morocco’s key producers see 4% uptick in October domestic sales
Deliveries by members of Morocco’s cement association APC ( Asment Temara , Ciments de l’Atlas , Ciments du Maroc and LafargeHolcim Maroc ) expanded by 3.7 per cent YoY to 1,087,867t in October 2023 from 1,048,975t in October 2022, according to the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy. Infrastructure sales jumped by 64.6 per cent YoY to 78,541t i...
Chilean consumption sees 14% drop in September
Cement demand in Chile fell by 13.9 per cent YoY to 251,901t in September 2023 from 292,714t in September 2022, according to the Chilean construction chamber, CChC. In the first nine months of 2023 the domestic market contracted by 9.3 per cent YoY to 2.578Mt from 2.841Mt in the 9M22.
FOA call for compliance of the Axle Load Regime
A public notice from the Fleet Operators Association (FOA) of Pakistan urges strict implementation of the axle load regime (ALR) and the National Trucking Policy to save human life while carrying cargo, including raw materials or finished goods for all industries, including cement. The price of human life is invaluable. According to a report by the World Bank on Road Safety, accidents cost...
Italy's cement production up 5% in August
Italian cement production saw a five per cent increase YoY in August 2023, reaching an index value of 62 when compared with the base year of 2015, according to the national construction chamber, Federbeton. Cement prices increased by nine per cent YoY in August to an index value of 206 when compared with the base line of 2015. In terms of external trade cement imports fell five per cent YoY ...
1QFY23-24 is a good omen for Pakistan’s cement industry
Pakistan’s cement industry saw healthy growth in profit after tax (PAT) between July and September 2023 (1QFY23-24) on the back of a 32 per cent YoY advancement in sales, according to Spectrum Securities Ltd, which evaluated the results of the top nine cement makers enrolled at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), representing 93 per cent of the sector’s market capitalisation. The t...