Cement News tagged: International
Cement companies post a rise in pre-tax profit but face challenges
In 9MFY22-23, 12 out of the 16 cement manufacturers at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) reported impressive before-tax earnings. Despite a drop of 18 per cent in total offtake (sales volumes), revenue growth was 26 per cent higher YoY. The local media research team suggests that cement prices have more than compensated for the demand slowdown in the construction industry, leading to strong re...
Morocco’s cement deliveries up 26% in May
Cement deliveries in Morocco saw a 25.7 per cent advance to 1,189,110t in May 2023 from 945,706t in May 2022, reported the country’s Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planing, Housing and City Policy, based on APC data. In terms of market segments, the key retail sales were up 18.5 per cent YoY to 740,303t, followed by the ready-mix concrete sector received 221,378t, up 48.3 per c...
US and Puerto Rico Portland and blended cement shipments down 6% in March
Total shipments of Portland and blended cements, including imports, in the USA and Puerto Rico declined by six per cent YoY to 8.7Mt in March 2023, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Of the total blended volume reported, 3.2Mt, or 96 per cent, was estimated to be Portland limestone cement (Type IL). The leading consuming states were Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, and Arizona,...
Colombian grey cement market contracts 9% in April
Grey cement dispatches in Colombia declined 9.3 per cent YoY to 0.987Mt in April 2023 from 1.089Mt in April 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency, DANE. Bulk cement sales were down 5.6 per cent YoY while bagged sales saw an 11.1 per cent drop. Construction companies and contractors represented the largest contraction, by 19.9 per cent YoY, followed by the retail sector, where sal...
The cement sector is looking forward higher allocation of PSDP in FY23-24
The Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) of Pakistan's government has recommended PKR2.659trn (US$9.27bn) of national development outlay for the next budget 2023-24, including a federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of PKR1.1trn and a provincial allocation of PKR1.559trn. Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal told journalists that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Mi...
Sri Lanka's cement prices to fall
Sri Lanka’s cement prices are expected to fall by LKR300-500/50kg bag (US$1.03-1.72/50kg bag) of cement, following a recent appreciation of the rupee. A 50kg bag was retailing at round LKR2600. “The reduction in prices is due to the strengthening of our currency, the falling interest rates and the current economic standards that we have put in place,” said Trade Minister, Nalin Fernando, accor...
New cement price rises expected in South Korea
South Korea’s cement industry is likely to increase cement prices by 14 per cent from July, citing the impact of sharply rising electricity prices and currency exchange rate as the main drivers. Ssangyong C&E Co , one of South Korea’s key cement producers, recently sent a letter to concrete suppliers stating its intention to increase bulk prices by 14.1 per cent to KRW119,600/t (US$90.36/t ...
ALCCC calls on Europe to adopt performance-based standards
The Alliance for Low Carbon Cement and Concrete (ALCCC) has published a new report, ‘Fast Tracking Cement Decarbonisation’, calling for a shift to performance-based cement and concrete standards to accelerate the decarbonisation of the European cement industry. According to the report, clinker substitution is generally seen as the most promising lever for decarbonisation, enabling considerable...
Kolos Cement posts MUR48.5m loss
Mauritius-based Kolos Cement reported losses of MUR48.5m (US$1.06m) in the January-March 2023 quarter. The company’s turnover increased 9.4 per cent to MUR522m when compared with MUR477m in the January-March 2022 quarter. Inflation, exchange rate volatility, and rising raw material and fuel costs impacted on the company’s profit margins. For example, fuel costs were up by 264 per cent YoY an...
Spain’s cement market contracts 12% in April
Cement consumption in Spain dropped 11.6 per cent YoY to 1,182,325t in April 2023, according to the Spanish cement association, Oficemen. The YoY drop needs to be considered against “an untypical high result – the highest in the last decade”, said the organisation. "The reason was the rebound effect that occurred in the construction sector, once the transport strike ended," explains Oficemen...
Vietnam cement sales down 14% in April 2023
Cement sales in Vietnam saw a 14 per cent YoY decline to 5,621,586t in April 2023, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). Of this total, VICEM sales fell by 14 per cent to 1,834,092t while other VNCA members reported a 28 per cent drop in aggregate sales to 1,077,494t. Non-members saw an eight per cent YoY decrease in sales to 2,710,000t in April 2023. Exports were down...
Low cement production in 1HFY22-23 attributed to construction downtrend
Last week, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) released its half year report for the FY22-23 on the state of Pakistan’s economy. The analysis in the report covered all sectors, including cement, was prepared on data for the July-December 2022 period. Cement industry output The output in the cement sector contracted by 15.1 per cent during the 1HFY22-23, compared to a 0.9 per cent declin...
Peru's cement market contracts 17% YoY in April
Cement dispatches in Peru fell by 17 per cent YoY to 0.883Mt in April 2023, according to the Peruvian cement association, Asocem. Of this total, 0.851Mt was delivered by Asocem members. Cement production declined 11 per cent YoY to 0.913Mt in April 2023. Clinker production fell 19 per cent YoY to 0.631Mt in April 2023. Cement exports decreased by six per cent YoY to 0.014Mt while clinker e...
WhiteLabel-TandemProjects enters JV with MMe
WhiteLabel-TandemProjects (WLTP) has entered into a joint venture with German engineering-firm MMe GmbH to sell MMe’s sampling device for solid alternative fuels. MMe produces the only automatic sampling device for solid alternative fuels that is tested by the Federal Quality Association for Secondary Fuels (Bundesgütegemeinschaft Sekundärbrennstoffe e.V.) and is working according to the ...
Cement production growth fuels record-high emissions in China
A 4.1 per cent YoY increase in China’s cement production in the first quarter of 2023 has contributed to a four per cent rise in the country’s CO 2 emissions, marking a record high for the first quarter of a year. According to Carbon Brief, the uptick was driven by a economic rebound following the end of China’s zero-COVID-19 policy, which led to oil consumption advancing by 5.5 per cent,...
Sri Lankan government urged to reduce bagged cement prices
Sri Lankan cement customers are urging the government to make cement bag prices reasonable, given the appreciation of the local currency after the economic crisis in the country. Presently 50kg bag prices are hovering between LKR2500-2650 (US$8.14-8.63), according to company websites. The National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) expressed concern over reducing a bag of cement by...