Cement News tagged: International
Vietnamese market stable, exports slip in June
Vietnamese cement companies sold 7.497Mt of cement in June 2019, down four per cent YoY and 12 per cent MoM, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). Of this total, 5.645Mt were supplied to the domestic market, reflecting a stable market when compared with June in the previous year and a five per cent fall MoM. In addition, 1.851Mt were exported, down 16 per cent YoY and 27...
Sabah considers new plant to ensure clinker supply
Sabah Economic Development Corp (SEDCO) and Cement Industries (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (CIS) are reportedly considering plans to build a clinker plant to ensure supply into the Malaysian state, according to Bernama. Sabah Trade and Industries Minister, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, confirmed that clinker is currently being imported from Peninsular Malaysia and abroad. "The cost structure for CIS i...
Kinshasa cement prices sees 11% hike
The price of a bag of grey cement in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has increased to CDF15,000 (US$9.08) from CDF13,500, according the national press agency ACP. The price rise, which applies to domestically-produced and imported cement, is the result of an increase in demand as Kinshasa province is currently subject to a housing boom and the implementation of President Félix Antoin...
Alaskan cement terminal approved
The Anchorage Assembly has approved funding to rebuild the city of Anchorage's docks at a cost of US$42.1m for the first phase of a US$200m programme that will see a petroleum and cement terminal at the city-owned port in Alaska, USA. The first phase of development is being implemented by Seattle-based Pacific Pile and Marine. The port's cement business is mainly carried out by Alaska Basic I...
Cement shipments in USA slip to 9.3Mt
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the USA and Puerto Rico fell to 9.3Mt in May 2019, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The leading consuming states were Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and Georgia , which combined account for 39 per cent of shipments in May. Leading producing states were Texas, California, Missouri, Florida and Alabama. Masonry cement deliverie...
FY20 to remain challenging for cement sector in Pakistan
Pakistani cement companies are scheduled to announce their 4Q annual results ended 30 June 2019. Mixed financial results are expected, despite two companies (Lucky Cement and Attock Cement) having reported a fall in profit earlier this week. However, various research house reports suggest that the stagnant cement demand in a fragile domestic economy continues to damage company profitability...
Local cement dispatch faces barrier in Pakistan
Pakistan cement industry is still persisting with the dispatch issue in the local market. The All Pakistan Cement Dealers Association (APCDA) is reluctant to lift the cement cargoes from cement plants across country on the pretext of intruding tax measures announced in federal budget 2019-20. However, All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) neither highlighted this issue nor an...
Chile’s cement sales up 6% in May
Cement dispatches in Chile slipped 0.9 per cent MoM to 345,001t in May 2019, according to the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC). However, this represents a YoY increase of 6.4 per cent to 324,236t. In the first five months of 2019, total dispatches increased 7.9 per cent to 1.773Mt when compared with 5M18 when dispatches were 1.643Mt.
Protests in Nicaragua affect cement sector
Demonstrations against Daniel Ortega, president of Nicaragua, which began in April 2018, have reportedly had a negative impact on the country’s economy, according to Reuters. Cemex Latam Holdings has reported that its Nicaraguan business has suffered from a downturn in the construction sector, which contracted 21 per cent in 2018. "The crisis remains unresolved and continues to affect eco...
CG Cement plans new plant in Sri Lanka
Nepal’s CG Cement has announced plans to invest US$150m to set up a new plant in Mannar, Sri Lanka. According to Binod Chaudhary, owner of the company, it has already received approval for the project. "I have got the green light from the government and we have already identified several limestone deposits in the province to make cement locally," said Mr Chaudhary. "Currently Sri Lanka import...
Panama improves cement quality requirements and standards
Panama’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ramón Martínez, signed two ministerial resolutions aimed at improving the requirements and standards of cement quality, both for domestic and imported cement. The new technical standard DGNTI-COPANIT 5-2019 of building, building materials, hydraulic cement sets out the chemical, physical and performance requirements of general and specialised cements,...
Cement demand in Spain down 3% in June
Cement consumption in Spain fell 2.9 per cent to 1.2Mt in June 2019, the first drop in monthly demand since November 2018. The drop has been attributed to a slow public works sector Despite the positive evolution of housing, the non-reactivation of public works and the delay of the work already tendered is slowing the growth of cement consumption," said Oficemen President, Jesus Ortiz. Cemen...
Construction starts on new 1.5Mta Uzbek plant
Construction of a new cement plant in Yanguikurgan district in Namangan region of Uzbekistan has been started. The works has a capacity of 1.5Mta and is built on a 40ha plot. Total cost of the investment is US$105m, of which Chinese investors contribute US$90m. The facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020 and will provide 700 new jobs.
Vietnamese cement sector to reach 115Mta of capacity in 2020
Vietnam is expected to have 89 cement production lines and a total capacity of 115Mta in 2020, according to the Vietnam National Union of Building Workers. In 2019 two additional lines are scheduled to begin operations. Nam Dong will commission a 1.8Mta unit in Thua Thien-Hue province and Thanh Thang Cement is expected to start up its 2.3Mta third line in northern Ha Nam province. A further...
China’s cement industry sees CNY80bn profit in 1H19
China’s cement industry in the first half of 2019 saw profits advance by 20 per cent to CNY80bn (US$11.6bn), according to China Securities Journal. Cement output increased 6.8 per cent YoY to 1.05bnt in the January-June period, the highest growth rate in the last five years, as shown by data of the National Bureau of Statistics. The cement market expansion has been attributed to real estate...
Pakistan attracts lesser FDI in FY19
Pakistan received a net foreign direct investment (FDI) of US$1.737bn in last financial year, FY18-19 compared to US$3.471bn in July-June 2017-18. This translates a fall of 50 per cent foreign direct investment in the country industrial sector, including construction and cements industry, says a report of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). A breakdown of SBP data shows that the net total FDI in t...