ECDE: 2011 production below expectations, Algeria

Cement production at Algerian cement producer Chlef Entreprise publique des ciments et dérivés  (ECDE) in 2011 is below expectations due to some technical problems among other issues, a company source said yesterday.

Production amounted to 2.11Mt against a target of 2.4Mt, the source said. It attributed this decline to "two big failures of the conveyor belt of raw material, which lasted 12 days, and a movement of distributors that have blocked access to the plant for three weeks."

However, the source emphasised that: "tremendous efforts have been made by management and workers of the cement plant to bridge this gap and ensure a normal supply of local and national markets." Cement marketed by ECDE makes up 20 per cent of national production, the source said.

The company is planning a new line at the site which will double capacity to 4Mt by 2015. The plan has already been submitted to the relevant authorities for approval.