Cement News tagged under: Kenya

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Former ARM CEO to remain as board member

17 August 2018, Published under Cement News

Pradeep Paunrana, chief executive of ARM Cement PLC (Kenya), said on Thursday he planned to quit his post as part of a changes at the Kenyan cement maker, but now states he will stay on as a board member. "As founder shareholder and entrepreneur, I will be an active Board member and support the incoming CEO and the management team in strengthening stakeholder relationships with suppliers, customers and the Government in all the three East African countries where we operate," Pradeep Paunra...

ARM seeks limestone mining permit

15 August 2018, Published under Cement News

ARM is requesting government approval to mine limestone in five areas in Kilifi County, Kenya. The cement producer wants to mine the raw material over 24.931km 2 in the Chonyi, Pangani, Chairing, Maereni and Maseras areas. Kenya’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mining invited objections to the bid to be made within 42 days. This latest application is the third such permitting step following applications to mine in Kajiado and Makueni counties last month. These are currently under considerati...

Bamburi Cement launches new rapid concrete solution

30 July 2018, Published under Cement News

Bamburi Cement has launched a ready-mix concrete that will speed up construction time  by enabling continuous concrete pour in projects of more than 2000t in under 48h. Pours of this volume usually take almost a month using traditional methods. The new product, Poweraft, is designed for the construction of foundations for skyscrapers, bridge piers and generally all applications requiring mass delivery of fresh concrete. Bamburi Cement’s Managing Director, Seddiq Hassani, said that Powera...

Cement consumption in Kenya falls to 2.3Mt Jan-May 2018

20 July 2018, Published under Cement News

Cement consumption in Kenya in the first five months of 2018 dipped to 2.3Mt compared to 2.5Mt in the same period in 2017 reports the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). "The deceleration was reflected in the decline in consumption of cement from 1.5Mt in the first quarter of 2017 to 1.4Mt in the quarter under review," said KNBS in its quarterly gross domestic product report for the 1Q18. KNBS noted that the decline in consumption was also occasioned by notable decreases in the ...

Kenya's cement consumption falls to 1.4Mta in 2Q18

13 July 2018, Published under Cement News

Cement demand in Kenya has fallen to 1.4Mta in the second quarter of the year, according to a report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The agency attributes the drop to a continued slowdown in real estate activity. In the first quarter of 2017 domestic cement consumption reached 1.5Mt but has since decreased. Furthermore, the continuing decline was also reflected in a 15.7 per cent drop in cement imports as well as in an eight per cent fall in clinker imports during the...

ARM negotiating US$120m loan deal with IFC

12 July 2018, Published under Cement News

ARM Cement Ltd of Kenya is trying to reach an agreement with the International Finance Corp about a capital injection of US$120m in loans, acccording to ARM's Chief Executive Officer, Pradeep Paunrana. "Nobody just gives you US$120m without conditions," Mr Paunrana said. "We are in discussions, it is not a facility, it is a term sheet. There are conditions attached to this." The main conditions include a return to profitability and getting an equity investor during the next nine to 12 mont...

ARM asks for time after missing bond payment

10 July 2018, Published under Cement News

The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed that the ARM Cement missed its June 2018 interest payment on a privately placed bond worth tens of millions of Kenyan shillings. The bond was issued in 2015 with the medium-term notes (MTN) maturing in November 2020 and expected to pay interest each June and December, according to the Business Daily. "We're asking our lenders to give us some time so that we can recapitalise the business, we're in negotiation for injection of between US$15m and US$20...

Pokot Cement still waiting to get off the ground

09 July 2018, Published under Cement News

The continued delay in establishing the Pokot Cement factory in Kenya, is infuriating local residents who expect to benefit from new job opprotunities. Today, prime land in the area whose value had risen, no longer attracts the interest of potential buyers, with the township remaining largely inactive. West Pokot County Executive Committee member for trade, Monges Lotodo, said the authorities sought audience with the Ministry of Mining a month ago concerning the delayed plant. "We have co...

LafargeHolcim

02 July 2018, Published under Cement News

LafargeHolcim has started its EUR100m+ investment in its Martres-Tolosane plant in Haute Garonne,  southern France, with completion envisaged in 2020. This should enable the use of alternative materials in clinker production to be increased from 39 to 80 per cent and the overall capacity of the works to be raised by some 20 per cent. Huaxin Cement, a 41.8 per cent-owned LafargeHolcim associate has formed a 50 per cent-owned associate in Nepal to build a US$140m cement works at Dhading. Hu...

Bamburi Cement completes construction of grinding plant

29 June 2018, Published under Cement News

Kenya’s Bamburi Cement has announced that construction of its 0.9Mta grinding plant at Athi River, south of Nairobi, has been completed. The facility represents a KES4bn (US$39.62m) investment and is part of the company’s expansion plan launched in 2015. "The contractor is on schedule and will soon be handing the project over to the company for full operation," said Seddiq Hassani, CEO, Bamburi Cement. The company’s Power Plus and Power Max brands will be relocated from Mombasa to the new...