Cement News tagged under: Pricing
Suez Cement production scaled back 30% due to energy shortages10 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsEgypt-based Suez Cement said that it scaled back production by as much as 30 per cent last year due to a lack of fuel supplies. "A lack of fuel supplies has cut our annual production of 12Mt by between 20-30 per cent since the start of the year," Mohamed Shanan, director of business development of Suez Cement, told Reuters. In terms of fuel price hikes, Mr Shanan told reporters at a recent energy conference that: "Any increase in (fuel) prices must be matched by an increase in cement ... |
DTI probes Philippine cement price hike09 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsThe Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked Philippine cement manufacturers to explain why prices have risen from a year ago and are above the suggested retail price (SRP). Trade undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya cited Holcim Philippines Inc which has raised its selling price to PHP218/bag (US$5.3) from PHP195 (US$4.7) last year. Similarly, Lafarge Republic and Cemex both raised their selling prices to PHP220/bag from PHP205 and PHP195/bag, respectively, Maglaya told reporters afte... |
Steppe Cement's quarter sales volumes slip 2%09 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsKazakhstan-based producer Steppe Cement reported a two per cent drop in sales volumes for the first three months of the year. In a recent trading statement, the company said it sold 166,121t of cement in 1Q13 compared to 170,080t in the 1Q12. However, revenue rose 13 per cent YoY to KZT2272m (EUR11.6m). The company said it chose to maintain high cement prices during the quarter due to production constraints in the last quarter as a result of an exceptionally harsh winter. “We expect to... |
German Federal Court confirms HeidelbergCement’s cartel fine09 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsGermany’s Federal Court has confirmed the 2009 fine imposed on HeidelbergCement by the Higher Court of Düsseldorf at a reduced level of EUR161.4m, the German cement major said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have to accept the verdict of the Federal Court of Justice, and we state that the law suit has now been concluded after a long period of time,” says Dr Bernd Scheifele, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement. HeidelbergCement and other cement producers were initially... |
Votorantim Cimentos sees gains in Brazil, USA03 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsVotorantim Cimentos’ turnover was nine per cent higher at BRL9800m (US$4.85bn) in 2012 and the EBITDA improved by around 11 per cent to BRL3200m. In Brazil, both volumes and prices were up by four per cent, while in North America volumes improved by 17 per cent and prices by 12 per cent. "The combination of a favorable market alongside the opening of new factories and mills allowed a four per cent increase in sales volume in Brazil, reaching 24Mt. The average price of cement rose fou... |
Indian cement price hikes fail to hold in March02 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsCement price hikes initiated during February in the Indian market have failed to stick during March as demand remains subdued across the country. The Economic Times reports that a number of producers have been forced to reduced prices in several areas to meet year-end targets. As a result, the nationwide average was INR300/50kg bag – the same as in February. Prices in the central region corrected by INR5-10/bag after the February peak was followed by weak demand due to the festival of... |
Pakistan cement producers deny cartel01 April 2013, Published under Cement NewsPakistan cement producers have denied the existence of a cement cartel, telling the Ministry of Industries that they are operating at the lowest rate of return. The Express Tribune reports that during a meeting with the ministry, the producers in question countered the claims by stating they have passed on the minimum impact of inflation to end-users over the past few years. They highlighted that cement prices, which were PKR320/bag in 2005, currently only stand at PKR425/bag despite inpu... |
Deutsche Bank: Conch to gain greater pricing power, China27 March 2013, Published under Cement NewsIn light of slowing demand growth and severe overcapacity in East China, the operating landscape has changed in favour of Conch partly through superior production costs and greater pricing power, Deutsche Bank says in a recent note. The bank believes that smaller players are losing market share as they can no longer compete with Conch's superior production costs (10-20 per cent below its peers) and low-priced strategy to clear inventory in the slow season. "Effectively, smaller player... |
Indian producers struggle with flat market growth26 March 2013, Published under Cement NewsIndian cement companies are experiencing challenging market conditions as subdued demand during the peak season is preventing producers from raising prices. Speaking to local press, M Ravinder Reddy, head of marketing for Vicat Group in India and director of marketing at Bharathi cement, said: “The primary reason, I’m told, is that the government has stopped payments to control fiscal deficit, as a result of which infra projects have taken a beating. The retail end also hasn’t grown due t... |
Anhui Conch net profit hit by weaker prices, China25 March 2013, Published under Cement NewsAnhui Conch reported a 45.6 per cent in net profit for 2012 due to weaker average selling prices. The company reported net profit of CNY6.31bn (US$1bn) last year as average prices slipped to CNY245/t from CNY308/t a year ago. Operating revenue dropped 6.41 per cent per cent YoY to CNY45.06bn in 2012. The company sold 187Mt of clinker and cement last year, reflecting a growth of 18.33 per cent YoY. Conch added 20.8Mta of clinker production capacity and 28.3Mta of cement production capa... |