Cement News tagged under: imports

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Iraq promises to remove Iran import ban

23 May 2016, Published under Cement News

Iraq has promised to remove the ban placed on Iranian cement imports, according to Adolreza Sheikhan, secretary of Iran's Cement Industry Employers Association. Following meetings between Iranian and Iraqi officials, Baghdad promised to give priority to Iranian exports once the general ban on cement import is removed, Mr Sheikhan said. Iran's cement and clinker exports witnessed a 20 per cent fall in the last fiscal year (ended 20 March), now standing at 15Mt.

Iraq ban challenges Iran cement industry

19 May 2016, Published under Cement News

The Iraqi government has passed a bill banning the imports of Iranian cement to protect its domestic cement industry. Mohammad-Reza Lotfi, the deputy head of the Association of Cement Industry Entrepreneurs, said that Iran's cement exports to Iraq amounted to some 7Mt or around 60 per cent of Iranian exports last year. Mr Lotfi said that the only solution is to look for new markets, such as Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Zimbabwe: firms face closure

13 May 2016, Published under Cement News

Due to an influx of cheap imported products in Zimbabwe, local cement producers have warned of a possible scaling down of operations and closures, saying protectionist measures are needed to save the industry. In a recent position paper presented to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce by the Cement and Concrete Institute of Zimbabwe, local cement manufacturers have called for the government to ban imported cement, among other interventions, saying the market is oversupplied. Some measu...

Tunisia: petcoke shortage risks near-doubling cement price

13 May 2016, Published under Cement News

Tunisia’s Industry Ministry is looking into to alternatives to alleviate the petcoke shortage in the country. Importing petcoke is proving to be difficult as El Fouledh port, temporarily tasked with importing the fuel, is not able to receive the ships and volumes required for the cement industry. At present, works at the port of Ciment de Bizerte prevent petcoke imports at that location. The petcoke shortage risks the closure of several cement plants in Tunisia unless they can successfully...

Patterns in US cement

11 May 2016, Published under Cement News

As the US market picks up, the country’s cement producers can look forward to consumption growth rates of 6-7 per cent annually over the next two years. This should enable them to continue raising capacity utilisation of their production facilities. However, cement and clinker imports are resuming their upward path too. By Rob Roy, ROI Economic Consulting, USA. US construction activity reached a turning point at the end of 2015, enabling the full year to register significant growth ...

Rep of Congo: Cimenterie de Lukala to close down

06 May 2016, Published under Cement News

Cimenterie de Lukala (CILU), located in the Republic of Congo, will be closing down due to “the unfair competition it has faced since December 2015”, according to its CEO, Ola Ora. The factory had been running at capacity utilisation rates of below 50 per cent in recent times. The country’s government had allowed conditional imports of cement into the Republic of Congo. Domestic cement demand is estimated at around 3Mt, but local production is limited to 0.5Mt.

US cement shipments up 26% YoY in February

26 April 2016, Published under Cement News

Preliminary data from the US Geological Survey shows that Portland and blended cement shipments in February 2016 amounted to 6.0Mt, including 630,000t of imports. These figures are both up on February 2015, with overall shipments being 26 per cent higher and imports 29 per cent higher. Shipment volumes for February 2016 were well above the 4.5Mt average over the previous five years (2011-15), being 34 per cent higher. Clinker production was 5.1Mt, 13 per cent higher than in February 2015....

Taiwan's next phase

21 April 2016, Published under Cement News

With demand far from its 1993 peak of 28Mt and export restrictions in place since 2011, the Taiwan cement industry has faced testing times in its recent history. As import protection ends in May 2016, ICR speaks with Christopher Pei, secretary general of Taiwan Cement Manufacturers’ Association, about expectations for this challenging new era. Christopher Pei, secretary general, Taiwan Cement Manufacturers’ Association In mid-2016, Taiwan’s cement industry is expected to ente...

Malawi government open to legal cement imports

20 April 2016, Published under Cement News

Malawi's government is issuing licences for the importation of cement. The legally imported cement is said to be bringing competition and stabilising the prices of cement in the country that has been welcomed by property investors, reported All Africa. Ministry of Industry and Trade spokesperson, Wiskes Mkombezi said government issues the cement importation licences in order to protect the consumers from exploitation of exorbitant prices on the monopolising local industry. He said the li...

German cement demand reaches 26.6Mt in 2015

18 March 2016, Published under Cement News

German cement consumption reached approximately 26.6Mt in 2015, some 2.2 per cent less than the previous year, according to German Cement Works Association (VDZ). The outlook for 2016 is more optimistic with the VDZ expecting positive market developments. "The persistent low level of investment in trade and industry has had a noticeable effect on the cement market", said Gerhard Hirth, President of VDZ. Despite the generally positive economic climate, no additional demand impetus came from ...