News

Nigeria and South Africa remain the leading sub-Saharan cement producers, with 25% and 16% of total market share, with Ethiopia and Kenya accounting for 11% and 6% respectively of the market, reports the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency.

Cement consumption per capita in East Africa is significantly below the global average of 500kg, with the region's largest markets in Kenya (80kg) and Ethiopia (61kg) - both said by ERTA to be indicating significant potential for growth. This reflects high domestic

Cemex, the Mexican cement giant, and Irish building materials group CRH are reportedly working together on a potential bid for Lafarge and Holcim assets worth between €3.95 billion and €6.98 billion.

The joint bid will have to compete with HeidelbergCement and Votorantim Cimentos, which have also reportedly joined forces to acquire all Lafarge and Holcim assets on offer.

A Cemex spokesperson has stated that the firm will not comment on market rumours. Lafarge and Holcim are seeking buyers for operat

According to brokerage company Msin, sales of cement rose 26.5% in August 2014, after seven months of declining sales.

In the first eight months sales fell 5% year-on-year to 9.3 million tonnes.

While the government talks about a recovery, specialists believe a recovery will take another few years.

Msin forecasts a drop of 4.1% in 2014, followed by an increase of 2% in 2015 and a drop of 1% in 2016.

It forecasts average annual growth of 0.39%, from 14.2 million tonnes in 2014 to 15.5 million ton

In Pakistan, a total of 3.15 million tonnes of cement were dispatched in September 2014, an increase by 7.08% from 2.94 million tonnes in the the same month in 2013.

During the month 2.42 million tonnes of cement were dispatched to domestic markets, a 13.86% growth from 2.12 million tonnes in September 2013.

Exports dropped 10.6% year-over-year from 816,000tonnes to 730,000tonnes in the month under review.

Some EGP 500 million (€55.87 million/US$69.91 million) will be spent by cement maker Suez Cement to improve its environmental mitigation plan at Tourah Factory 2 in Egypt.

According to Al Mal News, Suez Cement will be shutting down Tourah Factory 1, which failed to comply to the environmental standards.

In Russia, Iskitimcement (Novosibirsk region, Siberia) has started mounting belt conveyor weighers from Schneck Process of Germany.

The equipment on four more devices will be replaced by the end of 2014, involving investments of about RUB 18 million (€358,603.82/US$448,709.40).

A smooth-start system for cement mill’s main drive motors will be installed in the Siryevoy workshop as a part of the modernisation programme.

Residents and local officials in Brueil-en-Vexin are concerned by a project by Calcia (Italcementi) to create a quarry in the Vexin regional nature park.

The quarry would produce 700,000tonnes of limestone/year and would require the construction of an access route for trucks.

Calcia has reportedly told locals that the nearby Gargenville cement factory requires these new resources to continue operating.

US-based mining company Vanguard Mining intends to set up a cement plant in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara.

This was disclosed by the Indonesian Cement Association's chairman, Widodo Santoso. Vanguard is to invest an estimated US$490 million/€387.49 million) in the project, which will be carried out in several stages.

The cement plant will have 2 million tonnes in annual capacity.

In Sorong of Indonesia's West Papua, a cement plant called Unit VI will be constructed by Semen Tonasa.

A total of IDR 3 trillion (€195.14 million/US$246.77 million) will be invested into the project.

Semen Tonasa was a unit of Semen Indonesia, and the plant will be Sement Tonasa's first plant in the province.

An auction for sale of a 14.99% state in the charter capital of Uraltranstrom (Yekaterinburg, Urals), manufacturer of reinforced concrete and aggregates, has produced no bids.

The starting price was set at RUB 39.24 million (€781,146.61 USD 987,809.73).

French road materials producer Eurovia has provisionally closed its La Meilleraie-Tillay aggregate quarry.

This follows a geological analysis by the BRGM geological and mining research office that is said to have shown traces of actinolite dust which exceeded the limit for occupational exposure for asbestos. This dust can contain natural asbestos fibres.

However, other measurements carried out have detected the presence of asbestos at levels which are lower than the limit.

The future of the site w

TSM Global, distributor of the prestigious Japanese multi-national manufacturer Sumitomo Construction Machinery, will be the official distributor of MTG wear parts in Turkish territory.

This new agreement heralds TSM Global as the authorised nationwide distributor of MTG ground engaging tools (GET) products in Turkey. This agreement entitles TSM Global to supply MTG wear parts to the current MTG users in Turkey and it is also a first step for both companies to keep on developing new projects in the regio

Lafarge has recognised BillerudKorsnäs Sack Lab Sweden for its work with Lafarge Research Centre in Lyon, France, to develop new packaging.

Carlos Espina, senior vice president, research and development at Lafarge said: “The development is an exciting and enriching joint development between BillerudKorsnäs and Lafarge. This project shows that great achievements can be reached in a close and trusting cooperation between partners in the value chain.”

Mikael Strömbäck, business segment director, Sack Sol

Global specialist weighing company Precia-Molen completed the acquisition of Shering Weighing, based in Dunfermline, County Fife, Scotland.

Founded in 1946, Shering Weighing is a well knowbrand in the UK weighbridge market, having a long tradition of quality, technology and innovation.

In recent years the company has gained a growing reputation in some export markets for weighbridges and driver operated systems, enjoying a large client base comprising product sales and maintenance contracts in both ex