Quarry Products

ARM Cement of Kenya is likely to finalise talks with a foreign investor on picking up a US$140 million (€122.92 million) stake in the company by 15 April 2016.

Of the total investment, US$110 million will be used by the cement company to repay company debt while the rest will be used for expansion.

The investment will be finalised by June 2016.

Keystone Private Equity; Daewon Construction; Tong Yang, and two other bidders have been shortlisted for the takeover of Sambu Construction Industrial, a unit of South Korea-based Sambu Construction that is currently placed under court receivership.

The final bidding round for Sambu, which produces pre-stressed, high-strength concrete (PHC) piles, will be held on 22 April 2016, disclosed arranger Samjung KPMG.

Sambu reported a KRW 6.8 billion (€5.2 million/US$5.92 million) operating profit and a KRW 5

The Portland Cement Association predicted that cement consumption in the US will grow by 3.4% in 2016 and then by 4.3% in 2017.

The new figure was lower than the previous forecast of a 5% increase, taking into account the effect of plunging oil prices; strict monetary policy; weak global economy, and the country's new Fixing America's Surface Transportation Highway Bill.

According to GS-Expert, the consumption of cement in Kazakhstan grew by 7% in 2015.

The share of imported products totalled some 12%, which is the lowest rate in the last ten years.

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Construction's Building Materials Department revealed that in January-March, 2016, cement consumption in the country increased by 109.8% year-on-year to 15.71 million tonnes.

Exports during the period also increased by 102% to 3.5 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, in March 2016, consumption reached 6.27 million tonnes with a 17% increase from March 2015.

Exports during the month increased by 115% year-on-year to 1.35 million tonnes.

Shareholders at Mexican cement company Cemex have approved the emission of close to 1.61 billion A and B class shares that will be distributed among investors as dividends.

The company’s stocks were hit by the devaluation of Mexico's own currency and low international oil prices in 2015, yet its price has increased by around 33% so far this year due to better prospects in terms of cash flow and exchange rate.

Mednogorsky Scheben, a crushed stone producer from the Orenburg region (Volga), has entered bankruptcy proceedings.

Creditors' claims will be accepted within two months

Fery Hendriyanto from Wijaya Karya Beton (Wika Beton) said that the Indonesian pre-cast concrete producer has realised contracts valued at some IDR 2.7 trillion (€179.74 million/US$203.71 million) in the first-quarter of 2016.

Out of the figure, IDR 1.7 trillion was carry over contracts from 2015.

For 2016, the company is targeting new contracts valued at IDR 4 trillion.

During the first-quarter of 2016, the company has reported sales of around IDR 700 billion, up from IDR 450 billion generated in

Juhans Suryantan from Holcim Indonesia said that the cement company has launched its mortar products which comes in three variants: Holcim Acian, Holcim Plesteran and Holcim Pasangan.

In the early stages, the products are available only in Jakarta and its surrounding areas.

The products have been mixed with cement and sand, making it efficient in terms of time and cost.