Quarry Products

The aerated concrete market in St Petersburg and Leningrad region totalled RUB 800-900 million (€14.1- 15.9 million/US$16.15-18.17 million) in Q1 2015.

The production totalled 250,000-260,000m³, the sales in North-West shortened by 5-7% to 230,000m³ year-on-year.

The largest producers are said to be: LSR. Stenovie materialy-Severo-Zapad (Aeroc); H+H; EuroAeroBeton; STK, and 211-KZHBI.

The outlook for market size in 2015 is 1 million m³

China's cement imports from January to April 2015 fell by 60.61% to 37,300 tonnes, as compared to the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, the nation's cement exports decreased by 4.68% to 2.8243 million tonnes, accounting for 0.44% of the nationwide cement output. Exports of clinker grew by 35.15% to 1.7686 million tonnes.

Global cement consumption is expected to grow throughout 2015 and continue throughout the next year, but at the slower rate than in the past.

A report released by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) indicates that cement consumption among developed economies increased by roughly 9.2 million tonnes in 2014, followed by another 9 million tonne increase in 2015.

“Most of the gains in developed world cement consumption is attributed to North America,” said Edward J. Sullivan, chief economist and group

Absolut-Keramik will build a plant for the production of facing ceramic brick in Kostanay, Kazakhstan.

Investments in the project are estimated at KZT 4.20 billion (€19.73 million/US$ 22.59 million).

The capacity of the plant will be 40 million bricks/year.

Estonia's cement producer Kunda Nordic Tsement of HeidelbergCement Group, has reduced output and made 30 employees redundant, citing decline in clinker exports to Russia.

CEO Meelis Einstein said the forced need to cut expenditures has had a negative impact on suppliers of support services to Kunda Nordic Tsement.

Philippines-based San Miguel is considering to re-enter the cement sector in Malaysia's Sarawak state.

In 2007, the group had sold Sarawak Clinker. Ramon S Ang, president of San Miguel, says that securing government permissions are difficult although the company is interested to open cement factories in the state.

According to reports, the production director of Semen Padang, Agus B Nurbiantoro, says that the cement producer is looking at innovation and continuous development to produce quality products to compete in the global market.

Some 39 teams have contributed their innovations in the Semen Padang Improvement Event in the second half of 2014.

Winners from the event will compete at the annual Semen Indonesia Award on Innovation.

According to the Bruno Carre, managing director of Egypt-based Suez Cement, the cement manufacturer is spending US$ 52.40 million (€47.77million)/year for four years.
In 2015, it is likely to convert two new facilities. It targets to raise its energy intake as well as production capacity by 15%.
The company would not lodge a request to get a new cement licence.

Morocco's new law on quarry exploitation has been adopted by the Parliament with the aim of simplifying procedures, creating jobs and levelling the playing field in the sector.
The reform includes the preparation of regional mining plans, and obliges mining companies to carry out environmental impact studies. It also extends permits from five to 20 years, and up to 30 years if the company also has a transformation activity, while authorities must make a decision on whether to grant a permit within 60 days