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Asia Cement is continuing its 25 Renewable Energy Schools Project that is targeted to be completed in 2016.

The cement maker started the programme in 2014, and under the programme, the company has aimed to equip 25 schools with rooftop photovoltaic panels. So far, the project has been implemented in 15 schools and Asia Cement will implement the project in another ten schools.

Only schools located near the company’s cement factories are involved in this project.

The company has invested around THB

In a bid to reduce its debt, ARM Cement of Kenya has revealed that it has managed to obtain an investment of US$140 million (€122.27 million) from UK government-owned development finance institution CDC Group.

Of the total, $110 million is for debt financing and the rest will go to capital expenditure.

Cement company Lafarge Africa based in Nigeria is issuing a NGN 60 billion (€261.64 /US$301.51 million) bond in a bid to refinance the US dollar debt in United Company of Nigeria (Unicem), including a $300 million (€260.34 million) loan from parent company.

Lafarge Africa acquired a controlling stake in Unicem in October 2015, although it has obtained permission for a NGN 100 billion (€436.07 million/$502.51 million) bond by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission, it has decided to market a NGN

Semen Padang cement group will be exporting for the first time to the Middle East in mid-May 2016, and it is also focusing on exporting to Africa.

The company is aiming for export to account for 5% of its total annual production of 7.2 million tonnes, says reports.

Since March 2016, it has exported 3% of its total output while sales volume during the first-quarter of 2016 were 1.634 million tonnes, up from 1.630 million tons a year earlier.

It is targeting for a national market share of 10.2% in 2

Senegalese cement company Ciments du Sahel is to set up a new industrial production unit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, thanks to a €27.12 million (US$31.05 million) investment.

It is reported that the company is in overcapacity on its domestic market and is externalising activities to other western and even central African countries in order to meet the competition from the cement company of Aliko Dangoté.

The production capacity of the future plant has not been unveiled.

This set-up provides opportu

Investment group Wendel is reported to be selling 30 million shares of French group Saint-Gobain, which represents 5.3% of the capital of the group.

Saint-Gobain will buy one-third of the stake, according to a press release.

The portion is worth around €1.2 billion at current share prices.

The operation will translate as an accounting loss of around €220 million in the 2016 accounts of Wendel, which is signing a new chapter in its consistent strategy of increasing its exposure to unlisted assets.

Marmomacc, the landmark event for the natural stone sector worldwide, and Archmarathon, have launched a collaboration project to promote and valorise natural stone in architecture.

Archmarathon is an international architecture event, organised by publisher PubliComm, that brings together 42 design studios from various countries worldwide, and it boasts an attendance of more than one thousand visiting architects.

At Marmomacc (28 September-1 October, Verona, Italy), Forum Area in Hall 1 will be home on

Magna Tyres Netherlands says it is planning to take part in TKD (Technische Kontakt Dagen) in Almere, The Netherlands from 26-28 May.

The company is to show a complete product range with a number of OTR, truck and solid tyres, along with its MA03+ crane tyre, which it introduced at bauma 2016.

TKD (www.tkd.nl) .is an exhibition for large and small players in the field of earthmoving, recycling equipment and related specialties.

BASF has launched a new production facility for concrete admixtures in Bac Giang Province, Vietnam.

The plant is equipped with a laboratory for product quality control, production units, and warehousing facilities.

It will produce custom-made and standard admixtures from the Master Glenium range under the Master Builders Solutions brand.

The plant is BASF's second in Vietnam and will allow the Germany-based company to meet increasing local demand for construction chemical products.

Chinese bank ICFC is expected to provide US$171 million (€149.34 million) to Moroccan company Atlantic Ciment (Anouar Invest) following the signing of a financing contract.

The funds will be used to build a major cement plant in Settat, Morocco, for which Anouar Invest has already signed an agreement with Chinese construction company Sinoma-CDI.

Chinese export credit insurance company Sinosure will guarantee the ICFC funds.

Negotiations are ongoing so that Moroccan banks may provide the rest of the

Taiwan-based Southeast Cement Corp will halt production at its plant in Kaohsiung city in order to replace testing equipment.

The decision took place following a sudden inspection carried out by the Environmental Protection Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government.

It is reported that in the inspection the bureau is said to have found the plant's electrostatic precipitator voltage does not meet national standard.

As a result, the company was fined TWD 100,000 (€2,705.16/US$3,097.41).

However, the com

Indonesia’s Semen Padang aims for production to hit 7.13 million tonnes

Benny Wendry, managing director of Semen Padang, is reported as saying that the state cement company is targeting for production in 2016 to hit 7.13 million tonnes, up from 6.88 million tonnes a year ago.

For 2016, the company is eyeing for annual cement sales to grow by 5.6% from a year ago to 7.25 million tonnes.

During the first-quarter of 2016, the company reported profit growth with sales volumes for the quarter at 1.634 m

Siam Cement of Thailand is considering constructing a factory in Vietnam, where cement demand reached 72million tonnes in 2015.

The company's entry into the Vietnamese cement market will be carried out via mergers and acquisitions or joint venture deals, disclosed Roongrote Rangsiyopash, CEO and president.

Sinoma-NCDRI has placed an order for three units of cement plant mills with Germany-based Loesche: two units of the LM 53.3+3 CS mill and one unit of LM 60.6 mill along with sealing air fans, metal detectors, water injection systems and rotary feeders. The equipment will be delivered to a plant operated by Thanh Thang Cement in Ha Nam Province, Vietnam, with delivery scheduled to be completed in 8-9 months.

Belgian air lime producer Lhoist has elaborated a new concrete of hemp lime dubbed Tradical Thermo. The product is said to reduce the concrete setting time from 90 to 28 days, a significant asset for the prefabrication sector.

Cemex is to spend US$400 million (€356.08 million) on bonds early repayment. The operation includes senior bonds with a 6.5% coupon maturing in 2019; senior notes with a yield of 9.37% due in 2022, and floating-rate senior bonds maturing in 2018.

To be known as Tokyo Cement Co Lanka (TCCL), Tokyo Cement of Japan has consolidated itself with its subsidiary, Tokyo Cement Colombo Terminal of Sri Lanka.

India-based UltraTech Cement has achieved an 11% year-on-year increase in net profit for the quarter, which ended March, 2016, during which it has collected INR 6.81 billion (€90.94 million/US$102.16 million) against the year-ago INR 6.15 billion. On a full-year basis, the company's net profit amounted to INR 22.87 billion by the end of March 2016 following a 9% year-on-year rise. The quarter and the year under review saw net sales grew 5% to INR 64.36 billion and 5% to INR 252.81 billion respectively.

Pamudji Rahardjo, the managing director of Semen Baturaja, said that the state cement company is targeting for sales of 1.75 million tonnes in 2016. During the first half of 2016, the company is hoping to achieve 45% of its annual target.

Oman Cement, which reported a net profit of OMR 3.84 million (€8.89 million/US$9.98 million) in the quarter ended 31 March 2016, will start operations at its new mill by the end of May, 2016.