Asia & Pacific Rim

Anjani Portland Cement, Gujarat Sidhee Cement, BASF and Vattenfall announce new appointments.

Cement sector growth began to slow in April amid fears of a weakening housing market.

According to research by Timetric, factors such as an increase in house building and infrastructure development, as well as low interest and unemployment rates, are set to drive the Australian construction industry.

Cement sales on the national market improved by 9.86% y/y in May, although exports fell by 3.4%.

Claudius Peters has been awarded a contract by PT Semen Padang for cement storage silos and packing plants.

India’s Shiva Cement posted a standalone net profit of Rs.96.34 lakh for the quarter ended 31 March 2014, a huge 252.5% y/y increase compared to the corresponding quarter in 2013.

JK Lakshmi Cement’s new 2.7 million tpa manufacturing plant at Durg, located in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, will be commissioned by the third quarter of the current fiscal year.

Balan Velan, Scorpio Engineering Pvt. Ltd, India, outlines methods for effective and low cost cement distribution in India.

The output of India’s core industries improved by 4.2% in April 2014, with cement up 6.7%.

According to reports, net profit of India’s Saurashtra Cement increased by 103.76% y/y to Rs.18.42 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2014.

Lafarge Republic, Inc. has launched a new cement variant to help reduce reconstruction costs in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda and the Bohol earthquake; Holcim Philippines builds a sustainable village for those affected by Typhoon Pablo.

Gujarat Sidhee Cement and Gangotri Cement report a rise in sales for the January – March quarter.

According to officials from Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue, the government is likely to raise the federal excise duty (FED) on cement by some Rs.100/t in the upcoming budget.

In the second part of this abridged article from the June 2014 issue, Ambuja Cements explains how new technologies have helped to improve supply chain efficiency.

The latest news updates from India’s Mangalam Cement, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd and Star Ferro & Cement Ltd.