Clinker supply contract remains on hold, while TCL reports rise in cement sales volumes

Jamaican clinker deal

According to local media, plans for Jamaica’s Caribbean Cement Company Limited (CCCL) to export clinker to Venezuela continue to remain on hold. Although the Jamaican Cabinet has reportedly signed off on the supply agreement, approval has not yet been granted from Venezuela. In its financial report for the period ending 30 June 2013, CCCL’s parent company, Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL), announced that a verbal agreement had been reached for the supply of 200 000 t of clinker as part of the Petrocaribe trade mechanism.

Trinidad and Tobago

In 1H13, TCL’s sales reached TT$994.1 million and EBITDA came in at TT$261.2 million. Cement sales volumes increased by 17% on the domestic market, while export volumes were 48% higher than the corresponding period in 2012, when the company’s results were hampered by a labour strike.

TCL’s Learning Academy seminars recommenced in September for the new academic year, following their launch in May 2013. The seminars teach students from vocational institutions about the cement manufacture process, marketing and best practice.

Trinidad and Tobago’s 2013 Review of the Economy predicts that the region’s manufacturing sector will experience 6.1% growth this year, an improvement on the 0.4% contraction reported in 2012. This growth will be driven by the cement industry’s recovery, after a steep decline in production in 2012. Other industries will fare less well, with iron and steel production levels expected to decline.

Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/04112013/carribean_supply_contract_falters_while_sales_rise_for_tcl_375/