Wednesday, May 25, 2011

ESPAÑA: La recuperación del cemento y clínker remonta el descenso de los sólidos en Valenciaport hasta marzo


El tráfico de graneles líquidos y sólidos en Valenciaport a lo largo de 2010 se ha mantenido de forma casi invariable en cifras negativas. Un lastre para el conjunto del tráfico total que en el primer trimestre de 2011 comienza a remontar de manera desigual. Si bien los sólidos dan un notable salto cuantitativo, los líquidos amortiguan su caída. ¿Pero qué mercancías y qué enclaves han propiciado el cambio de signo?

El tráfico total en Valenciaport a lo largo de 2010 se ha mantenido en cifras positivas, al igual que en el primer trimestre de 2011. Durante todo este periodo ha habido dos factores que han influido de manera decisiva, el crecimiento del tráfico de contenedores y la mercancía general, motor de dicho crecimiento. En el lado opuesto de la balanza han estado los graneles, tanto líquidos como sólidos han caído mes a mes sin mostrar signos de recuperación. Pero llegados a 2011parece iniciarse la estabilidad de estos tráficos, si bien es difícil hablar de recuperación tras una larga senda de descensos. El acumulado de marzo sitúa a los graneles líquidos en un descenso del 3,32%, mientras que los sólidos crecen un 59%.

Evolución
Aún siendo negativo el dato que se registra en el primer trimestre de 2011 para los graneles líquidos, el crecimiento es significativo ya que este tráfico remonta respecto al -16,78% de febrero y del -37,08 de enero. Más aún, para encontrar la mejor cifra en líquidos en Valenciaport habría que trasladarse a enero de 2010. Con un incremento del 3,37% fue el principio del fin del crecimiento de los líquidos en el pasado ejercicio que hasta la fecha no han vuelto a situarse en positivo.
Por su parte, los graneles sólidos alcanzan el primer trimestre de 2011 con un notable crecimiento iniciado en enero, donde se pasa de un descenso superior al 26% en el acumulado de 2010 a un leve descenso del 8%. Además cabe destacar, tal y como se aprecia en la tabla que el primer trimestre de 2010, con el que se compara el primer trimestre de 2011, fue el más negativo del pasado ejercicio, registrando la peor caída en febrero (-56,11%). Por puertos, Valencia alcanza el primer trimestre de 2011 con crecimientos del 15,26% en líquidos ( 326.462 toneladas), y 63,47% en sólidos (670.439 toneladas); Sagunto crece en sólidos, más de un 30% (85.332 toneladas), pero continúa cayendo en líquidos un 8,37% (955.073 toneladas)
En este tira y afloja de cifras, el factor determinante es el comportamiento de las mercancías de mayor peso dentro del conjunto de los graneles. En el caso de los líquidos hay que referirse al Gas Natural Licuado yen los sólidos al cemento y al clínker en caída libre durante todo 2010.

Las mercancías que tiran y aflojan
En este tira y afloja de cifras el factor determinante es el comportamiento de las mercancías de mayor peso dentro del conjunto de los graneles. En el caso de los líquidos hay que referirse al Gas Natural Licuado y al Puerto de Sagunto, con 824.000 toneladas, una participación del 64,3% en el conjunto de los líquidos y un descenso del 17,1%. Le sigue en importancia el grupo de vinos, bebidas, alcoholes y derivados, con un tráfico de 172.000 toneladas y un ascenso del 330%, el gasóleo, con un tráfico de 128.000 toneladas y un aumento del 4,92%.
Así pues, el GNL, con una de las mayores cuotas dentro de los líquidos no remonta puesto que en el primer trimestre de 2011 se continúa con la tónica del pasado ejercicio, sólo en enero de 2010 hubo un incremento del 8,47%. 
En granel sólido, las mercancías más significativas corresponden al cemento y clínker con 302.000 toneladas, y un aumento del 449,09%, los abonos con 112.000 toneladas y un descenso del 15,79%, y los carbones y coque de petróleo con 92.000 toneladas, que decrecen un 30,3%. 
Respecto al cemento y la clínker, cuyo comportamiento está muy ligado al sector de la construcción, las caídas en 2010 fueron muy abultadas, llegando a descensos de más del 90%. Como ejemplo hasta marzo de 2010 se movieron 55.000 toneladas de cemento y clínker mientas que hasta marzo de 2011 se superan las 300.000.

AFRICA: ANGOLA: Angola to become self sufficient in cement by 2013



Angola is expected to be self-sufficient in cement by 2013 by almost doubling its current production capacity, said the president of the Angolan Industrial Association, José Severino, in an interview published Thursday in Luanda.

In the interview, Severino said that there were plans to refurbish old cement factories and build others in several places across Angola so that, in a maximum of two years, production can increase to at least 7.5 million tons.

Angola currently produces around 3.5 million tons of cement per year, or half of its current needs, and the deficit is imported, mainly from China.

Referring to imported cement, Severino said that the quality of limestone and the industrial process used could lower the cost of production, “but without the quality desired.”

AFRICA: ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe-Industry: Cement Plant for Masvingo

Industry-Zimbabwe - Masvingo city is set for a major transformation as council has signed an investment deal with a Chinese firm, Sino-Zimbabwe, to establish a multi-million-dollar cement-producing plant in the Nyanda mountain range, along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway. In addition to setting up the plant, Sino-Zimbabwe, the private investor, has also pledged to set up a residential area near the cement-making plant to house the company's anticipated 4 000-plus workforce. The setting up of the cement-making plant follows the discovery of massive deposits of limestone, a key element in the manufacture of cement, in the Nyanda mountain range, about 15km southeast of Masvingo.

Masvingo Mayor Alderman Femius Chakabuda yesterday confirmed the deal with the Chinese investor and said it was subject to council's ability to provide water for the plant.

"We have agreed on a deal and the investor wants to build a completely new residential area for about 4 000 workers expected to work on the cement-making plant," he said.

"Work on the plant is expected to start any time soon after we have tied up the loose ends of the deal, which I can say is as good as done."

Alderman Chakabuda hailed the Chinese investor for deciding to do business in Masvingo, saying council was geared for the massive investment which was likely to change the economic face of Masvingo in "an unprecedented way".

The mayor said among the guarantees the council had given to Sino-Zimbabwe was the supply of about 30 megalitres of water required for its cement plant.

He said council had already started rolling out phase two of the water augmentation programme which will result in the overhaul of the water pumping infrastructure at the Bushmead waterworks near Lake Mutirikwi.

It would also upgrade the water conveyance infrastructure.

Alderman Chakabuda said the council would also build one more water storage tank at the Hillside mountains to specifically cater for the Chinese investment.

"We will be upgrading our waterworks as the Chinese develop their investment so that when they finish building the plant we will be able to supply them with the water required. As a city, we are fully geared for the investment," he said.

Sino-Zimbabwe's investment is likely to become arguably the biggest investment in the country's oldest town since independence.

AFRICA: NIGERIA: Presidential order on cement price: Implications for the economy

President Goodluck Jonathan in a meeting with the Top Five cement manufacturers in Nigeria, gave an order for the price of the product to be crashed within 30 days. This came as a huge surprise to many Nigerians who feel that President Goodluck Jonathan has been calm on certain issues bothering the Political Economy in the past one year, and for others a new dawn and picture of what to expect in the next Four years.

A 50kg bag of Cement currently sells for 2,300.00 which means that for an Average Nigerian that desires to build his or her own house, whether a self contained, three bedroom bungalow, or an affluent Nigerian that desires to build a duplex, palatial house or a mansion there will be a high cost in expenditure considering the price at the moment.

Understanding economics and the Changing phase and trend in the Globe, it is clear that in Capitalist driven economies the price mechanism determines the price of products whether building materials, electronics, foodstuff, services, etc considering the concept of demand and supply forces which goes a long way to influence the price stability of products.

For over a decade now Nigeria has gone through the rigors of the increase in prices of products like Cement, Petrol, Kerosene ,Diesel, Gas, Furniture products, Stationeries, Toiletries , etc which explains the impact of an economy that has been more involved in Imports than developing local contents to international competitive standards for exports.

The Law of Demand in Economics states that “if all other factors remain equal, the higher the price of a good, the less people will demand that good. In other words, the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded. The amount of a good that buyers purchase at a higher price is less because as the price of a good goes up, so does the opportunity cost of buying that good. As a result, people will naturally avoid buying a product that will force them to forgo the consumption of something else they value more”.

In the case of Nigerians it is a different ball game altogether because there are few alternatives to Cement product which is a major ingredient for building materials in the country. The current price regime bites into the finances especially for average Nigerians and workers in the country, some go to get loans that span for two years or three years tenure to build a house, while others put a knife in their throat and put a high saving rate of their income to raise funds to actualize the dream of building a house.

Every Nigerian desires to build a house or engage in various building projects, but a careful analysis and survey of building and construction projects recently shows that the Businessmen , Government Officials, Retired Military Officers, and Captains of Industries are the ones actively involved in building and construction projects, while the average Nigerian worker from the civil service to the private sector are less involved in building projects.

It is on this basis that a Government intervention is needful to ensure stability in the price of basic products in the economy. For some people the President may have gone too far in placing a Marching order of 30 days for the price to be reviewed, but no matter how people complain or criticize this new directive, it goes to show that we are beginning to have a face of a government that is sensitive to the challenges of Nigerians. A major challenge observed in the Cement Industry is the Monopoly of the market by the Five major Cement Manufacturers in the Country especially the Dangote Group , is one reason I believe the price of Cement has been increasing without regulation. The fact here is that most of the Cement Manufacturers import the product and that in turn has a great impact on the pricing structure for the product.

With the Marching Order agreed to by the Five Major Cement Producers, it is expected that the Presidency will also work out modalities to create and ensure a more competitive environment for more viable and prospective Cement Manufacturers to penetrate the market, and ensure an affordable price direction that will encourage Nigerians that want to build. It is also understandable that the rising cost of diesel and the hostilities witnessed sometimes in the Nation, may have also created a wind of instability for the price of Cement explaining the amazing manner in which the product has become very exorbitant and costly .I also believe that the Present Administration is working vigorously on the Power Sector reforms to ensure that there is efficiency, productivity and growth in the economy, because without a stabilized power sector the various industries and sectors from Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Telecommunications, and Service Delivery will continue to increase prices of products and services which is quite justifiable. For me I believe a reduction to the price tune of 1,200.00 within the next 30 days will be reasonable considering the issues raised by the Cement Manufacturers surrounding about the rising cost of diesel which has doubled over time from 160.00 to 170.00 from an initial 80.00. It is also imperative that the government engages the stakeholders in the Diesel market in a strategic meeting, with a view to structuring a favorable and affordable price plan on diesel.

Indeed the Presidential Order on the price crashing of the Cement product in 30 days is a welcome development and I also believe that a very reasonable review of the price will give leverage to the Government to also intervene and positively influence the price structure of petroleum products like diesel, kerosene, and petrol. The Implications for the economy is clear, across the world from Azerbaijan, France to Greece we have seen on various occasions how the inability of the Government to intervene in the market economy on the overbearing price of products has sparked riots and protests that would have been avoided. If this new line of Action is sustained and taken other sectors of the economy, it will mark a positive turn for the long-battered Nigerian Economy.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Cement Plants to Double Capacity Amid Construction-Industry Boom

Ethiopia will more than double its cement-output capacity after a new factory and two enlarged plants begin production later this year amid a building boom in the Horn of Africa country, a government official said.


The increase is expected to help end the need for imports by as early as next year, according to Shimeles Wolde, head of the Chemical and Allied Industries Directorate in the Industry Ministry. In recent years, Ethiopia imported about 1 million metric tons of cement annually to meet demand of about 8 million tons, Shimeles said in an interview.


“In 2012, there should not be that much need for importing cement,” Shimeles said today inAddis Ababa, the capital. “In 2012 or early 2013, supply and demand should be balanced.”


Ethiopia licensed 36 companies including Lafarge SA (LG), the world’s biggest cement maker, and Dangote Cement Plc (DANGCEM), Nigeria’s largest company by market value, to help it meet a target of producing as much as 27 million tons of cement annually by 2015, Shimeles said. Demand for cement may be met by the end of next year, when the completion of 22 projects takes annual production to 13.5 million tons from 2.7 million tons now, he said.


Ethiopia’s economy expanded an average of 11 percent over the past seven years, International Monetary Fund data shows. The government is targeting growth of as much as 14.9 percent over the next five years. A construction boom in Africa’s second-most populous nation, led by state investment in low-cost housing, roads, dams and universities, has left domestic supply short of demand, which is increasing at as much as 25 percent every year, Shimeles said.
‘Encourage Private Sector’


“We plan to encourage the private sector,” he said. “If there is a gap and the new investor does not come, we will invest. Otherwise it’s open to the private sector.”


Derba Midroc Cement, owned by Ethiopian-born Saudi billionaire Sheikh Mohammed al-Amoudi, plans to start operations at its new 2.5-million ton plant in September, said Chief Executive Officer Haile Assegide.


The expected completion in the next two months of expansions to state-owned Mugher Cement Enterprise and the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front’s Messebo Building Materials Production Plc will add another 1 million tons, according to Shimeles.
Plant Cost


Al-Amoudi’s plant near Chancho, 70 kilometers (44 miles) northwest of Addis Ababa, cost $351 million and is expected to reach full production capacity in the first quarter of 2012, Haile said in an interview on May 13. The International Finance Corp., the World Bank’s private lending arm, provided $45 million for the project, according to the company’s website.


“We are very confident, unless we have some disaster,” Haile said.


Derba Transport, an affiliate of Derba Midroc, has ordered 1,000 Volvo AB (VOLVB) trucks for $141 million that can each deliver 40 tons of cement to buyers from the factory, according to Haile.


Although it has large, “high-quality” limestone deposits and plentiful water supplies, Ethiopia’s per capita cement consumption of 35 kilograms (66 pounds) per year is very low by international standards, Shimeles said.


“For developing countries cement consumption is an indicator of development,” he said.


Even if the 2015 target is met, the 300 kilograms per capita consumption achieved will still be less than the global average of 390 kilograms, Shimeles said.

SANTO DOMINGO: Empresa de cemento podría llevar a Justicia a Obras Públicas

La Compañía de Cemento Docemca anunció ayer que procederá legalmente en contra del ministerio de Obras Públicas debido a las trabas para el desembarque de un cargamento de cemento marca Carib, procedente de Jamaica.

La entidad comercial indicó que el 14 abril de este año depositó una comunicación ante Obras Públicas contentiva de todos los requisitos exigidos por la Norma RTD 178 y gestionó la entrega del certificado de no objeción, como lo había requerido ese Ministerio en su comunicación del 5 del mismo mes a la Dirección General de Aduanas.

Los abogados de DOCEMCA insisten en que la normativa RTD178 no exige la obtención del certificado de no objeción para la comercialización del cargamento de cemento, según se indica en el acápite 9.3 sobre Cementos Importados.

"Hemos cumplido con todas las normas establecidas en la República Dominicana y las que rigen el comercio internacional, y de ser necesario, lo probaremos en tribunales nacionales u extranjeros", dijo el ingeniero Julio Vidal, gerente general de DOCEMCA en un documento entregado a la prensa.

Las pruebas adicionales realizadas por un laboratorio norteamericano al cargamento de cemento importado desde Jamaica establecen que el producto cumple cabalmente con los estándares de calidad internacionales enmarcados en las normas RTD 178 ASTMC 150-09.

Los resultados finales al cemento Carib Cement fueron recibidas el pasado viernes, 20 de este mes, por la Dirección General de Normas y Sistemas de Calidad (Digenor), informó la Distribuidora de Cementos DOCEMCA, entidad que importó el producto, un total de 58 mil 800 fundas, y que permanece en un barco surto en el puerto desde hace tanto días.

El análisis de este cemento jamaiquino fue realizado por el Construction Technology Laboratories (CTL Group) de Skokie, Illinois, Estados Unidos, debido a la carencia de laboratorios de instituciones oficiales en el país para realizar este tipo de investigación.

El pasado miércoles, el Ministro de Industria, Inversión y Comercio de Jamaica, Karl Samuda, sostuvo que el intento de bloquear la venta de Cemento Carib en República Dominicana constituye "un caso clásico de la aplicación de barreas no arancelarias.

DOCEMCA estima las pérdidas en más de 40 millones, en términos de valor del embarque del cemento, el derecho portuario, pago de moras, costos de tripulación del buque y el gasto de combustible, por cuanto la embarcación permanece encendida 0en puerto.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

PARAGUAY: INC recorta gastos tras perder G. 20.000 millones en abril

Con una pérdida de G. 20.000 millones cerró la Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) su balance al 30 de abril pasado. Por ese motivo, su nueva administración anuló compras, bajó viáticos y horas extras e incluso reducirán el número de funcionarios.

Ya en el 2010, durante la presidencia de Optaciano Gómez Verlangieri en la INC, se cerró el año con un déficit de más de 4.500 millones de guaraníes. Lo que significa que la pérdida se cuadruplicó en el primer trimestre del corriente 2011.

Si se hubiese continuado con el mismo nivel de gastos de la administración anterior, la INC hubiera cerrado el 2011 con un déficit en el orden de 60.000 millones de guaraníes, según informó el secretario general de la estatal, Francisco Aveiro.

Por ese motivo, las autoridades actuales de la cementera están tomando medidas de austeridad, porque si no lo hacen, la bancarrota o el subsidio es el futuro de la estatal.

El presidente de INC, Edgar Acosta, y su equipo anularon varias licitaciones y compras directas innecesarias y solo continuaron con los procesos “exclusivamente indispensables”.

Quedó suspendida, por ejemplo, la adquisición de una pala mecánica de cerca de US$ 1.070.000. La compra de cuerpos moledores por valor de US$ 1.100.000 quedó recortada a solo US$ 400.000.

También fue cancelada la adjudicación “para estiba y desestiba de cemento y otras mercaderías” que se realizaba en la oficina de Asunción y el depósito de Sajonia. El valor de la operación oscilaba entre G. 300 y G. 1.000 millones.

Asimismo suspendieron la adquisición de fotocopiadoras y equipos de oficina por valor de 115 millones de guaraníes y se disminuyeron al máximo las horas extras de empleados. Además prohibieron los viajes innecesarios a la planta de Villeta o Vallemí, que implicaban erogaciones de viáticos.

Además ahorraron G. 189.000 millones gracias a que la Dirección de Contrataciones Públicas anuló la compra directa de clínker importado de tres empresas (“Tetãgua”, “Distripem” y “Cefiza”). La administración anterior realizó estas adjudicaciones pese a no tener prevista la partida presupuestaria para el pago correspondiente.

Aveiro informó también que este fin de mes comenzará la disminución del cuadro de personal, con la salida de unos 800 contratados por la administración anterior, que implica gasto mensual de G. 1.342 millones.

La idea es prescindir de todos los empleados sin función específica, explicó.

SYRIA: Syria to cement Russia ties

Syria will rely on its partnership ties with Russia to respond to sanctions imposed on it by the European Union. 

Foreign Minister Walid Mual said on Monday that the EU had made a big mistake by blacklisting Syrian President Bashar Assad and that Damascus would respond by cementing national unity and speed up implementation of the much-needed reforms.

Mual blamed what he described as “foreign-backed armed terrorist groups” for fomenting the recent wave of anti-government violence across the nation.

AFRICA: ZIMBABWE: Cement Plant for Masvingo

MASVINGO city is set for a major transformation as council has signed an investment deal with a Chinese firm, Sino-Zimbabwe, to establish a multi-million-dollar cement-producing plant in the Nyanda mountain range, along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway.

In addition to setting up the plant, Sino-Zimbabwe, the private investor, has also pledged to set up a residential area near the cement-making plant to house the company's anticipated 4 000-plus workforce.


The setting up of the cement-making plant follows the discovery of massive deposits of limestone, a key element in the manufacture of cement, in the Nyanda mountain range, about 15km southeast of Masvingo.

Masvingo Mayor Alderman Femius Chakabuda yesterday confirmed the deal with the Chinese investor and said it was subject to council's ability to provide water for the plant.

"We have agreed on a deal and the investor wants to build a completely new residential area for about 4 000 workers expected to work on the cement-making plant," he said.


"Work on the plant is expected to start any time soon after we have tied up the loose ends of the deal, which I can say is as good as done."

Alderman Chakabuda hailed the Chinese investor for deciding to do business in Masvingo, saying council was geared for the massive investment which was likely to change the economic face of Masvingo in "an unprecedented way".

The mayor said among the guarantees the council had given to Sino-Zimbabwe was the supply of about 30 megalitres of water required for its cement plant.

He said council had already started rolling out phase two of the water augmentation programme which will result in the overhaul of the water pumping infrastructure at the Bushmead waterworks near Lake Mutirikwi.

It would also upgrade the water conveyance infrastructure.

Alderman Chakabuda said the council would also build one more water storage tank at the Hillside mountains to specifically cater for the Chinese investment.

"We will be upgrading our waterworks as the Chinese develop their investment so that when they finish building the plant we will be able to supply them with the water required. As a city, we are fully geared for the investment," he said.

Sino-Zimbabwe's investment is likely to become arguably the biggest investment in the country's oldest town since independence.

SANTO DOMINGO: Digenor afirma cemento es bueno



La Dirección General de Normas y Sistema de Calidad (Digenor) informó que el cemento importado de Jamaica cumple tanto con los requisitos establecidos para con la norma RTD 178 como la ASTM C 150-09.

La institución dio la información luego de que el viernes de la semana pasada recibió los resultados de las pruebas adicionales de laboratorio efectuadas al cemento Carib Cement, importando desde Jamaica por la Distribuidora de Cementos Docemca.

Las pruebas se realizaron en el Construction Technology Laboratories (CTL Group) de Skokie, Illinois, Estados Unidos, debido a la carencia de laboratorios de instituciones oficiales.

El encargado del proyecto por parte del CTL Group, Richard Stevenson, confirmó que los requisitos químicos y físicos del cemento Carib Cement cumplen con las normas de calidad ASTM.

Los representantes del Cemento Carib en el país estudian la posibilidad de proceder por vía legal, en vista a la negativa del Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Comunicaciones de admitir las facultades que le otorga la ley 602 y la Normativa RTD 178 sobre Cementos Hidráulicos a Digenor, así como las resoluciones emitidas por ProConsumidor en violación a la Ley General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario 358-05.

En comunicación fechada como recibida el 14 de abril de 2011, los representantes de Carib Cement, depositaron en el Ministerio de Obras Publicas todos los requisitos exigidos por la Norma RTD 178 y gestionaron la entrega del certificado de no objeción.

AFRICA: EGYPT: Egypt cement maker sees rapid sector expansion

Egypt's cement sector will shake off a property crisis and expand production capacity by 30 percent by the end of 2012, helped by a growing population, infrastructure demand and exports, an industry executive said.

"The cement sector can currently produce 50 million tonnes annually and I expect it to reach a capacity of 65 million tonnes by the end of 2012," North Sinai Cement Chairman Abdel Hameed Selmy told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Several new players are due to enter Egypt's cement sector in the coming 18 months after the previous government handed out licences to boost output against a backdrop of surging demand.

The popular uprising that ousted long-time President Hosni Mubarak in February has forced the government to slash its economic growth forecast and deepened a crisis in the once-booming real estate sector, a major cement consumer.

Selmy said the sector faced challenges such as unclear regulation and unstable demand due to the unrest that unseated Mubarak. But he was optimistic there would be enough buyers to justify the extra cement industry capacity.

"The future is very promising," he said. "The market has an increasing population and demand for infrastructure. I think stability should come once (September) elections are over."

North Sinai Cement is owned by 88 Egyptian investors, the biggest being state-owned Banque Misr with a 13.5 percent stake and Mohamed Khamis, the chairman of Oriental Weavers with a 13.5 percent stake, according to the company.

The company is about to resume construction of its first, 1.8 million tonne per year line after it was delayed when the government withdrew its licence.



A court has restored the licence and the company aims to double its capital of 1 billion Egyptian pounds by year-end to fund construction of the line, which Selmy said should be completed within 27 months.

Selmy said a court decision to restore North Sinai Cement's production licence showed post-revolution authorities were taking a more cooperative approach towards the industry.

North Sinai vies with companies such as South Valley Cement, National Cement and Suez Cement.

Selmy brushed off the long-term damage from legal challenges to sales of state land that are hammering real estate.

"The Egyptian cement industry is not threatened by what is happening in real estate," said Selmy. "It can always shift to exporting and the global market is receptive to Egyptian cement because it is highly competitive in price and quality."


Monday, May 23, 2011

PARAGUAY: Horno de clínker de INC estará paralizado durante dos semanas

Este paro de horno es el primero en la administración actual, aunque la proveedora de fueloíl El Samaritano, de Nacimiento Cabrera y Lourdes Rojas, fue contratada vía excepción durante la gestión de Optaciano Gómez Verlangieri, ex presidente de la INC. Por el valor total de 8.820.000 dólares, la firma debe completar el suministro de 12.000 metros cúbicos de fueloíl para julio próximo. 

Esta empresa, que representa en Paraguay a la firma Visual Distribuidora de Petróleo, ya inició la gestión para proveer el combustible, pero las cargas comenzarán a llegar a la planta de Vallemí, donde se encuentra el horno, recién desde hoy o mañana. 

La idea de la proveedora es enviar de forma continua el combustible hasta completar 4.000 metros cúbicos, ya que recibió un anticipo financiero de 2.646.000 dólares para suministrar ese volumen. 

Si bien habrá fueloíl en planta desde la próxima semana, aún no se retomará la producción del clínker, principal insumo del cemento, ya que primeramente se realizarán mantenimientos en el horno. 

En las siguientes dos semanas se estarán realizando cambio de ladrillos refractarios, reparaciones en el techo de la enfriadora y otros trabajos afines, de acuerdo a lo informado por el titular de INC.

Paros de horno

Durante la administración de Gómez Verlangieri (del 17 de noviembre de 2008 al 14 de abril de 2011) se registraron 22 paros del horno de clínker, de los cuales 18 fueron por falta de fueloíl. Esas paralizaciones se dieron porque la proveedora contratada en 2009 para el suministro incumplió sucesivamente el plazo de entrega establecido en el contrato y recién en este 2011 terminó de suministrar.

Se trata de Proyectos y Construcciones, de Emigdio Lovera Martínez. La empresa fue suspendida por la Dirección Nacional de Contrataciones Públicas (DNCP) debido al incumplimiento con INC, pero luego consiguió un recurso de amparo para dejar sin efecto la disposición de Contrataciones.

Este caso fue denunciado ante la Unidad de Delitos Económicos en 2010 y la investigación se encuentra desde hace un año en manos del fiscal Eduardo Cazenave, sin avance alguno.

AFRICA: NIGERIA: Cement price

Government’s ultimatum to manufacturers cannot work in a liberalised environment

FINALLY, the long drawn game of hide and seek – over the cause of the current high price of cement – seems over. Monday last week, President Goodluck Jonathan, after a parley with cement manufacturers, handed them an ultimatum to them to bring down the cost of the product – within one month.

While confirming the readiness to cooperate with the government to bring down the price, the chairman of Cement Manufacturers Association, Joseph Makoju, again insisted that the price was driven by the high price of diesel, as well as the uncontrollable costs along the distribution chain. For good measure, he claimed that part of the agreement with the Federal Government on the issue is that the latter will provide support to the manufacturers by ensuring that they get easy access to diesel from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Currently, a bag of cement sells for N2,500; last year, the same bag sold for N1,500 – an increase of over 66 percent.

The President obviously mean well by the directive; it is taken that the manufacturers – surprisingly agreeable to the presidential directive – also mean well.

Be that as it may, there remains a lacuna that needs to be explained. We start from when the trend of rising prices became noticeable. At the very beginning, the manufacturers found the fallguy in the distributors whom they blamed for hoarding the products to make excessive gains.Rather than do what Nigerians expected them to do –increase supply or flood the market to tame the profiteering apetite of the so-called unscrupulous distributor-cartel –if that was the case, they did nothing of the sort. No wonder Nigerians found their claim of ex-factory price being unchanged, untenable and utterly unbelievable.

The truth it seems, is only just emerging. It is certainly no small thing that the government would seek to force down prices in a liberalised market such as that of cement. Moreover, that government believes – with the concurrence of the manufacturers – that the administratively decreed price reduction can be achieved in 30 days itself suggests that the story is more than the government has cared to tell Nigerians about the factors behind the current price hike. Nigerians are therefore right to wonder why the government allowed the price to spin out of control before taking such drastic measures, if they are so effectual.

Do we understand the challenges facing our manufacturers – particularly the difficult terrains that they have to contend with? We certainly do; and this point has been made severally in previous editorials. Our business environment needs to be made more clement to enhance business competitiveness. Government needs to invest in infrastructure – particularly energy and transportation – the inadequacies of which account for the high costs of doing business.

This is no less true for manufacturers of cement as it is of other businesses.

Do we see the ultimatum handed to the cement manufacturers as a necessary pill; a case of a drastic disease needing a drastic remedy? First, we do not see any decreed price reduction working in the absence of changes in input cost fundamentals. The reduction is unlikely to be sustainable in the long run. Second, it comes across as playing to the gallery. This is because the rainy season is here already – a period considered low season for building and construction activities. It does not require the government’s hand to achieve a reasonable moderation in cement prices. It goes with the logic of low demand during the season.

Having said that, we are tempted to see the manufacturers themselves as being complicit in fostering the illiberal market in which they have come to dictate prices. That explains their ready acquiescence to the government’s ultimatum.

On the positive side – the intervention appears to us an acknowledgment of the reality and what needs to be done to bring down the costs of doing business. The manufacturers obviously need all the help they can get. What is needed is for government to work harder at the costs end while allowing businesses to set their margins in a truly liberalised environment.

INDIA: Sell Ambuja Cement May futures, target Rs 123: IIFL

On the daily chart, Ambuja Cement has fallen below the support of its 100-DMA and 200-DMA on Friday’s trading session

IIFL has recommended selling of Ambuja Cement May futures below Rs 130 for a target of Rs 123. 

On the daily chart, Ambuja Cement has fallen below the support of its 100-DMA and 200-DMA on Friday’s trading session, suggesting that the likelihood of further upside over the short-term has diminished. 

For now, the risk/return of establishing long positions is less than ideal. On several occasions in last two weeks, the stock had bounced back from its 200-DMA. 

However, it closed below the important moving average. Moreover, appearance of falling tops signifies the bulls inability to form higher highs. 

"Based on above mentioned technical evidences, we recommend traders to short Ambuja Cement May Futures below Rs 130 with stop loss of Rs 133 for a target of Rs 123," the brokerage said in a note.

SOUTH AFRICA: AfriSam banks on future demand for cement



MAJOR South African cement producer AfriSam says notwithstanding the weak state of SA’s construction industry, it is resuming planning for a R2,2bn integrated cement plant in the Saldanha Bay area to meet future demand.

SA’s cement industry, though, is reeling from four years of consecutive declines, and has been hit hard by the ending of large projects related to the Soccer World Cup.

A seriously depressed housing market started its slide in late 2007, and was further battered by the effects of the global downturn.

While SA’s construction and mining industries are major players in the growing southern African region, exporting cement to cross-border projects is costly.

And demand for cement in SA is a paltry 11-million to 12-million tons a year out of installed capacity of between 16-million and 17,5-million tons, including some imports.

But on Friday, the self-professed leading black-controlled construction materials group in southern Africa — with operations in SA, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland — said that it wants to take advantage of its large limestone deposit near Saldanha, and improve market penetration in the Western Cape. "With continued population growth and the need for housing and infrastructure, there are indications that the local market will benefit from the presence of an additional cement supplier," a press release quoted CEO Stephan Olivier as saying last week.

However, AfriSam also says the proximity of Saldanha’s deep water port will facilitate exports, and that means it can scale up the plant to achieve the environmental and production efficiency associated with large-scale international plants.

But the company was coy , saying it is too early to discuss export volumes, customers and destinations.

"We are seeking approval (to build the plant) by means of an environmental impact assessment, and sometimes these things take years and sometimes they never come (about)," Mr Olivier told Business Day yesterday .

Other cement producers are bemused by the news, especially because AfriSam intends to construct its new plant in a province that has seen building and construction demand fall 50% since its zenith in mid-2007.

And Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC), under the leadership of CEO Paul Stuiver, is already adding about 500000 tons a year to its existing 1,4-million tons annual capacity near Cape Town, spending about R3bn over the next six years. "What on earth for?" says Anton Weavind, CEO of Continental Cement (Conticem).

"Capacity demand in the Western Cape is 600000 tons a year, and PPC is already augmenting supply. (That demand) is insufficient to absorb PPC’s future output…."

conticem is part of a Chinese- backed cement syndicate, led by the Jidong Development Group and the China-Africa Development Fund, which, along with another new entrant, Nigerian-backed Sephaku Cement, is one of two multibillion- rand empowerment ventures set to add another 5-million tons to SA’s annual cement production.

"I know AfriSam needs to expand, but the worst place they could possible do this is in the Western Cape. There is not much money in exporting cement," Mr Weavind says. He says that once cement is transported beyond a distance of about 200km, the profit becomes marginal.

With annual cement production capacity of 4,6-million tons, AfriSam runs second to industry stalwart PPC, which can produce about 8-million tons a year.

Along with French group Lafarge and NPC (Cimpor) , these companies are the biggest producers in the southern African region.

According to industry reports, SA’s construction industry is a major player in the Southern African Development Community. Between 2006 and 2009, about $128bn was spent on infrastructure in the region, including equipment and services associated with power generation.

Sephaku Cement’s Nigerian backer, the Dangote Group, says it will invest $3,9bn in cement plants across Africa, including in Ethiopia, Tanzania, the Republic of the Congo and Zambia, as part of its vision of a continent that is self-sufficient in cement production.

AfriSam says the proposed Saldanha project will commence with the expansion of its nearby limestone quarry, and construction of a cement milling and packing plant at a cost of about R600m. Ultimately, a fully fledged cement manufacturing plant will be built alongside at a further cost of about R1,6bn.

By 2009, SA’s rapidly growing demand for cement put pressure on supply, and this resulted in all players increasing production capacity.

And although the market has since plummeted, it takes at least 30- months to build a cement plant.

So planned new production will more than likely be absorbed by new demand in coming years.

"The market (nationally) has bottomed out. By the end of next year we will be back with shortages," Mr Weavind says.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Cement Plants to Double Capacity Amid Construction-Industry Boom



Ethiopia will more than double its cement-output capacity after a new factory and two enlarged plants begin production later this year amid a building boom in the Horn of Africa country, a government official said.

The increase is expected to help end the need for imports by as early as next year, according to Shimeles Wolde, head of the Chemical and Allied Industries Directorate in the Industry Ministry. In recent years, Ethiopia imported about 1 million metric tons of cement annually to meet demand of about 8 million tons, Shimeles said in an interview.

“In 2012, there should not be that much need for importing cement,” Shimeles said today in Addis Ababa, the capital. “In 2012 or early 2013, supply and demand should be balanced.”

ESPAÑA:Portland Valderribas ayuda a Lorca donando cemento rápido



Cementos Portland Valderrivas ha puesto a disposición de la localidad murciana de Lorca una partida de cemento de rápido fraguado como contribución a las tareas de reconstrucción tras el terremoto del pasado miércoles. El volumen donado por esta filial del grupo FCC dependerá de la evaluación de los daños que continúa llevándose a cabo por parte de las autoridades.


Uno de los productos más avanzados de Cementos Portland Valderrivas, el cemento rápido denominado ultraval, va a ser clave en las tareas de reconstrucción de la localidad de Lorca (Murcia). La cementera del grupo FCC ha anunciado la donación de una importante partida, cuyo volumen está pendiente del cálculo por parte de las autoridades locales.

La empresa ha explicado que este tipo de cemento es el adecuado para situaciones de emergencia como la provocada por el terremoto del pasado miércoles. El producto ultraval "permite una inmediata puesta en servicio de las edificaciones, lo que lo hace especialmente apto para las labores de reconstrucción, en las que la urgencia en el desarrollo de las obras juega un papel primordial", citan desde Portland Valderrivas al explicar esta acción solidaria.

Este tipo de cementos, demandado por clientes como Aena o utilizado en el AVE vasco, soporta los "ataques del agua salobre en terrenos con sales". Además de la agilidad que aporta en la construcción, también destaca por su alta resistencia mecánica.

SANTO DOMINGO: Adocem espera que se aclare lo del cemento



La Asociación Dominicana de Productores de Cemento (Adocem) denunció ayer una serie de irregularidades cometidas en torno a la importación al país del cemento Carib, dentro de las cuales destacan evasión de impuestos y conductas a favor de la empresa por parte del director de la Dirección General de Normas y Calidad (Digenor), para el cual la asociación interpuso un procedimiento disciplinario ante el Ministerio de Industria y Comercio.

Según el comunicado de prensa, la empresa Caribbean Cement Company Limited (Carib Cement) sus representantes comerciales en el país y la Digenor han tenido un comportamiento deshonesto, poco transparente y violatorio de las leyes dominicanas.

El documento destaca que el 19 de marzo del 2010 llegó al país, por el Puerto de Boca Chica, el primer cargamento de la empresa Carib, en el Buque Laura II, con 2500 toneladas de cemento, a cargo de la empresa Materiales de Construcción El Jobo. Una organización, que según explica la Adocem, estaba constituida por un grupo de personas quienes al ser consultados desconocían haber conformado esta o alguna sociedad comercial para la venta y distribución de materiales de construcción, según especifica el registro mercantil.

“El producto de este embarque fue declarado en Aduanas con un valor de US$50 por tonelada (CIF, costo y flete incluido) equivalente aproximadamente a RD$80 por funda, subvaluando de ese modo el producto y por ende evadiendo el pago total de los impuestos correspondientes”, indican los productores.

Detallan además que el 31 de agosto del 2010, después de una visita a Jamaica el director de Digenor, Julio Santana, convocó al comité técnico, que administra el reglamento RTD 178 que regula el cemento, del cual Adocem forma parte, para requerirles el inicio de un proceso de modificación de la norma “con el objetivo explícito de eliminar los requisitos de seguridad y garantía de dicha norma, en perjuicio de los consumidores locales y generando suspicacia entre los miembros del comité.

Actualidad
La Adocem señala además que el 25 de abril de este año llegó un nuevo cargamento de cemento de la empresa Carib Cement, en el mismo buque Laura II al Puerto de Boca Chica, cargado con 2,499 toneladas de cemento.

“En esta ocasión, es la importadora Docemca a favor de la cual Digenor emitió certificaciones irregulares de conformidad sin hacer las pruebas correspondientes y además señaló la competencia del Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Comunicaciones de igualmente comprobar las especificaciones técnicas, de calidad y resistencia como lo establece nuestra regulación en el artículo 9 antes de que el producto fuera a ser comercializado.

Docemca intentó comercializar el producto ignorando este mandato y de igual modo, Digenor otorgó el sello de calidad a este producto sin que el mismo fuera aprobado por el Comité Nacional de Normas y Sistemas, como lo establece la ley 602,”, indicaron los productores.

Declararon que a razón de la denuncia el 28 de abril el Instituto de Proteccion al Consumidor (Proconsumidor) autorizó el retiro del mercado del producto hasta que no se cumplan las disposiciones legales.

SOMETIMIENTO AL DIRECTOR DE DIGENOR
Conforme al comunicado, por las irregularidades la Adocem sometió el pasado 6 de mayo un procedimiento disciplinario contra Julio Santana, director de Digenor, ante el Ministerio de Industria y Comercio.

Los miembros de la Adocem indicaron además que Carib Cement, única productora de cemento de Jamaica, en 2007 enfrentó en su país, problemas de calidad al suplir el mercado con cemento