ARGENTINA: La construcción cayó un 2,6% en agosto

La construcción sufrió una nueva caída en agosto, esta vez de 2,6 por ciento, y en ocho meses acumuló un retroceso de 2,3 por ciento, según informó hoy el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos ( INDEC ).

Estos datos se conocen en medio de un marcado escepticismo del sector empresario, dado que para el 95 por ciento de las firmas del sector orientadas a la obra privada ya habían manifestado su pesimismo.

De acuerdo con los datos oficiales, en seis de los ocho meses de 2014 los resultados interanuales fueron negativos: enero 2,1 por ciento, febrero -5,5 por ciento; marzo -4,2 por ciento; abril -2,6 por ciento; mayo -4,6 por ciento; junio 0,6 por ciento; julio -1,5 por ciento y agosto -2,6 por ciento.

La pendiente descendente de la industria de la construcción se inició luego de las restricciones a la compra de moneda extranjera que impuso el Gobierno en noviembre de 2011.

Los empresarios observaban un panorama complicado para setiembre, especialmente los que trabajan con obras privadas. El 73,6 por ciento no creía en cambios en el nivel de actividad, el 21,1 por ciento temía una caída y apenas el 5,3 por ciento dijo que esperaban un avance.

Entre los dedicados a la obra pública, el 53 por ciento creía que se mantendría el mismo nivel, el 32,4 por ciento espera una disminución del 14,7 por ciento confía en una suba.

La superficie a construir registrada por los permisos de edificación en 42 municipios bajó en agosto 5,5 por ciento en forma interanual.

La venta de insumos mostró bajas de 16,3 por ciento en asfalto, 7,5 por ciento en cemento, 0,7 por ciento en pinturas y 0,1 por ciento en hierro redondo.

PERÚ: Minería cayó en agosto por quinto mes consecutivo

La actividad del sector de la minería e hidrocarburos de Perú cayó en agosto por quinto mes consecutivo, golpeada por un persistente declive de la producción de oro y cobre, dijo el miércoles el Gobierno.

Este rubro, vital para la economía del tercer mayor productor mundial de cobre, profundizó su retroceso a un 3,51 por ciento interanual en agosto, tras haber caído un 1,61 por ciento en julio, detalló el Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) en un comunicado.

Dentro del subsector de la minería, la producción de oro se desplomó un 16,23 por ciento interanual en agosto, mientras que la extracción de cobre se hundió un 10,26 por ciento, agregó el INEI en su avance de indicadores de la actividad económica en ese mes.

El desempeño del sector de la minería e hidrocarburos es clave para la economía peruanadebido a que es el segundo de mayor peso en el Producto Interno Bruto (PIB), detrás del rubro manufacturero.

Asimismo, las exportaciones mineras representan el 60 por ciento de los ingresos por todos los envíos al exterior.

El INEI precisó en su informe que los ingresos por exportaciones de Perú cayeron un 20,35 por ciento interanual en agosto, un retroceso mucho mayor al del 4,72 por ciento del mes anterior.

Por otro lado, el consumo de cemento -clave para estimar el desempeño del sector de la construcción- bajó un 0,65 por ciento interanual en agosto, cayendo por segundo mes consecutivo aunque a un ritmo menor al 1,82 por ciento de julio.

La producción de electricidad creció un 4,54 por ciento interanual en agosto, ritmo similar al 4,36 por ciento del mes anterior, agregó el INEI.

Además del declive de la producción minera, la economía peruana ha sido golpeada por una menor demanda de minerales de grandes consumidores como China y una ralentización de las inversiones.

En ese contexto, el Gobierno ha recortado en varias ocasiones su estimación de crecimiento para este año, ubicándola recientemente en un 4 por ciento, lejos del 5,8 por ciento del año pasado.

Para agilizar el crecimiento, el presidente Ollanta Humala puso en marcha medidas de reactivación que buscan principalmente destrabar los proyectos de inversión.

El INEI revelará el 15 de octubre el dato de la actividad económica correspondiente a agosto.

CHINA: Taiwan Cement increases product prices

Taiwan Cement Corp (台泥), one of the nation’s leading cement suppliers, on Monday said that it has raised cement prices in China’s Guangdong Province amid rising demand.

The firm said it has increased product prices in the province, its major market in China, by 20 yuan (US$3.26) per tonne. High-end cement now costs 340 yuan per tonne, up from 320 yuan.

The company said demand in the Pearl River Delta area grew sharply late last month as inventories were drawn down for construction projects ahead of China’s Oct. 1 National Day holiday.

Analysts said Taiwan Cement should benefit from the upturn in demand for the rest of the year because the fourth quarter is a peak season in China’s cement market, one that is expected to receive an extra boost from the government’s efforts to push investments in infrastructure.

It was Taiwan Cement’s second price hike in Guangdong since August, when it raised prices by 10 yuan per tonne. The firm said it does not rule out raising cement prices in other provinces, such as Guangxi, Jiangsu and Sichuan, given solid demand.

According to its Web site, Taiwan Cement operates production lines in several Chinese provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou.

In the first half of the year, the firm sold 22.7 million tonnes of cement in China, compared with 3.1 million tonnes in Taiwan.

Taiwan Cement posted a net profit of NT$5.03 billion (US$165.22 million) in the first half, up 25.72 percent from a year earlier. Earnings per share reached a record NT$1.36, compared with NT$1.08 the previous year.

GHANA: Cement prices will go down

The Managing Director (MD) of the Ghana Cement Company Limited (GHACEM), Morten Gade say prices of cement will go down should the cedi continue to stabilize.

Prices of cement increased drastically during the second quarter of 2014 due to erratic power supply and depreciation of the cedi against major foreign currencies.

This situation resulted in shortages and subsequent increment in prices of cement.

But it seems the cedi has for the past few weeks appreciated against some major trading currencies thus sparking calls from consumers for a decrease in prices of general goods.

Speaking to Citi News, the MD of the largest cement producer in Ghana, Ghacem, Morten Gade said “It’s a little bit early days to tell exactly how and when but definitely if we see a stable cedi we will also see cement prices coming down this year.”

He argued that lack of constant power supply can cause cement shortage because it will hamper its production.

“If I recall so far the power has been stable; however the biggest issue for us when it comes to power is not the tariff but the reliability. We have lost significant volumes particularly in Takoradi this year because we do not have a stable power and with an unstable power supply it means that we cannot produce when we don’t have power,” he added.

CARMEROON: Govt Assured of Regular Cement Supply

Cement importers and local producers have assured the government of Cameroon of a constant supply of the market for the remaining three months of 2014. They said what they have requested from producing countries abroad or will be produced locally in the last quarter of the year can conveniently meet national demand at stable prices.

The stakeholders in the cement sector met with the Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, yesterday October 1, 2014 to analyse the market situation so as to jointly seek solutions to problems that could disrupt the market, if any. This was in a traditional concertation within the framework of government's efforts to fight against speculation and price hikes usually detrimental to consumers.

It emerged from the discussions that domestic consumption of cement is in the neighbourhood of 2.2 million metric tons per annum with importations estimated at over one million metric tons. Local producers like Cimencam estimated that about 550,000 metric tons of the product will be needed to round off the year. Cimencam officials during the meeting disclosed that the outfit is capable of producing about 300,000 metric tons for the next three months and those of Cimaf (Moroccan firm) said the factory could produce 125,000 metric tons between now and December.

Meanwhile, Dangote, which is yet to produce its first bag, said test productions will be carried out end of October and hope is that effective production could begin in November with about 120,000 metric tons envisaged before the end of the year.

As concerns importations, main dealers like Quiferou said 265,000 tons are envisaged to be shipped in, with about 164,000 tons already on the waters en route to Cameroon. Fokou intends to import 200,000 tons within the period. While Afrique construction is eyeing 75,000 tons with 25,000 tons on the way already, Sorepco is bracing up to import 50,000 tons. Importers however expressed worries that some of their imports are already at the Douala seaport suffering under the weight of offloading procedures.

Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana assured all and sundry that the customs department is looking into the situation of the supposed floating stocks at the port and that government in a concerted manner will propose solutions within the ambit of the law. While praising local producers for their investments which he noted are in line with government's open-door policy to attract direct foreign investments, the Minister encouraged them to redouble efforts to step up local production and bail out the country from importations with adverse effects especially on the country's trade balance.

INDIA: Zuari Cement to set up 3.23 MT plant

Zuari Cement Ltd through its subsidiary Gulbarga Cement Limited is setting up a cement plant along with a 50 MW captive power plant in Gulbarga.

The cement project will be located 28 km from Gulbarga city on the Gulbarga-Bangalore highway and foresees capacity of 2 million tonne (MT) clinker and 3.23 MT cement per annum. 

The unit is designed to double its capacity as part of the future plans to cater the growing demand in the northern segment of Karnataka and also the adjoining state of Maharashtra.

This unit will be strategically a very important investment for Italcementi in India.

Gulbarga Cement is in possession of 1,821 acre of land, GCL has received approval for the same from KIADB. After the foundation stone laying ceremony, the first step of the project will be the start of the mining activity.

On the future plans, the company is erecting one million tonne large grinding unit at Sholapur in Maharashtra and a cement terminal in Kochi with capacity of one million is also being developed. 

After the completion of the project, Zuari Cement will encompass a total capacity of 10 MT, growing to be one of the largest cement manufacturers in southern India. 

The foundation stone laying ceremony for the project was held recently in Gulbarga. The ceremony was inaugurated by Zuari Cement Managing Director Nabil Francis along with Business Development Director Ramesh Suryanarayana.

TAIWAN:Taiwan Cement raises product prices in China

Taiwan Cement Corp., one of Taiwan's leading cement suppliers, said Monday that it has raised cement prices in Guangdong province because of rising demand in China's market.

Taiwan Cement said it has hiked product prices in the province, the company's major market in China, by 20 Chinese yuan (US$3.26) per metric ton. High-end cement now carries a price tag of 340 yuan per metric ton, up from 320 yuan.

The cement supplier said demand in the Pearl River Delta area grew significantly in late September as inventories were drawn down for construction projects ahead of the Oct. 1 National Day holiday.

Analysts said Taiwan Cement is expected to benefit from the upturn in demand for the rest of the year because the fourth quarter is a peak season in China's cement market, one that will receive an extra boost from government efforts to push investment in infrastructure.

It was Taiwan Cement's second price hike in Guangdong since August, when it raised cement prices by 10 yuan per ton.

Taiwan Cement said it has not ruled out the possibility of raising cement prices in other provinces, such as Guangxi, Jiangsu and Sichuan, based on solid demand in those areas.

According to its website, Taiwan Cement operates production lines in several provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou.

In the first half of the year, Taiwan Cement sold 22.7 million metric tons of cement in China, compared with only 3.1 million metric tons in Taiwan.

The company posted NT$5.03 billion in net profit in the first half, up 25.72 percent from a year earlier, with earnings per share (EPS) of NT$1.36, a record high for Taiwan Cement in a half year and higher than the NT$1.08 in EPS recorded over the same period the previous year.

Despite the latest product price hike, shares of Taiwan Cement fell 0.66 percent to close at NT$45.00 in trading in Taipei on Monday amid pessimism over the market's prospects after the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange shed 2.71 percent last week.

GHANA: Cement Shortage Government Moves To Stop

Shortage of cement in Ghana will soon be a thing of the past as government embarks on a terminal expansion project at the Tema Harbour to enable the port receive bulk clinker for cement producing companies.

The project, which is being done by Amandi Constructions will cover an area space of four hundred by fifty meters, allowing the Tema Harbour to take four additional cargo vessels at a time.The $122miilion project, which will be completed in the last quarter of 2015 is expected to create room for raw materials needed by GHACEM to facilitate cement production.

This is expected to create enough space for cargo ships carrying clinker to berth at the port for easy discharge.

Presently, the Tema Harbour has a limited space for receiving clinker, a situation the Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA), Mr. Richard Anamoo, describes as a major contributor to the shortage of the product in the market.

Mr. Anamoo made these remarks on the sidelines of an inspection tour by the Minister for Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Attivor and her deputy Mrs. Joyce Bawa Mogtari.

He noted that the expansion works will further allow other major cement companies such as Dangote to import enough cement into the country, cutting down on the demand.

“The situation has been so because raw materials used in the production of cement are mostly harmful to other imported items and so require absolute isolation and time to clear”, he explained.

According to him, officials of the port take a longer time to clear the product after which thorough cleaning needs to be done.

Mr. Anamoo added that the completion will aid the country to generate more income since the Tema port is a major gateway for some West African landlocked countries.

He disclosed that the facility will be built in a way to enable further expansion in the future if need be.

On her part, Mrs. Attivor expressed government’s satisfaction at the level of progress.

She was optimistic that the project will be completed by November next year to enable GHACEM and other cement producing companies have reliable access to raw materials.

The Minister disclosed that the move has already alerted some major cement producers in the sub-region to commence operations in Ghana.

She maintained that the project will result in boosting the infrastructure development of the country, and ultimately create jobs for the youth.

In a reaction, the Chief Engineer of Amandi Constructions, Mr. David Ben Ayun assured of meeting the completion date for the project.

NIGERIA: SON begins enforcement of new cement standard

Worried by the high rate of building collapse across the country in recent times, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), at the weekend in Lagos held a zonal stakeholders’ forum on blocks and allied products in South-west states to begin implementation of the cement standardisation and reclassification scheme.

This is in line with a directive of the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI) to immediately commence the full enforcement of the policy across all segments of the cement and allied products sector.

The exercise began with the official unveiling of the new packaging and labelling model for the three different classes of cement in the nation’s market, with clear labelling and colour coding to help stakeholders easily distinguish between the lower 32.5 cement grade and the higher 42.5 and 52.5 grades to prevent misuse.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed some weeks ago, killing about 115 people and injuries several others.

To stem the tide, the SON started a review of the standards of the major building materials beginning with iron rods, steel products and roofing sheets in 2012/2013, and then cement and allied products in 2014.

Opening the implementation of the cement standardisation scheme, the Minister of States for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, expressed delight over move by SON to firm up the regulatory frame work for building materials in the country, including cement and its allied products such as sandcrete blocks.

He also endorsed the decision to contrive the new cement packaging and labeling in line with the recently approved Nigeria Industrial Standard for Cement, stressing that these steps will go a long way to enhance the sanity of the building and construction industry.

“One key focus of standardisation all over the world is continual improvement aimed at customer satisfaction and this is only attainable through the diligent implementation of specifications for products and services as prescribed in the relevant approved standards. Standards in themselves are dynamic in that they undergo reviews as necessary towards ensuring continual improvement in products quality.

“Today’s event I understand is one of the quality assurance initiatives as part of the implementation of the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for all locally manufactured products in Nigeria to ensure that they meet minimum specifications in applicable standards, are safe and would give value for money before being offered to Nigerians for patronage. This will also ensure consumer confidence and repeated patronage that will ultimately lead to increased capacity utilization and employment creation in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government,” Ortom explained.