Spain: Catalonia consumption falls 17.4% in Q3

Consumption in Spain's Catalonia region has fallen 17.4% in the third quarter of the year, as the industry there continues to suffer through its fourth year of declines, a report from La Vanguardia said.

Since October 2007, cement consumption has been declining - except for two quarters in a small way - and consequently also the production, despite the commitment to export.

The industry still has not seen improvement in the domestic market, noting that exports have a lower potential than in previous crises because of international competition has increased in recent years.

Vietnam cement exports hit 3 mm tons

Country expected to export 400,000 tons of cement this year.According to the Vietnam Cement Association, Vietnamese enterprises exported since the beginning of the cement 3 million tons, of these, 2.6 million tons of cement clinker and 400,000 tons of cement, a report from Jiancai said.

Major export markets in Africa and Asia, Laos, China and other countries. Exports this year are expected to hit about 3.6-4 million tons.

In the first nine months due to high inflation, the impact of the Vietnamese government to reduce public investment, domestic cement sales volume of 3,700 tons of cement consumption in Vietnam compared to 5000-5100 tons last year.

UAR: RAK Cement reports results through Sept

For the first nine months of 2011 the company reported a loss of AED 16.4 million. Sales fell by 24% to settle at 138.5 million dirhams, compared with sales of the same period in 2010, which was at 182.7 million dirhams.

The company has indicated that the reason for the high losses in the third quarter of 2011 were the escalating cost of sales of the company, which hit 50.6 million dirhams, compared with sales of the second quarter of this year.

PERU: Cement imports increase in Peru

Higher cement sales in Peru has the led the country to import more of the material from neighboring countries, a report from Gestion said.

Shipments of cement during the third quarter increased by 13.7% over the second quarter and by 3.6% compared to the same period last year. Cemento Andino participation in the national cement consumption was 17.9%, while that of Cementos Lima was 34.71%.

The report also reveals that in the period from January to September, Cemex's participation in the domestic market has increased significantly to 4.9% this year.

A report reveals that Andean Cement most of the import was directed to the country's central coast, where the firm Cemex representative of the imports registered 103.831 tons in the third quarter, which represents an increase of 12.4 % over the same period of 2010.The gray cement imports increased 9.9% in the third quarter versus the second quarter and by 14.9% compared with the third quarter of 2010, the report said.

BRAZIL: Arab imports into Brazil surge

Brazil increased its cement imports from Arab countries this year, according to ANBA. From January to September the Latin American country purchased 247,000t of cement, 12 times more than in the equivalent period of 2010. Arab cement was imported mainly by UAE, but also by Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia. Revenues soared from US$2.3m to US$15.1m.

However, cement imports into Brazil remain relatively small when compared with its total cement consumption. According to the country’s cement association SNIC, the market absorbed 47.2Mt of cement during the first nine months of 2011, representing a YoY increase of 7.7%.

KENYA: Chinese investors plan grinding plant, Kenya

A consortium of Chinese and local investors is setting up a grinding plant expected to open early next year, reports the Business Daily.

The firm now known as Savannah Cement will break into the highly competitive regional market that has seen the entry of two new manufacturers in the past three years, as the existing players have raised their production capacities.

Benson Ndeta, the chairman at Savannah Cement and a former chair of the government-controlled East African Portland Cement, says his firm was keen on satisfying supply shortfalls since demand for cement is projected to overtake the installed supply within the next two years.

“Year-on-year growth of cement in the region is projected to exceed 14 per cent which the installed capacity cannot match,” Mr Ndeta said, revealing that 30 per cent of the company’s production would be sold in the countries outside the five East African countries.

Savannah Cement is a joint venture bringing together Savannah Heights—a consortium of local investors, Wan-Ho, a Chinese investment firm and Catic Cement sharing the stakes at 40 per cent, 40 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Vietnam's Vicem risks falling short of annual target

Inventories climb as sales drag.

The Vietnam Cement Corporation (Vicem) show that sales at the end of September sales had only reached 14.53 million tons. The company had set the year's sales target at 20.7 million tons. of which domestic sales was to be 19.55 million tons and exports 1.15 million tons.

Vicem said cement sales plummeted in recent months, affected by the rainy season and a reduction in public investment, among other factors. Vietnam Cement Corporation Cement stocks are at about 2 million tons.