DTI allows Philippine cement firms to export clinker WIth the Philippines cement industry now struggling to survive, government said it is allowing local cement companies to export clinker as an alternative way to utilize their cement export allocations.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that since domestic cement supply is stable and there is a glut in the market as a result of the slowdown in construction, it has approved requests for authority to export both cement and clinker.

In related news, Philcemcor reports that at least six cement plants and more than 15 cement manufacturing lines in major cement companies have closed in the wake of rising cement imports from Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia.

Philcemcor President Magdaleno B. Albarracin Jr. said the imports, now rising to 18% of the total market, have already cost local manufacturers US$73 million in lost sales from June 1999 to August 2000, resulting in nearly 4,000 direct jobs in cement plants and their allied businesses.

Of the Philippine's 43 cement production lines, only 20 are operating, Albarracin said.

Iran to build plant in Syria Iran is planning to build a $200 million cement plant in Syria with a capacity of 1.5 million tpy, according to the Daily Khaleej Times Dubat. Other planned projects include the building of 10 grain silos with a storage capacity of 1 million tons and more than 1,000 train carriages.

Chettinad Cement awards contract ABB received an order worth US$42.09 million from Chettinad Cement for its upcoming cement plant, according to the Gulf News Daily. Chettinad Cements is planning a new 900,000-tpy cement plant at Karaikal in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Daily reports that ABB is developing information technology-based applications and tailored software solutions for the industry.

Calusco orders new production line The Siemens Industrial Projects and Technical Services Group has won an order to supply and install the latest electrical equipment and automation systems for a new production line at the Calusco Cement Works in Italy, operated by the Italcementi Group, and for other existing parts of the plant.

A consortium headed by Kobe Steel Ltd. of Tokyo is to build a new clinker production line for Italcementi, the fifth largest producer of cement in the world, at its Calusco plant. The new plant will be replacing the existing facilities and will have a capacity of 3,600 tpd.

Siemens developed a process control system specifically for Italcementi and will be supplying the whole power distribution system, all the drives and lighting systems, safety systems, and communications together with all the instrumentation for the process control level.

Also included in the order is a quality assurance system and the integration of all instrumentation and control devices. The total value of the order is approximately US$12.65 million and the upgraded plant is scheduled to start production in the spring of 2003.

Taiheiyo Cement Corp. acquires cement plant Taiheiyo Cement Corp. announced a further expansion in Asia, taking a 90% stake in a Philippine cement maker less than a week after buying into a South Korean company, according to the Daily Manila Bulletin.

Taiheiyo agreed to buy 90% of Grand Cement Manufacturing Corp. for approximately US$84.5 million.

It said it was making the purchase to counter the recent expansion of European companies in Asia, where cement demand is expected to rise in the medium and long-term due to a rebound in construction as regional economies recover from the Asia currency crisis.

Unlisted Grand Cement currently holds a 5% stake in the Philippine cement market, 90% of which is controlled by companies owned by European and Mexican firms.

Taiheiyo, which is aggressively expanding abroad, said it would buy 20% of Korea's Ssangyong Cement Industrial Co. for US$372 million to create the world's fifth-largest cement group by production capacity.

The Japanese cement maker said the Philippine deal would boost its annual cement production overseas by 1 million tons to 24.5 million tons, compared with its domestic production of 28 million tons.

Italcementi, Zuari evince interest in Mysore Cement Italcementi of Italy and Zuari Cement Ltd., have jointly evinced interest in acquiring the cement unit belonging to S.K. Birla's Mysore Cement Ltd.

Mysore Cement has two cement units, a 700,00-ton capacity unit at Amarasundara in Mysore and a 1.5 million-ton unit at Dhamoah in Madhya Pradesh. The company also runs a grinding unit at Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

Nasher of Israel holds a 10% stake in Mysore Cement as a strategic investor. Italcementi had acquired 50% stake in Zuari Cement Ltd. and formed a joint venture company. As per the agreement entered into between the two companies, any deals in the southern India will be routed only through the joint venture company, while for the rest of the country, Italcementi is free to buy out deals in its individual capacity, according to the Daily Times of India.

Holderbank ups investment in Semen Cibinong Holderbank has reached an agreement with PT Semen Cibinong Tbk's major shareholder to increase its investment in Cibinong, currently a 12.5% minority interest, with a view to acquiring a controlling interest in the company.

The agreement is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the restructuring of Cibinong's debt.

Cibinong operates two modern cement facilities, one at Naragong near Jakarta in West Java and the other at Cilacap on the south coast of Central Java. Together, the plants have a total annual cement capacity of 10 million tons.

Ninh Binh Cement orders complete production line Ninh Binh Cement Co. in Vietnam ordered a complete cement production line from F.L. Smidth & Co. A/S for about US$88 million. The contract covers machinery and equipment, spare parts, civil construction drawings, structural steel, supervision, and training.

The new production line will be located in the northern province of Ninh Binh, 75 miles southwest of the capital city of Hanoi. The plant will have a rated capacity of 4,000 tons of clinker per day and will be specially designed for the use of locally sourced anthracite coal of a very low gas content.

Vietnam's biggest cement plant put into operation Nghi Son Cement Plant, with an annual capacity of 2.15 million tons, was put into official operation late last year in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

The plant, the biggest of its kind in Vietnam to date, is a joint venture between the Vietnam Cement Corp., Taiheiyo, and Mitsubishi Materials. The venture has an investment capital of US$373 million including a legal capital of US$104 million, using modern technology from Japan and employing 264 workers.

The plant was built on 25 acres in Hai Thuong commune, Tinh Gia district. It has a 5,800-tpd clinker furnace and an 11-km limestone conveyor running through a 2.2-km tunnel.

During a test run, the plant turned out 245,000 tons of cement, including 164,000 tons of PC 400 cement.

Lafarge overhauls Polish cement plant Lafarge will spend US$150 million on updating its Kujawy site, including constructing a new production line.

The production line will cost US$80 million and will be completed in November 2002. It will replace three old ones and expand capacity at the site by 36% to 1.6 million tons. The work will cut noxious emissions to one-eighth of their current level, according to Vice President Bernard Kasriel.

Lafarge will also spend US$70 million on modernizing the site, likewise by 2002.

"Poland represents Europe's fifth largest cement maker and by far the leading one in central and eastern Europe," Kasriel said. "If the market grows, we will be able to follow this growth and increase our capacity by a quarter."

The Polish cement market as a whole is estimated at 14 million tpy.

CIMENT FRANCAIS reported net sales of US$1.7 billion for the first nine months of 2000, up from US$1.5 billion in 1999. The operating income was US$303 million, compared with US$299.7 million for the same time period last year. Consolidated sales advanced 12.7% during the first nine months of 2000.

FAM FURDERANLAGEN MAGDEBURG acquired the Vienna Grinding Technology Division from Waagner-Biro Binder AG/Austria. The grinding technology division in Vienna will continue its work under the name FAM Vienna Office.