Displaying items by tag: war

Palestine: Israeli occupying forces have reportedly demolished 38 ready-mix concrete plants in the Gaza Strip since entering the territory on 7 October 2024. The Middle East Monitor newspaper has reported that forces struck the sites from the air before bulldozing them.

A local ready-mix concrete company director said "We previously faced challenges from Israel in establishing these plants, and the response process was very slow. Our estimates indicate that the cost of establishing one plant ranges between US$1 – 3m, in addition to the costs of equipment.” The director concluded “Every item of equipment represents a challenge for us.”

Ukraine: ONUR Group’s concrete products subsidiary EFE has announced a new US$15m investment in its operations in Ukraine. Ukraine Business News has reported that EFE is paying ‘special attention’ to automation within its investments.

CEO Erhan Oztop said "Although we were able to increase our staff by 30% after 24 February 2022, the need for new employees remains. This motivates us to make large investments in the automation of production processes."

EFE produces ready-mix concrete, reinforced concrete products and paving slabs in Ukraine. It inaugurated two new ready-mix concrete plants in 2023, raising its production capacity to 800m³/hr.

Belarus/Russia: Belarusian Cement Company (BCC) increased exports of its autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks to Russia by a factor of more than three year-on-year in 2023. Three units, including the company’s Krasnoselskstroimaterialy building materials plant, contributed to the growth. BeITA News has reported that the increase more than offset the decline in BCC’s foreign sales of AAC blocks following the imposition of international sanctions on Belarus in 2022 for aiding Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

Mexico: The Mexican Ready-Mix Concrete Industry Association (AMIC) says that European natural gas shortages and disruptions to the supply of oil, chemicals and other goods as a result of the conflict in Ukraine may cause a rise in the cost of global cement production.

AMIC president Ana Laura Burciaga said "Having a conflict that delays the arrival of these products can make them more expensive because they would have to be obtained from more expensive sources due to shortages.” Burciaga continued "The area where the conflict is taking place was a major supplier of gas and we are concerned that this will have repercussions, especially in terms of a price increase when we have just suffered a very significant one of a magnitude we had not seen for many years."