Moderators Moderator_02 Posted March 22, 2019 Moderators Share Posted March 22, 2019 Quote Cement: More Business between Central America and Mexico During the first nine months of 2018, Central American companies imported hydraulic cement for $110 million, and purchases from Mexico doubled compared to the same period in 2017. Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: Imports by country Between January and September of last year, the main importer of hydraulic cements in Central America was Nicaragua, with $38 million, followed by Guatemala, with $30 million, El Salvador, with $17 million, Honduras, with $10 million, Costa Rica, with $9 million and Panama, with $7 million.Variation in regional imports Between January and September 2017 and the same period in 2018, the value imported into the region only grew by 0.40%, rising from $110 million to $112 million. Regional purchases from Mexico show a considerable increase for the periods concerned, as imports increased 95% from $5.6 million to $10.8 million.Origin of imports In the first nine months of the year, 12% of the value purchased was from China, 10% from Mexico, 10% from Vietnam and 7% from Peru. China is the market origin of imports that has grown the most in the period from January to September of the last seven years, given that in 2012 no significant purchases were reported and last year accounted for 12% of total imports by the region. https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Cement_More_Business_between_Central_America_and_Mexico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Speaking personally and without much experience or knowledge of the concrete business sector, but my gut tells me there is something wrong with the numbers in the above chart. Panama at the bottom of the list given all of the construction that we see going on throughout the country? And Nicaragua, which is going through some serious internal turmoil and economic downturn as a result, at the top of the list? This doesn't pass the smell test. But then I've been wrong before.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Panama produces it's own cement ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Thanks Keith. That was an aspect that I had hot considered. As I wrote, not much experience or knowledge on my part -- proven true again. For Panama to make its own concrete makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 see also: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bondoux Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 I have learned from talking with cement people that they go crazy when folks confound cement and concrete (the latter being made from cement and such things as sand and gravel). If you have limestone and energy you can make cement. Transportation cost vs. production cost for cement make it relatively unattractive to ship long distances. The Mexican exports seem to correlate pretty well with the distance from Mexico... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 21, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted August 21, 2019 Quote Cement: Plant Expansion Planned Cemento Argos Panama plans to invest about $168 million in the construction of an industrial complex that will serve for the production of Clinker, which will be located on the property of the company's plant in the province of Colon. Monday, August 19, 2019 Argos Panamá, S.A. presented to the Ministry of Environment the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) to develop the industrial project called "Balboa Project." The project consists of the production of Clinker for the Argos Panama Cement plant, through the installation of a production line in a polygon of approximately 18 hectares, located on the grounds of the Argos Cement Plant in Buena Vista, Province of Colon, through the adequacy of land, construction of operational buildings and the installation of equipment for the activities of limestone crushing, grinding of raw materials, production of Clinker and its transport by belts to silos where it will be stored for later use in cement production. All equipment such as furnaces, vertical mills, crushers, filters, chimneys, conveyor belts, silos, calcinators, elevators and rakes, as well as tanks and pumps, required for the different processes of the Clinker manufacturing line, will be installed on site. The assembly of metal structures will also be carried out. The development of the infrastructure of the Balboa Project will have an estimated investment that considers equipment, construction, engineering, consulting, external suppliers, legal costs and related taxes, of the order of $168 million.CentralAmericaData has information on the construction projects to be developed in Central America, with details such as estimated investment, times and phases of the project, supplies and equipment that will be required during and after construction, water treatment, and parking structure, among other things. https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Cement_Plant_Expansion_Planned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted August 29, 2019 Quote Cement Plants Report Red Numbers In Panama, the import of cement and the depressed activity of the construction sector explain the fall in the production of concrete and cement in the first half of the year. Wednesday, August 28, 2019 According to data from the General Comptroller of the Republic, between the first six months of 2018 and the same period of 2019, the total cost of construction went from $662 million to $510 million, which is equivalent to a fall of 23%. This decline in the sector has been recorded for years.You may be interested in "Construction: Next Investments in Central America”In this context of declining construction, ready-mix production has also fallen. Figures show that from January to June of this year concreteproduction reached 614,210 cubic meters and cement production 749,235 metric tons, which is equivalent to a 10% and 12% drop with respect to the first half of 2018, respectively.Prensa.com reports that "... Jose Luis Gonzalez, director of Cemex, a company that in 2017 inaugurated an additive plant with an investment of $15 million dollars, commented that the completion of infrastructure projects such as Line 2 of the Metro and the third bridge over the Panama Canal, added to the brake on private construction, have impacted the demand for concrete, cement and other construction-related products."Also see "Cement: Imports up 6% in 2018”Harry Abuchaibe, manager of Argos Panama, explained that "... Faced with a declining local market and growing imports, we evidently noticed an impact on local industry because of asymmetries in quality standards, sustainability and legal compliance. Local producers are prepared to meet the national demand at competitive prices, and, most importantly, generating decent and quality employment and tax benefits."According to reports from CentralAmericaData, between 2017 and 2018 imports of hydraulic cement in Panama practically doubled, from $6.1 million to $12.8 million. https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Cement_Plants_Report_Red_Numbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted December 21, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted December 21, 2019 Quote Cement: New Regulations to Apply in March 2020 The new technical regulation for cement in Panama, which was scheduled to come into force on December 3, will be applicable as of March next year. Thursday, December 19, 2019 One of the new aspects of the regulation is that it requires national and importing cement companies to process a certificate of conformity and a civil liability policy for each lot to be marketed. From the Ministry of Trade and Industry's statement: MICI 18-12-2019. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) informs that from March 3, 2020 the new provisions established in the technical regulation 90-2019 DGNTI COMPANIT, regarding conformity assessment for the marketing of cement, will come into force. The entry into force of this new regulation was contemplated for last Tuesday, December 3, 2019, after the publication on August 2 in the Official Journal of Resolution 70 of July 15, 2019 that formalizes the Technical Regulation DGNTI COPANIT 90-2019 Conformity Assessment for the Marketing of Cement. In the aforementioned regulation, in its second article, it indicates that a period of four months was granted for the application of the aforementioned technical regulation. The national director of Industries and Business Development of the MICI, Francisco Mola, explained that the reasons for the postponement are mainly because the laboratories of the Technological University of Panama (UTP), which must carry out the tests in this area, are closed during December. https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Cement_New_Regulations_to_Apply_in_March_2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted February 20, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted February 20, 2020 Quote Construction in Panama: Prices at the Beginning of 2020 During January, domestic sand prices rose 3% compared to the same month in 2018, and the 94-pound sack of gray cement fell 2%. Tuesday, February 18, 2020 In January 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, the IPs showing increases were: Sand Yard by 2.6%, Stone Yard No. 4 by 2.5%, Polarized Box Outlet Unit by 2.4% and Clay Block % by 1.2%. In contrast, the IP of the foot of Carriola No. 4 decreased by 12.7%, the 30-foot stretch of the steel rod of ½" by 11.5% and the 94-pound sack of gray cement by 6.3%, reported the Comptroller's Office. The report states that "... In the same period, the IP of the galvanized corrugated Zinc foot No. 26 decreased by 3.3%, the IP of the cubic meter of premixed concrete by 2.4%, and the IP of the 10 feet stretch of PVC plastic pipe and the IP of the hundredth of cement block No. 4, both by 1.6%. The IPs of the unbrushed spade wood and the foot of stranded electric cable No. 12 maintained the same price level as the month like 2019." See full report (in Spanish). https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Construction_in_Panama_Prices_at_the_Beginning_of_2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted July 14, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted July 14, 2020 Quote Cement Industry Goes Down The restriction to the construction activity due to the sanitary emergency and culmination of the third set of locks of the Canal, forces the cement producing companies in Panama to enter in "hibernation" mode. Friday, July 10, 2020 The spread of covid-19 severely affected the Panamanian construction industry, as the government banned work on most projects. According to the report of the General Comptroller's Office, in April the economic activity index fell 35% compared to the same month in 2019, and Construction was one of the activities most affected. Regarding the gray cement market, official data indicate that from January to April 2020, a 44% year-on-year drop in the volume of imported cement was reported. In relation to local production, during March of this year, the decrease in the volume produced with respect to the same month in 2019, amounted to 48%. You may be interested in "Real Estate Supply: How do Prices Behave?" Harry Abuchaibe, general manager of Argos Panama, commented to Martesfinanciero.com that in this context "... the company is operating at 45% of its capacity, and although an increase could be expected in the coming months, the behavior of the pandemic in recent weeks is turning the balance to the negative side with a projection for the end of the year of 35% capacity." Alfredo Fonseca Mora, president of the Panamanian Association of Concrete Producers (Apacreto), explained that "... the production of concrete is practically paralyzed, since the activation of block 2 has not represented a greater demand for the product, because they are maintenance projects and of low impact for the industry." For now, construction in the country continues in uncertainty, because at the end of June the Health Ministry decided to extend for the fourth time and for 15 more days, the temporary suspension of the construction activity, arguing that it seeks to prevent, control and mitigate the covid-19 disease. Source: martesfinanciero.com https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Cement_Industry_Goes_Down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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