The company Argos plans to invest $21 million in a new cement plant with capacity to produce up to 440,000 tons per year in Choloma, department of Cortés.
According to officials from Argos Honduras, the new plant will expand the company's total production capacity by 30%.
Businessmen in the sector assert that the country reports one of the lowest levels of cement consumption in the Latin American region.
The current level of cement production in Guatemala reflects the low levels of public investment in recent years in the country. Lack of investment by the State in roads and other public infrastructure works is compounded by instability generated by foreign investment in the legal conflicts that have arisen in recent years, such as closure of mining projects and political and economic problems related to corruption."..."Conflict is an additional factor that slows development and investment, and therefore the consumption of cement," said Oscar Sequeira, coordinator of the Statistics Commission of the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction. "
Seven companies are competing in a market which in the first semester of this year reported sales worth around $223 million.
Figures from the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (Adocem) show that compared to the same semester in 2016 there was an increase of just 1.4% in sales reported by Cibao, Argos Dominicana, Cemex, Domicem, Andino, Santo Domingo and Panam.
The 2.4% year-on-year increase in the construction materials price index as of September 2017 was explained by the prices of electricity and lighting and cement and derivatives, which grew by 10% and 4.4%, respectively.
Of the five chapters that make up the aggregate of the Construction Materials Price Index (IPMC), the highest growth was recorded by electricity and lighting (10.5%), followed by cement and derivatives (4.4%), and metals and derivatives (2.5%). On the other hand, wood and roofing (-1.9%) and sanitation ware and floors (-1.5%) showed decreases.
With Nicaraguan and Costa Rican capital the company Concrenic has started operation of its third plant for the production of pipes, blocks and concrete boxes.
The precast concrete production plant started operating in September, at kilometer 47 of the old road to León. This plant joins the two operating in San Carlos, Managua, specializing in heavy structures such as beams and columns and prefabricated concrete.
The cement production plant that Plycem is to build on a 50,000 square meter site in Esparza, Puntarenas, will start operations in the first quarter of 2018.
The cement that will be manufactured at the plant will be of the Cementos Fortaleza brand, and part of its production will be sold locally.
"According to a press release, with the start-up of the new plant, the company will be able to self-supply the main raw material used in the manufacture of fibro-cement products."
In the last year, 56 environmental impact studies were presented for the construction of industrial plants in Central American countries.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData, includes an up to date list of public and private construction projects for which environmental impact studies (EIA) were submitted to the respective institutions in each country.
In the coming weeks, a new cement production plant owned by the Mexican company Cementos Fortaleza will start operating in Costa Rica.
The arrival of Cementos Fortaleza into the Costa Rican market will be managed by the company Plycem, which, like Cementos Fortaleza, is part of the Elementia group owned by businessman Carlos Slim.The cement-producing plant will be located in Barranca de Puntarenas, according to confirmation given to Nacion.com by Olman Vargas, executive director of the Federated College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA).
In 2016 intraregional trade in hydraulic cement totaled $59 million, 18% less than in 2015, and the main exporter is still Costa Rica.
Figures from the information system on the the Hydraulic Cement Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData : [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with the graph"]
A tender is being launched for the supply of 17 thousand cubic meters of hydraulic concrete, for works that will be carried out in Guatemala City.
Government Purchase Guatemala 6379133:
"Purchase of 8,678 m3of hydraulic concrete with resistance of 2.000, 3.000 and 4.000 psi, for works to be carried out by the management of works in different areas in Guatemala City."
Despite the lower dynamism in private construction, cement production increased by 4.8% in 2016, due to greater demand generated from public infrastructure projects.
An article in Revista Construir reports that "...Private sector Construction has been registering a decrease, cement production in Nicaragua has registered a growth, which has been driven mainly by the dynamism in public investment.In 2016the production of this material increased by 4.8% compared to 2015.According to the Index of the Volume of Industrial Goods, published by the Central Bank of Nicaragua, cement production reached 314.2 points in 2016, higher than the 302.4 points it averaged the previous year."
Between January and September 2016, the value of trade in hydraulic cement between countries of the region amounted to $48 million, 14% less than the same period in 2015.
Figures from the information system on the the Hydraulic Cement Market in Central America , compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Clic para interactuar con la gráfica"]
50% of production from the Cemex additive plant inaugurated in Panama will be destined for the local market, and the remaining 50% will be exported.
The cement company said that its objective is to supply the construction industry in Panama, in addition to exporting to Central America and the Caribbean, which is why it decided to settle in Panama Pacifico.
The plant that Mexico's Cemex operates in Escuintla will increase its production capacity by 10%, reaching 545 thousand tons a year.
In addition to the increased production capacity, with the improvements made to the plant, capacity for bagging cement will rise by 46%, going from 65 to 95 tons per hour.