The construction of the hydroelectric station Tumarín, and the eventual realization of the Grand Canal project, have created great expectations for business deals in the sector.
Holcim is waiting for clear signals about the canal project, a project that could represent a great opportunity for the company.
On the other side is the hydroelectric station Tumarín, over which they have had been making approaches for several years, even though it has not yet fully started. "While the company has had to reorganize, expand its staff and equipment, and increase its investments in order to keep pace with the growth of the sector, the construction of the canal (a Pharaonic project) will force the two cement companies to work flat out to meet the requirements for the work," noted an article in Confidencial.com.ni.
Cementos Progreso has announced an investment of $720 million in the construction of the San Gabriel plant with capacity of 2.3 million tons per year.
"Adding this to the capacity of the San Miguel plant, located in Sanarate, El Progreso, the company will be able to offer the market five million tons of product every year", reported Prensalibre.com.
REVETMENT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL GROUP'S Concrete Revetment Mattress erosion control system offers a low cost, effective and fast to install solution to the majority of erosion control, scour protection and soil stabilisation problems.
Organization that operates in Panama
Phone: (507) 398 3623 - (507) 398 3624
In Panama cement prices increased between 11 and 12% from the first of January, and other materials are also rising.
Capital.com.pa reports that "With the construction boom and the arrival of the dry season, the country’s hardware stores have begun to record price increases in many of its products."
In the case of gray cement, for example, "The companies Cemento Panamá and Cemex announced that as of January 1 their products will increase by 11% and 12%, respectively, and the market is already reflecting these adjustments", said Ricardo Castillo, the sales manager of the hardware store Super Materiales. Since October 2012, he added, "most building materials began to reflect significant increases."
The Municipality of San Jose, Costa Rica is looking at funding options to replace asphalt with concrete on all the avenues in the city center.
During the inauguration ceremony for the new works on Avenida 10 in the capital city, the mayor, Johnny Araya, said: "We will be analyzing the financial alternatives, to see if we can give continuity to the project in other parts of the city and, that in the heart of the city at least, all the streets will be done in concrete .
The Guatemalan PreCon Group has opened its production plant at km 17.5 on the road to Leon.
Investment in new plant was $2 million, and the production area is 1,400 square meters.
An article in Trincheraonline.com reports that "The products that will be marketed in Nicaragua are building materials such as blocks, ‘Blocón’ system, paving stones, curb stones and slabs or beam with with LK moldsh."
One of the main indicators of the construction industry reveals the intense dynamic being maintained in this sector in Panama.
According to the Controller General of the Republic, an increase of 20.9% was reported in the production of concrete in the first quarter, as a result of strong performance by the construction industry.
Pa-digital.com.pa reports, "This growth is due to the positive way in which he has the real estate sector in the isthmus has been performing in recent years, positioning itself as one of the largest in Latin America, because of the accelerated pace and the dynamics seen in the area of construction, with its contribution to the Panamanian economy "
In order to position better in a very competitive market, manufacturing companies are betting on strengthening their technical divisions, customer service and infrastructure.
Such is the case of Productos de Concreto (PC) which since its separation from the Holcim group, has been focussing its efforts on strengthening its technical division and developing a customer service area.
Conflicting decisions by the courts have discouraged investment by the firm Cementos David in Costa Rica.
The company Comcoas Inc. (Cementos David), has ceased operations on Monday, citing the "legal uncertainty" of the country.
Since opening in 2007, Cementos David has faced a number of law suits over its alleged illegal operation permits and environmental pollution, which were filed by residents of San Rafael de Alajuela.
A legal reform will end tax exemptions on cement produced in the provinces of Alajuela, Limón, Heredia and Puntarenas.
A statement from the Legislative Assembly reads:
CEMENT PRODUCTION TAX PAID
The Standing Committee on Financial Affairs has approved the bill number 18164, by which is introduced an amendment to the 6849 Act that relates to the tax of five percent on the cement produced in Cartago, San Jose and Guanacaste.
The company will begin production of a new brand of concrete that offers better quality and resistance, and that is currently being sold in international markets.
CEMEX will soon start producing a new brand of concrete, Hidratium, a technology using internal curing of the concrete which is already available in France, Ireland, Mexico, Poland and Guatemala.
With an investment of $200 million, the French-owned cement company has initiated a program of modernization and expansion of its plant.
The program, to be developed over the next three years, aims to eliminate bottlenecks at the plant and increase production capacity by 10%, to support the growth of the market, said Juan Martinez, director general of the cement company. In the medium term capacity is projected to double.
The government will not accept the increase in cement prices for 2012 announced by the construction sector.
Sector representatives from the country's chamber of industry and construction (Chico in Spanish) claim that the $0.48 price rise is due to the devaluation of Honduras' currency as well as increasing energy and fuel costs.
"Regarding the causes claimed by Chico, the government's Secretary for Trade and Industry (SIC in Spanish), Francisco Zelaya, commented that he thought they were made up," reports an article in Latribuna.hn.
After 10 years of litigation, the First Chamber of the Judiciary has ruled in favor of the cement company Cemex on a case related to tax collection.
According to the Municipality of Abangares, in the province of Puntarenas, the cement company owed $10 million in tax payments related to the operation of a quarry.
Among the actions requested by the Municipality is a request to the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications for the concessionary award to Cemex to be annulled.
Although they have not yet reached the volume of sales before the 2008 crisis, growth in cement is an encouraging sign.
Due to the economic crisis which affected the construction sector, the sale of cement had fallen 20% since 2007. This year it has rallied and reported growth of 10%, but still hasn’t attained the 2007 levels, said Carlos Castillo, regional vice president of Cementos Progreso.