Tokyo Cement

Currency collapse, price controls hit Sri Lanka's Tokyo Cement in 2018

ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka's Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) Plc said it was badly hit by a steep currency collapse in Sri Lanka in 2018 amid a slowdown in the construction industry, while price controls made the firm run losses but had turned around in the March 2019 quarter.

Sri Lanka's price control agency has given a 100 rupee increase per 50 kilogram pack of cement in February 2019, allowing the firm to make profits.

"The most detrimental external aspect for Tokyo Cement, was the unexpected rate of rupee depreciation," Chairman Harsha Cabraal told shareholders.

The rupee fell from 153 to 182 to the US dollar in 2018 as the central bank printed money to push down rates and later injected liquidity to sterilize (fill) liquidity shortages from defending the peg on a shifting convertibility undertaking.

"As we are entirely import dependent, our foreign exchange exposure considerably increased the cost of clinker, bags, and freight, over the course of the year," Cabraal said.

"This loss was compounded by local retail losses, as cement is a price controlled commodity and we had to absorb the product cost increase until a maximum retail price increase revision as approved.

But steel which had no price controls had raised prices 45 percent he said. Steel imports are protected to give profits to politically connected businesses, pushing up house building cost for ordinary people, and making hotels and Sri Lanka' exports uncompetitive, critics have said.

Skimping on steel due to high import taxes may also pose safety risks, critics say.

Due to delays in payments by the government and liquidity shortages many smaller construction had gone out of business, Cabraal said.

"Industry liquidity was also squeezed due to delayed payments by foreign contractors for large scale government projects," Managing Director R S Gnanam said.

"While the local construction industry follows a 90 days credit rule, foreign contractors demand a 120 days credit period, which is unsustainable for local sub contractors.

Foreign contractors also use tenders to "push down" the price of local contractors, Gnanam said.

The firm had lost 283 million rupees on retail sales with 183 million in the December quarter.

Tokyo Cement group lost 463 million rupees in the year to March 2019 down from a profit of 2.3 billion rupees a year earlier.

In the March quarter it made a profit of 181 million rupees or 45 cents per share.

The rupee has so far appreciated to 176 to the US dollar amid a private credit collapse, and the central bank instead of printing money is now mopping up liquidity from dollar purchases (sterilizing inflows).

There have been calls to reform the central bank so that it cannot target both the exchange rate (defend the peg) and a ceiling policy rate (print money), generating monetary instability, depreciation and output shocks frequently. (Colombo/July24/2019)

Thanks Mate.
It seems that playing field for Tkyo is much better now.

Thanks Invisible

Fly ash cement grabs over third of sales at Sri Lanka's Tokyo Cement

ECONOMYNEXT - Tokyo Cement Plc said its blended hydraulic cement made with fly ash from Sri Lanka's coal power plants has made rapid market gains and made up 35 percent of sales by the March 2019 quarter.

"The new cement, which is not only stronger, but also contains sulphide resistance, and has more water impervious properties that ordinary Portland cement...:, Managing Director S R Gnanam told shareholders.

"..[O]ver the medium term we hope to transition from Portland to the more sophisticated, Blended Hydraulic Cement," Managing Director S R Gnanam told shareholders.

The cement is made to international standard with technical assistance from the firm's Japanese partners Ube Cment.

"Ube provided Tokyo with on-site engineers to monitor the manufacturing process, to ensure international quality. Our manufacturing facilities continue to maintain technical communications with Ube."

The firm launched the product last year. In the June 2018 quarter BHC cement was only 5 percent of market share. But it had increased to 35 percent my March 2019, taking the market "by storm" Tokyo said.

BHC is made with 'top-grade' fly ash from coal plants in Norochcholai, in the Western coast of Sri Lanka. Fly ash from different coals may have different chemical properties or granular sizes.

Tokyo said a fly ash separator was set up in the second quarter of 2018/2019 year to develop the highest quality blended hydraulic cement.

The BHC cement complies to Sri Lanka Standard SLS 1247:2015 Strength Class 42.5N and BS EN 197-1:2011 under type CEB IV/A (V) 42.5 N - SR international standard, the firm said.

The introduction of fly ash as a partial substitute for some raw material making it the 'greenest' cement in Sri Lanka, the firm said. Tokyo also generates renewable power for its factories.

Tokyo Cement has the capacity to produce up to 2.8 million metric tonnes a year. In 2018 following monetary instability with a steep currency collapse the overall market has contracted, and the firm said it had excess capacity.

Tokyo had increased production 7.63 percent by gaining market share recording revenues of 38.49 billion rupees in the year ending March 2019.

The firm also produces other materials such including sand, plaster and tile adhesives. (Colombo/July25/2019)

After hitting 55 six weeks back the share price has nicely dropped to 42/-. Its oversold now. There may be good short term recovery if market settles by next week. Keep an eye.

From 42 to 20 slide and daily chart is becoming bullish once again. Good volumes keep on coming too. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

TKYO managed to deliver two good quarters when the economic environment was so challenging. Stock price almost double from the lows experienced during "38 second" day.

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I were expecting a loss this quarter but they have performed exceptionally well.

Similar to CIND its time to TKYO as well to move in to unfined territory. 70/- and beyond is not a level tested before for TKYO however developments are so strong that no one can argue why TKYO cant go there.

Tokyo Cement announces US$ 12mn capacity expansion

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It is suggested to make your attention to the following statement I found in the budget speech.

විශාල පරිමාණයේ නිවාස ව්යාපෘති හා අධිවේගී මාර්ග සඳහා දේශීයව සපයා ගත නොහැකි සිමෙන්ති, ප්රිමික්ස්, වානේ කම්බි, බිටුමන් වැනි අමුද්රව්ය ආනයන බදු නොමැතිව තොග වශයෙන් ලබාගැනීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇත්තේ එමගින් සුළු හා මධ්යම පරිමාණ ඉදිකිරීම් කර්මාන්තයට සැපයුම් හිඟයක් ඇති නොවන පරිදි හා තරඟකාරී මිල ගනන් පවත්වා ගැනීම සඳහායි.

It’s clearly mentioned that if you cannot find locally then can import without tax
Therefore I don’t think any effort to Tkyo, please correct me if I am wrong

subash wrote:It’s clearly mentioned that if you cannot find locally then can import without tax
Therefore I don’t think any effort to Tkyo, please correct me if I am wrong

Yes you are correct and need to add some more. As per the budget proposal this permission is given to RDA so that they have given the freedom to import in bulk form to specific mega projects such as Express Ways because government is expecting that the local manufacturers alone can't fulfil the demand.

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Ltd said it will start producing passenger car radials with a 100 million dollar first phase of a 250 million dollar project being commissioned in January 2020.
The Rigid Tyre plants will make Passenger Car Radials, including for SUVs. It will also make tyres for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, trucks buses and solid tyres, the firm said.
The second phase of the project will be commissioned in March 22. The firm said it will create 3,000 jobs.
“Investments such as these set a good precedent, cementing Sri Lanka’s position as a haven for investors globally,” Rigid Tyre Corporation Chairman Nandana Lokuwithana said.
“This falls very much in line with the Government’s vision to position the country as an industrial hub in the foreseeable future.”
Lokuwithana also heads Ceylon Steel Corporation and Onyx Group in the UAE.[b] His other investments include Marriot Al Jadaf Hotel in Dubai, a cement grinding plant in Mirijjawila Hambantota which will start in May 2021[/b] and Marangoni Industrial Tyres Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. (Colombo/Nov22/2020)