A cement manufacturing company believes it has an edge over imported cement products since it can give after-sales support, should there be a quality problem encountered by the consumer.
Darwin DJ Mariano, Cemex Philippines public affairs director, said that although the presence of imported cement in the market is good, there is nobody to hold accountable for in case quality concerns arise from the use of such products.
“But people will always use products of excellent quality,” Mariano told reporters during an awarding ceremony at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel yesterday.
Aside from being of high quality, Cemex cements are also recognized as environment-friendly. Its APO Premium and APO Pozzolan cements bagged the Green Choice
Seal Award.
The Green Choice eco-label is given by the National Eco-labeling Board of the Philippines to companies whose products are considered to be eco-friendly.
Higher revenues
Mariano said Cemex is working on raising its revenues by 100 percent this year.
In 2006, Cemex was able to generate 2.4 million tons of cement nationwide. But Mariano said the Philippine cement industry, as a whole, can still be considered “under-utilized.”
“The (Philippine) cement industry produces more than what the (domestic) market is able to consume, that is why it is important for (cement) companies to continue to be efficient in order to be profitable,” he added.
He dispelled speculations that low cement production has raised cement prices. He said the company’s production is affected by rising energy prices.
“We’re heavily energy-dependent… so it’s a function of that, for as long as the energy prices continue to rise—and energy prices in the Philippines are among the highest in Asia, if not the world—that, of course, will have an effect on the business,” he said.
Since Cemex acquired Apo Cement Corp. in 1997, Mariano said the company has already invested about $740 million in the country and it will continue to invest more to
make sure that the company’s operations is world-class.
He said the company will invest in an equipment, in line with its energy-efficiency program for its Cebu plant, within the year.
Apart from APO Premium and APO Pozzolan, Cemex’s Solid Cement also received a Green Choice Seal last year.
Currently, Cemex is the first cement company and the third Filipino company to receive the award.
During his speech, Cemex president Sergio Menendez said the company applied for the eco-label award to allow the consumers “to identify products that are manufactured in an environmentally responsible way.”
“In Cemex, our commitment to environmental responsibility goes beyond our corporate communications activities and extends and pervades many areas of our operations,” he added.
To qualify for the eco-label award, the cement company has to be compliant to all applicable Philippine National Standards, as well as with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. The company also has to reduce green house gas emissions by 10 percent per unit of output.
The eco-label awards will be featured in the packaging of APO Premium and APO Pozzolan. (DME)
