Dangote Cement Plc has announced plans to launch its brand of the premium 32.5 cement grade, selling N200 lower than the price of higher strength 42.5

Addressing newsmen Tuesday in Lagos on the new development, Group Managing Director of the Dangote Cement Plc, Devakumar Edwin, said specifically that the 32.5 grade, which has the lowest strength among the various cement products, will be priced lower than the others and will be selling at N200 lower than the price of the higher strength 42.5 grade. “This in addition offers our numerous customers and end users the prerogative of choice and its appropriate application,” he said.

The new product which has been branded ‘Dangote Cement 1X’, Edwin stated was in response to popular demand from the customers as well as in full compliance with the directive of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) encouraging production of all grades of cement but with clear labelling on the use.

Edwin noted that the entrance of the 32.5 cement grade from Dangote would ensure that the consumer pays the appropriate price for the right value rather than paying more for lower grade as is presently the case in the market.

Edwin disclosed that Dangote Cement is currently reviewing the selling prices of its products with intent to reduce them and make the products available with the recent commissioning of additional six million metric tons per annum lines 3 and 4 in Ibese, Ogun State and another three million metric ton capacity additional line 4 at Obajana, Kogi State.

According to the Dangote Cement GMD, the 32.5 cement grade would be clearly marked in the colour prescribed by the SON with the uses for which it should be applied, which is purely for plastering.

Dangote with this move now produces 42.5 for column and beam casting, block making, decking and other general purpose construction work that require high strength, while also producing the premium 32.5 grade for plastering and flooring only.

The company is also pushing out the 52.5 grade for specialised construction of high strength structures such as bridges, flyovers among others, Edwin said.

He announced that Dangote Cement will continue with its nationwide campaign and capacity building which it initiated and has sustained for the past three years, to ensure that the different grades of cement are easily identified by users and used only for their prescribed purposes.

Edwin stressed that in compliance with the SON standard for cement quality and packaging, the lower grade 32.5 type on the Dangote shelf will be clearly labelled as such, in order to prevent the problem of misapplication and misuse of the product which has become rampant in the nation's building and construction industry.

“We have significantly increased the supply of cement to the market and as it is expected the enhancement in supply of the product to the market has also resulted to a reasonable reduction in the price of the product,” he stated.

Dangote Cement, with presence in 16 African countries, is today producing locally at a combined installed capacity of 29.25 million mtpa from its three plants in the country.

The Dangote Cement in Cameroon, Senegal and Ethiopia are all expected to commence production later this year.

•Photo shows Dangote Cement GMD, Devakumar Edwin.

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