Kota Kinabalu: The disruption to cement supplies currently affecting the Sabah market is expected to be fully resolved by mid-September. The shortage of the construction material was caused by repair and maintenance works at the Cement Industries (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (CIS) cement plant in Teluk Sepangar, near here.
CIS General Manager Sumardi Mohd Yusuf said market recovery is progressing smoothly after all technical works at the facility had been fully completed.
He said apart from maintenance works at the plant, unforeseen logistical issues had also contributed to the supply disruption.
“The delayed arrival of vessels carrying clinker raw materials and bulk cement also contributed to the current disruption in market supply.
“The delays are caused by unfavourable weather conditions at the port of the plant supplying the materials,” he said in a statement, Sunday.
Sumardi said proactive measures are being taken to increase production in the near term to meet domestic demand.
“The repair and maintenance works at the plant were completed on Sept 4 and CIS is now working to ramp up production and restore cement supplies to the market.
“Cement supplies are expected to fully recover by middle of September,” he said, allaying concerns among industry players.
According to Sumardi, CIS has also drawn up short-term strategies to ensure the shortage did not persist and affect development projects.
“These measures include increasing the volume of basic raw materials sourced from external suppliers to build up stronger stock reserves,” he said,Sumardi said CIS is also increasing the procurement of clinker and bulk cement supplies to ensure sustained demand for the construction material could be met consistently.
“These measures are important to ensure that cement supplies can be delivered continuously to consumers and construction industry players in Sabah,” he said.
In this regard, he said the CIS management appealed for the cooperation and understanding of all affected parties throughout the supply recovery period.
