Displaying items by tag: Americas

Brazil: Cement sales in August 2025 fell to 6Mt, a 2.5% decline compared to 6.15Mt in August 2024 and down 2.5% from July 2025, when sales stood at 6.16Mt, according to preliminary figures from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Total sales, including exports, reached 6.01Mt, also down by 2.5% year-on-year. Cumulatively, sales between January and August 2025 rose by 3% to 44.2Mt, compared to 43.0Mt in the same period of 2024.

By region, the Southeast remained the largest market, selling 2.75Mt of cement in August 2025 (down by 2% year-on-year), followed by the Northeast with 1.26Mt (down by 0.6%), the South with 940,000t (down by 7%), the Centre-West with 745,000t (down by 0.7%), and the North with 298,000t (down by 4%).

The slowdown comes despite record levels of formal employment and higher wages, as consumer debt remains high at 49%, close to the all-time peak of 49.9% in July 2022. Consumer confidence declined in August 2025 amid concerns about the economic outlook.

High interest rates, standing at 15%, continue to weigh on housing demand and the construction sector’s confidence index fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while industry confidence also declined to its weakest point since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tight monetary policy, uncertainty and new US tariffs on Brazilian products have further clouded the outlook.

Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC, said “The federal government's goal for the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program to build two million homes between 2023 and 2026 will enable the consumption of 10Mt of cement during that period. Structural masonry and concrete wall construction systems have been advancing throughout the country due to their cost-effectiveness, agility, competitiveness, and the Brazilian cement industry's efforts to engage and train professionals in construction companies.”

Argentina: Cement despatches in August 2025 totalled 0.89Mt, down by 0.4% year-on-year from August 2024, according to the AFCP. Volumes fell by 0.2% month-on-month.

However, cumulative despatches from January to August 2025 reached 6.59Mt, an 8% increase from 6.08Mt in the same period of 2024. Cement imports in August 2025 stood at 298t, taking the year-to-date total to 1597t.

Dominican Republic: Cement and clinker exports totalled US$72.5m in the first half of 2025, a 37% rise year-on-year, according to cement exporter Despradel & Asociados (DASA) and the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (Adocem). Haiti was the main market, with US$39.6m of exports, followed by Jamaica (US$9.4m), Guyana (US$8.3m), Turks and Caicos Islands (US$6.0m), Suriname (US$2.3m) and the US (US$1.2m).

Bolivia: Cement production was 325,068t in June 2025, down by 4% month-on-month from 338,536t in May 2025 and by 2% year-on-year from 331,854t in June 2024, according to the Institute of National Statistics (INE). La Paz led output with 98,290t, followed by Santa Cruz with 90,385t. In the first half of 2025, cement production reached 1.9Mt.

Cement sales fell to 306,714t in June 2025, a 20% fall from 381,160t in May 2025 and down by 4% from 319,041t in June 2024. In the first half of 2025, sales declined by 1% year-on-year to 1.88Mt from 1.91Mt in the first half of 2024.

US: Ash Grove Cement, part of CRH, has deployed Boston Dynamics’ autonomous robot ‘Spot’ at its cement plant in Washington in a year-long pilot to boost efficiency and safety. Operating more than 80 hours a week, the four-legged robot conducts routine inspections using a 4K camera and laser scanning, detecting anomalies and alerting teams before failures occur.

The company said that the robot can measure refractory bricks inside cement kilns, reducing risks by keeping employees out of hazardous environments. During the trial, Spot detected a failing bearing in rotating equipment, preventing unplanned downtime. Ash Grove said that the technology improves site safety, frees skilled teams for complex work and enables real-time monitoring in the hot and dusty conditions at the plant.

Plant manager Andy White said “Our aim for Spot is that, at the moment, we don’t have preventative or proactive maintenance routines on night shifts and the weekends. And, also, our labour force has to spend a lot of time recording data rather than analysing it… Spot can do this for us. When we come in the mornings, we already have reported generated, so we can proactively fix those issues thather than spending eight hours trying to find them.”

US: Martin Engineering has launched its two-wheeled Martin Gen 4 Railcar Opener. It is designed to aid bulk handlers to unload unprocessed and processed bulk materials from rail transport to facilities, including cement plants and terminals. The fourth generation product is intended to improve ease of use and reduce potential hazards for workers.

Features of the latest version of the railcar opener include simple manoeuvrability and lateral turning wheels for moving capstans, outrigger support and height adjustment. A ‘stepped’ drive tip is also intended to improve the gate opener’s contact with the capstan. This new design boosts efficiency, leading to less demurrage from stalling and a safer workplace.

Marty Yepsen, Business Development Manager for Railcar Unloading Products at Martin Engineering said “We’re excited about the 4th generation of this model because it’s been painstakingly designed over years using real-world feedback from customers.” He continued, “The nearly effortless single operator design transforms a hazardous and gruelling job into a comparatively routine and risk-free task,” Yepsen concluded. “Field tests have shown that the Gen 4 not only improves efficiency, which lowers demurrage, but it also increases safety and reduces labour costs. All this drives down operating costs and boosts ROI.”

Martin Engineering builds products for bulk materials handling. The company has its headquarters in Neponset, Illinois. It runs subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK and the US.

El Salvador: Data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) showed apparent cement consumption rose by 30% year-on-year in May 2025 to 4.8m 42.5kg bags, from 3.7m bags in May 2024, according to local press. The figure was the country’s highest monthly consumption in five years. Consumption from January to May 2025 reached 21.4m bags, up by 17% year-on-year from 18.4m bags in the same period of 2024.

From January to June 2025, imports of hydraulic cement totalled 0.3Mt, worth US$26m, up by 41% year-on-year from 0.21Mt in the same period of 2024. Guatemala was the leading supplier at US$12.7m, followed by Vietnam (US$6.6m), Japan (US$2.8m), Honduras (US$1.4m) and China (US$1.3m).

Canada: MV Tamarack arrived at the Port of Montreal on 22 August 2025, completing its maiden voyage and becoming the first newly built cement carrier to serve the Great Lakes in 20 years. The 12,500t vessel, owned by Eureka Shipping, a joint venture between CSL and SMT Shipping, was delivered on 23 July 2025 at Holland Shipyard in the Netherlands. The ship replaces two older vessels, offering the same capacity and reduced environmental impact, according to the company. MV Tamarack has a 10,700m³ cement hold, diesel-electric propulsion, shore-power compatibility, biofuel capability and energy-saving cargo systems.

Brazil: Cia. de Cimento Itambé has inaugurated a new kiln at its Balsa Nova plant in the Curitiba metropolitan region following a US$91.8m investment, according to the Curitiba government. Mayor Eduardo Pimentel and other members of the government were in attendance. The project reportedly increases clinker production capacity by 120% and adds 600,000t/yr of cement capacity, raising the plant’s total to 3Mt/yr.

The kiln will replace up to 50% of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like biomass and industrial waste.

US: Shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, fell by 7.5% year-on-year to 8.91Mt in May 2025, according to the latest figures from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Shipments for January to May 2025 totalled 37.9Mt, down by 6% from the same period in 2024. Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Michigan accounted for 39% of production, while Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and Illinois received 40% of shipments.

Clinker production was 6.38Mt in May 2025 , compared with 6.46Mt in May 2024. For January to May 2025, clinker output dropped by 10% to 24.5Mt. Imports for the period declined by 5% year-on-year to 9.81Mt.