16 April 2021

Germany: HeidelbergCement’s consolidated net sales grew by 1% year-year to Euro3.96bn in the first quarter of 2021 from Euro3.93bn in the first quarter of 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 23% to Euro538m from Euro436m. The group said that the preliminary results are ‘significantly’ above market expectations.

India: Larsen & Toubro has won a contract for the construction of a 3.5Mt/yr-capacity integrated cement plant at Nimbahera in Rajasthan. The Press Trust of India newspaper has reported that the supplier classed the order’s value as ‘significant,’ meaning between US$134m and US$336m.

Spain: Domestic cement consumption was 3.38Mt in the first quarter of 2021, up by 8% year-on-year from 3.12Mt in 2020. The Spanish Cement Industry Association (Oficemen) partly attributed the increase to export growth, to 665,000t in March 2021, up by 18% from March 2020 levels.

President Víctor Brosa said, ‘A stable year is expected in 2021 compared to 2020 despite the uncertainty surrounding the arrival of funds to reactivate the economy and the evolution of the pandemic."

Malaysia: Malayan Cement is expected to raise US$55.0m through a proposed placement of 10% of its shares. Bernama Daily Malaysian News has reported that the company plans to use US$13.1m as working capital. The remainder will repay its bank debts.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim, has announced the launch of its new Holcim Aqua X concrete. The product contains ‘active water-repellent boosters’ giving it increased resistance to water damage.

The BusinessWorld newspaper has reported that president and chief executive officer Horia-Ciprian Adrian said that Aqua X ‘highlights our great advantage in developing exciting products.’ He added that the product outperforms other concretes on environmental indicators due to its low clinker factor.