22 August 2024

Mexico: Cemento Cruz Azul will invest nearly US$40m to build a new grinding mill at its Lagunas cement plant in Oaxaca to increase cement production capacity. General manager  Mario Morán said that construction will be completed by October 2025.

Víctor Velázquez, chair of the board of directors, said "The mill is designed to be highly energy efficient and environmentally friendly, as it does not use water."

Colombia: Cementos Argos is set to finish construction of a new silo at its Cartagena export terminal by November 2025, aiming to increase its exports of cement to the US and ‘several’ Caribbean countries. Total investments in the project are valued at US$17m. The dome-shaped silo can store up to 20,000t of cement and allows for the simultaneous loading of ships at two docks, potentially increasing cement and clinker exports to 3.5Mt/yr.

New Zealand: Neocrete has entered a partnership with major cement manufacturers, including Cemex, Heidelberg Materials, CRH, Titan, Cementos Argos and Ultratech Cement to promote its new Activator product aimed at reducing the amount of cement required in concrete. The product uses volcanic ash or residual ash from industrial processes to cut the amount of cement required by 40% to 50%, according to the company. Neocrete aims to replace cement completely, resulting in carbon-free concrete, by 2027. The new product will be submitted for life cycle assessment once a new pilot plant in Mt Wellington is operational. The plant is valued at US$2m and will produce 0.12Mt/yr of cement, to meet 10% of New Zealand’s demand.

Co-founder Zarina Bazoeva said "We don't need to produce the whole volume of cement. We activate the concrete chemically with a small catalyst at 3kg compared to 100kg of cement. So, we can scale fast."

Zambia: Chilanga Cement has announced its results for the first half of 2024. Its sales rose by 34% from US$34m in the first half of 2023 to US$45.5m in the reporting period. Profit before tax more than doubled from US$4.2m to US$11.8m.