24 September 2025

Mexico: The government of Campeche and directors of La Cruz Azul Cooperativa have officially launched the construction of the company’s new 1.0Mt/yr cement plant in Seybaplaya, Campeche. This will be the company’s fifth cement plant.

Gustavo Cruz Vega, director of new projects, said the plant will be “a modern automated facility, with 432 vibration measurement points, 600 temperature and vibration sensors, digital management and 100% advanced artificial intelligence, in addition to being able to generate clean energy and use alternative fuels.” He added that the plant’s systems will ‘guarantee zero dust emissions’ and low levels of pollutants.

He Xiaolong, vice president of China National Materials Group Corporation (SINOMA) and president of China National Building Material Group (CNBM) and Equipment Group (TCDRI), said this will be the first smart production line the consortium has built outside China, with 90% of the equipment designed and manufactured by its own engineering teams.

Ireland/UK: Mannok has completed a critical kiln repair at its cement plant during a scheduled maintenance shutdown, replacing the heavy shell section and drive tyre at Kiln pier 2.

The work addressed cracking in the shell section and realigned the kiln tyre, which posed a risk of operational disruption or failure if left unattended.

The project was carried out in collaboration with FLSmidth as the main contractor, Portuguese specialists Simetrexial and Mannok’s in-house team. Automated gas-cutting equipment was used to remove the damaged shell section, and a 100t lift plan was executed with the aid of a 700t crane. The new section was positioned and secured using sub-arc welding. The project was completed in 27 days without delays or complications, according to the producer.

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 8% year-on-year to 10.5Mt in the first eight months of 2025, an increase of 0.8Mt compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the Spanish Cement Manufacturers Association (Oficemen). Growth accelerated over the summer, with July and August 2025 registering double-digit increases of 12% and 13%, to reach 1.52Mt and 1.17Mt respectively. July 2025 marked the highest monthly consumption since September 2011. In total, an additional 0.29Mt were consumed in July and August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

On a rolling annual basis, consumption reached 15.7Mt between September 2024 and August 2025, up by 9% year-on-year, equivalent to 1.31Mt more. Ricardo de Pablos, newly elected president of Oficemen, said “As we progressed before the summer, all indicators point to our performance this year being more positive than expected. In this context, in which sustainability and decarbonisation are major challenges, the improvement in our results, despite the difficulties the sector has experienced due to the impact of recent crises, contributes to continuing to advance toward our goal of net-zero emissions.”

Exports fell by 6% in the first eight months of 2025, totalling 3.06Mt, down by 0.18Mt from the same period in 2024. Oficemen noted a 20% decline in July 2025 exports that was only partially offset by 14% growth in August 2025. Imports continued to rise, up by 12% year-on-year to 1.11Mt of cement and clinker through August 2025, 0.12Mt more than in the same period in 2024.

India: JK Lakshmi Cement has increased its cement production capacity from 16.5Mt/yr to 18Mt/yr following the commissioning of a new grinding unit in Surat and de-bottlenecking of cement mills at Jaykaypuram and Sirohi. According to the company’s filing, the Surat grinding unit adds 1.35Mt/yr.