October 2025

Laos: The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has ordered regional departments of industry and commerce to stop issuing import licences for cement and steel. Instead, imports of these products will be regulated by customs officials at border crossings, according to the Vientiane Times newspaper. The move is intended to improve the efficiency of business operations in the country as part of an on-going import and export plan to 2020.

Nigeria: Domestic sales volumes of cement by Dangote Cement grew by 11.7% year-on-year to 10.8Mt in the first nine months of 2018, from 9.6Mt in the same period in 2017. However, sales in Sub-Saharan Africa grew slightly to 7Mt due to lower sales in Tanzania, disruptions due to civil unrest in Ethiopia and a reduction in exports from Nigeria to Ghana. This was mitigated by growing sales volumes in Zambia. Sierra Leone and the start-up of operations in the Republic of Congo. The cement company’s revenue rose by 13.5% to US$1.89bn from US$1.66bn and its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 14.6% to US$928m from US$810m.

“Nigerian sales were affected by serious flooding in September 2018 and although Pan-African sales were flat, we will see soon increased sales from Tanzania, now that its gas turbines are installed, and from Ethiopia as local community issues are resolved. We have launched new products in Nigeria that we believe will help us improve our leadership position in Africa’s most exciting market for cement,” said Joe Makoju, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mexico: Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua’s net sales rose by 11% year-on-year to US$667m in the first nine months of 2018 from US$610m in the same period in 2017. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 16.3% to US$199m from US$171m. It attributed the growth to building demand and rising prices in both the US and Mexico. Notable events in the third quarter of 2018 included: the operational integration of the Trident cement plant in Montana; completion of construction of the Rapid City, South Dakota plant expansion and start of the tie-in process; and reactivation of two idled kilns in Chihuahua to meet growing demand in the US and Mexico.

Mexico: Cruz Azul has launched the construction of a fifth production line at its Oaxaca cement plant in Lagunas. State governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa presided over the ceremony. The new line has an investment of over US$130m and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020. It will also be able to co-process alternative fuels up to a rate of 40%. Previously, Germany’s Loesche and France’s Fives sold grinding mills for the upgrade.

Canada: CEMSI, a subsidiary of Kontrol Energy, has received an order worth US$0.8m for an emissions analyser for an unnamed ‘global’ cement company. The product offers on-going regulatory compliance and process data to meet government requirements and reduce fuel and energy costs associated with production. The company said that it has withheld the name of the customer due to ‘industry competitive purposes.’

CEMSI, Is an integrator of turnkey continuous emissions and process monitoring equipment solutions, serving the Canadian and US market. Currently, up to 40% of CEMSI’s revenues are recurring under multi-year service agreements. It was acquired by Kontrol Energy in September 2018.

“This is a significant new order for the CEMSI operating team and adds to a growing vertical line of business in emissions compliance,” said Paul Ghezzi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Kontrol Energy.

Germany: Haver & Boecker has restructured its domestic sales division and all national activities into Haver & Boecker Deutschland. The new company started operation in July 2018 based at its headquarters in Oelde. Burkhard Reploh, formerly the head of the Building Materials and Minerals Division at Haver & Boecker, leads the subsidiary.

"The German customers are rather special. With their technical enthusiasm, these customers in particular inspire many of our innovations. Therefore we aim to further intensify our activities in Germany and as a result have founded a company which focuses exclusively on the requirements of our German customers,” said Florian Festge, managing partner of Haver & Boecker. He added that the restructuring is intended to strengthen the German market, which is the group’s largest single market, even considering its export share of 75%.

Haver & Boecker Deutschland represents the entire product and service range of Haver & Boecker and the technology brands of Haver & Boecker Niagara, IBAU Hamburg, Sommer, Feige Filling Behn, Behn + Bates and Newtec. This includes machines, systems and service products in the field of processing technology, silo technology, mixing, filling and packing technology as well as palletising and loading technology and automation in the cement, construction materials, chemicals, food and processing sectors.

China: Germany’s Refratechnik has signed a joint venture contract with Haicheng Guotian Mining and Yingkou Jinlong Refractories for the production of high-grade caustic calcined magnesia (CCM) and dead burned magnesia (DBM) at a new plant at Pailou near Haicheng in Liaoning. Yingkou Jinlong Refractories is a long-standing partner of Refratechnik in China and Haicheng Guotian Mining is an existing CCM and DBM producer in Haicheng with long-term secure access to magnesite ore.

Construction of the new plant has started and production at the site is scheduled to begin in 2019. The unit will manufacture 0.1Mt/yr of DBM and over 0.1Mt/yr of CCM. The joint venture is intended to secure supply for Refratechnik’s worldwide refractory production and to diversify and strengthen its international industrial minerals business.

Germany: Aucotec is building a new head office near its current site in Hanover. The new 3700m² office has an investment of nearly Euro12m and is planned for opening in February 2020. However, it is located outside the state capital in neighbouring Isernhagen. The decision to expand the head office follows continued growth at the company and its subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the US.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim’s net sales rose by 2.7% year-on-year to Euro18.bn in the first nine months of 2018 from Euro17.7bn in the same period in 2017. Sales volumes of cement rose by 1% to 165Mt from 164Mt. Its recurring earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 0.1% to Euro3.83bn.

“Despite headwinds from steep cost inflation, we delivered stronger net sales and our earnings grew even faster. I am very satisfied with our growth in volumes, our solid pricing and the impact of our cost and efficiency programs,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Jan Jenisch.

By region the group reported net sales and cement sales volume increases in most regions with particular growth in Europe and North America. However, cement sales volumes fell in Asia Pacific and net sales fell in Latin America. Net sales also fell particularly, by 9.2% to Euro2.03bn, in Middle East Africa.

Mexico: Sales growth in the US and Mexico has contributed to a strong third quarter for Cemex in 2018. Overall, its net sales rose by 7% year-on-year to US$10.9bn in the first nine months of 2017 from US$10.2bn in the same period in 2017. Cement sales volumes rose by 3% to 52.7Mt from 51.1Mt. However, despite the sales growth, operating earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) remained flat at US$1.96bn.

“These results were underpinned by healthy volume and pricing dynamics in our three core products in most of our portfolio. We are pleased with our operations in Mexico and the US, with strong growth in year-over-year volumes for our three core products and improved prices. In our Europe region, prices continued to improve with growth in ready-mix and aggregates volumes. In addition, in our Asia, Middle East and Africa region, we saw volumes and prices in the Philippines rising in the mid-single digits as well as a double-digit increase in cement prices in Egypt,” said Fernando A Gonzalez, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cemex.

Despite the strong markets in North America the building materials company reported a 3% drop in net sales in its South, Central America and Caribbean business area. A particular poor result was noted in Colombia. However, cement sales volumes picked up year-on-year in the third quarter of 2018 following elections.