August 2025

Pakistan: Fauji Cement raised its sales by 14% year-on-year to US$213m in the first nine months of the 2024 financial year. Throughout the period, which ended on 31 March 2024, Fauji Cement recorded a cost of sales of US$148m, up by 13% from nine-month 2023 financial year levels. Its profit was US$25.3m, up by 1% from US$25m in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

Australia: Cement Australia has received a US$34.4m federal grant for a kiln upgrade to its Railton cement plant in Tasmania. The upgrade will allow the plant to raise its alternative fuels substitution rate. The project is funded by the government’s Powering the Regions initiative, with total investments valued at US$215m.

Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said “This US$215m investment in Australia’s hard-to-abate manufacturing and mining facilities is about securing the future of high-quality, low-emissions products made right here. Northern Tasmania, Central Queensland and Western Australia have been industrial powerhouses for generations, and the government is ensuring that continues. As global markets change rapidly, we’re supporting Australian industry to not only survive but thrive with our world-class products that support regional jobs across the country.”

Australia: The Australian federal government has granted Adbri US$32.5m for a new front-end engineering and design study at its Birkenhead cement plant. The study will assess the possible installation of a new vertical roller mill and post-production blending system at the plant. InDaily News has reported that the proposed upgrade will increase the plant’s production capacity and help to expand its range of reduced-CO₂ cements. The funding falls under the government’s US$260m Critical Inputs to Clean Energy programme, which aims to help decarbonise the Australian economy by 2050.

CEO Mark Irwin said “With the Commonwealth’s support we have the potential to further accelerate the decarbonisation of our operations and products.”

UK: Breedon Group's sales dropped by 5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, according to a trading update from the company. It attributed this to macroeconomic uncertainty and unfavourable weather conditions in the UK. Sales volumes of its materials ‘softened,’ but prices remained ‘resilient,’ partly offsetting the decline. The quarter brought three new acquisitions, including the company’s first in the US. Two scheduled cement kiln shutdowns took place within budget and on schedule.

CEO Rob Wood said "We have laid good foundations for the remainder of the year: progressing pricing, pursuing efficiencies, completing two bolt-on acquisitions and launching our third platform by entering the US market. Although the economic landscape remains uncertain, I am confident our discipline and focus, coupled with our strong customer relationships, will see us deliver against our unchanged expectations for 2024."

Saudi Arabia: India-based software company Mastek has secured a contract for the comprehensive digitisation of production lines at Yanbu Cement’s plant in Yanbu. Capital Market News has reported that the planned optimisation will help to raise the efficiency of the plant. Yanbu Cement previously embarked on a programme of ‘digital and cloud transformation’ with Mastek in 2022. The partners say that their collaboration aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and Smart Industry 4.0 decarbonisation initiatives.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland has broken ground on the construction of a new kiln line and CO₂ processing unit at its Lägerdorf cement plant in Schleswig-Holstein. The line will feature an OxyFuel kiln, supplied by ThyssenKrupp. ThyssenKrupp’s OxyFuel technology will assist in the capture of 1.2Mt/yr (nearly 100%) of CO₂ from the plant. The partners described the upcoming upgraded Lägerdorf plant as one of the world's first carbon-neutral cement plants.

Holcim Deutschland CEO Thorsten Hahn said "We're laying the groundwork for a sustainable world through cement. Cement is essential for our cities, factories, homes, bridges and beyond. As we transition towards renewable energy, we must also construct the foundations and structures for wind turbines and railway tracks. With our climate-neutral cement plant, we ensure that this vital building material remains accessible without further harm to the atmosphere."

ThyssenKrupp Decarbon Technologies’ chief strategy officer Cetin Nazikkol said “It’s vital to switch to climate-friendly processes. By enriching CO₂ by means of the pure OxyFuel technology we’ve developed, we help our customers capture almost all of the CO₂ arising in the production process and so reuse it in a sustainable manner. Given that global cement production is more than 4Bnt/yr, we see enormous growth potential for our innovative technology.”

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has opened a new circular materials hub at its Appleford depot in Oxfordshire. The site will recycle construction waste for use in low-CO₂ building materials. The move advances the company’s strategy to conserve natural materials and support the circular economy.

Recycling managing director James Whitelaw said “Recycling, reusing and reducing the use of primary raw materials is crucial to reaching net zero. Our network of recycling hubs will allow us to provide the most sustainable products to our customers through circularity and innovation to enable building more with less.”

Switzerland: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is holding its Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network (GCCRN) Spring Week at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) campus on 22 – 26 April 2024. 450 delegates from over 40 academic institutions will attend the event, featuring workshops, idea exchanges and progress reviews focused on the decarbonisation of cement and concrete by 2050. Topics include the use of AI, alternative materials and processes, concrete recycling, renewables, kiln electrification and carbon capture.

GCCRN industrial chair and Cemex global research development vice president and Davide Zampini said “If we are to reach our goal of net zero concrete by 2050, then we cannot do so alone. We need to explore as well as harness solutions and collaboration well beyond our industry. That’s why Spring Week is so important.”

GCCRN scientific chair Karen Scrivener said “Everyone here at EPFL is proud to be hosting this year’s Spring Week, anticipated as our largest gathering yet, marking a significant milestone in our journey toward net zero research.”

Kenya: Savannah Cement’s creditors voted in favour of administrator Peter Kahi’s debt reduction plan for the company on 16 April 2024. Kahi’s plan involves leasing out the site of the company’s Kitui plant, while also seeking a buyer for it.

Business Daily has reported that the Office of the Attorney General has declared Kahi's reappointment as administrator of Savannah Cement on 24 January 2024 as invalid.

Qatar: Qatar National Cement Company’s net profit was US$14.1m in the first quarter of 2024, Mist News has reported. This represents a decline of 20% year-on-year from same period in 2023.