Saudi Arabia: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has initiated construction of H-KSA 1, its first production unit in Saudi Arabia, located at Rabigh. The foundation stone was laid following a licensing agreement with Shurfah Group, which includes building four Hoffmann units under an exclusive 22-year deal. These units will use Hoffmann's clinker-free cement, aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives. Completion is anticipated by end of 2025.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are delighted to participate in the decarbonisation of the Saudi construction sector by building several of our units on their territory and marketing our 0% cement clinker."

New Zealand: Golden Bay, New Zealand's sole cement producer and a division of Fletcher Building, is advancing its sustainability goals at its Portland plant near Whangārei. The plant has been incorporating old tyres and treated timber in its production process since 2021, with the Ministry for Environment helping fund US$10m of the US$15.5m to upgrade the plant for the project. The plant uses tyres to replace 55-60% of the coal required, and plans to eliminate coal use by 2030. The facility has increased its use of recycled tyres from 15,000t to 30,000t/yr and is aiming for 40,000t/yr. The government’s Tyrewise programme supports tyre recycling, with the plant also investing in an on-site shredder. Upcoming projects include substituting coal with non-recyclable materials like old carpets and plastics, targeting a 30% reduction in emissions. Construction has already started on the project and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Manufacturing manager Kelly Stevens said, "We’re diverting 100,000t/yr of waste that would’ve gone to landfill.”

France: Cem’in’log has surpassed 1Mt of clinker processed at the Sète site since its inception over four years ago, encouraging parent company Cem’in’EU to continue investments there. Since 2019, the Port of Sète has served as a key entry point for Cem’in’EU’s clinker imports, mainly from North Africa. The site's storage capacity was expanded to 300,000t/yr in 2023. A new warehouse set to increase capacity to 500,000t/yr will begin construction in summer 2024 with a €5m budget. Cem’in’log will also boost its equipment, expecting to operate six rail services weekly by the end of 2024, supporting future expansion.

General manager Jean-Yves Apard said "We are currently dispatching four to five trains per week from Sète, loaded with 1850t of clinker. By the end of 2024, with a second locomotive provided by Regiorail and handled at the port by Viia, we will increase to six trains per week."

Egypt: Beni Suef Cement Company has reported a 32% year-on-year decline in profit for the first quarter of 2024, with a net profit after tax of US$873,000 compared to US$1.3m in the same period in 2023. Despite the fall in profits, sales rose significantly to US$14m from US$5.8m in the first quarter of 2023.

China/Taiwan: Asia Cement (China) Holdings will be taken private in a US$647m deal by its majority owner, Taiwan-listed Asia Cement Corp. Asia Cement Corp offers US$0.41 per share for the remaining stakes in its Hong Kong-based unit, marking a 3% discount on the last closing price. Trading in Asia Cement China shares, suspended since 28 May 2024 after a surge, will resume on 6 June 2024. The firm is impacted by China’s struggling property sector and recorded a first-quarter loss of approximately US$18m in April 2024.

Indonesia: The Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) has forecast the volume of cement to be used in the construction of the upcoming new capital city, Nusantara, as 1Mt/yr. This corresponds to 1.5% of the current domestic demand of 65.6Mt/yr. The Jakarta Post newspaper has reported that ASI members plan to supply reduced-CO₂ cement for the Nusantara project, to help it realise its aims as a ‘green city.’

In 2022 – 2024, the construction of Nusantara is expected to use 1.94Mt of cement. Research from the Bandung Institute of Technology previously forecast in 2022 that the Nusantara project would raise Indonesia’s cement demand by 33% to 84Mt/yr for 20 years from the start of its construction.

Indonesia: The Ministry of Industry is preparing a comprehensive roadmap for decarbonising the cement industry, due for initial implementation by the end of 2025. Newsbase Daily News has reported that that the roadmap includes targets for CO₂ emissions reduction, alternative fuels substitution and energy efficiency. It will also focus on developing new technologies and implementing supportive policies for the transition. The ministry noted that the Indonesian cement industry is already working to reduce its carbon footprint through multiple initiatives.

UK/Poland: SigmaRoc announced it has entered a share purchase agreement and exercised a call option to acquire the Polish lime operations of CRH. The deal, valued at €100m for deferred consideration, follows SigmaRoc's acquisition of CRH's lime operations in Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the UK. The acquisition includes two production sites in Kujawy and Sitkowka, along with an associated distribution network. Completion is contingent upon clearance from the Polish Competition Office, anticipated by the end of September 2024.

SigmaRoc said it is ‘pleased’ with the progress to date on the integration of the German, Czech, Irish and UK entities, and will provide a further update alongside its interim results for the period ending on 30 June 2024.

UK: Holcim has completed the acquisition of Land Recovery. This acquisition broadens Holcim's access to construction demolition materials, with Land Recovery having recycled over 300,000t in 2023. The deal follows the previous purchase of Sivyer Logistics.

CEO of Holcim, Miljan Gutovic, said "Land Recovery strengthens Holcim’s leading position in circular construction and advances our group target of recycling 10Mt of construction demolition materials in 2024. I look forward to welcoming all 85 employees of Land Recovery and investing in our next era of growth together."

Pakistan: Cement dispatches rose by 7.8% reaching 4.275Mt in May 2024 from 3.97Mt in May 2023. According to data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), local sales fell by 2.2% to 3.36Mt, while exports increased by 72% to 0.91Mt. Over the first 11 months of the financial year, total dispatches were up 3% year-on-year to 41.7Mt. Domestic sales dropped 4% to 35Mt, but exports grew by 66% to 0.66Mt.

An APCMA spokesman said “It is a matter of serious concern that the cement sector continues to post negative growth in local dispatches for the ninth straight month. We are hopeful that the government will give due attention to the concerns of the cement industry in the upcoming budget. We have an almost one-third idle capacity which, if utilised, can bring our operational costs down and provide relief to end-consumers