Germany: Four of Europe’s leading cement producers have partnered to found and operate a 100% carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at Schwenk Zement’s 1.0Mt/yr Mergelstetten plant in southern Germany. HeidelbergCement has announced that the catch4climate project will enter operation in 2020.

UAE: A&K International Investment has divested itself of 29% of total shares from its stake in RAK Cement to an undisclosed buyer. RAK Cement’s profit fell by 79% year-on-year to US$0.39m in the first half of 2019 from US$1.88m. Its intended purchase of an integrated cement plant and quarry in the UAE was abandoned in September 2019.

Mexico: Cemex Ventures has partnered with BCG and Tracxn to launch a list of 2019’s global 50 ‘most promising’ construction start-ups. Assessment categories were technical innovation, project management and sustainability. Companies like the UK’s Cloud Cycle, a concrete management platform provider, and the US’s Concrete Sensors, which provides remote concrete strength, temperature and relative humility measurement solutions, typify the promising developments in how the construction industry uses its cement.

Saudi Arabia: In a report on 17 Saudi cement companies including itself, Yamama Cement recorded a year-on-year increase of 24% in sales volumes to 4.27Mt in November 2019 from 3.45Mt the previous November. The volume produced was 4.30Mt, up by 22% from 3.54Mt in November 2018. Mubasher has reported that the country has 1.22Mt of cement in inventory, 3.8% more than the 1.18Mt it held at the end of November 2018. Southern Province Cement Company (SPCC) led the month’s sales, with 0.61Mt.

Venezuela: Venezuelan Chamber of Construction (CVC) president Mauricio Brin has estimated a capacity utilisation of 12.5% - corresponding to a production of 1.5Mt of cement from an installed capacity of 12Mt/yr. Noticias Financieras has reported that, according to Brin, production, which was hampered by power shortages, was sufficient to meet the construction sector’s demand. “Public construction has stalled and private investment is restricted to limited office developments in state capitals,” said Brin. He estimated a contraction of 95% year-on-year in construction compared to 2018.

US: A fire was successfully fought at Lehigh Cement’s 0.8Mt/yr integrated Tehachapi plant near Bakersfield, California on 8 December 2019. The Bakersfield Californian has reported that there were no injuries and no cause of the fire has been identified. Access difficulties exacerbated by extreme weather conditions caused fire crews to make two additional assistance calls.

Spain: The National Association of Mortar Manufacturers (AFAM) and the Association of Mortar Manufacturers and SATE (Anfapa) have announced their unification as a single organisation under the name of Anfapa. Alimarket has reported that the body will serve the interests of over 40 members and associates as ‘the qualified voice of an important subsector of the construction industry, giving it a broader and unanimous front.’

Netherlands: Germany’s HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Eerste Nederland Cement Industrie (ENCI) announced on 9 December 2019 the upcoming closure of its former 1.8Mt/yr integrated Maastricht plant in 2020. Het Belang van Limburg has reported that the Maastricht plant, which stepped down to grinding-only in March 2019 after 91 years’ kiln operation, received an insufficient supply of clinker from ENCI’s sister company CBR Cement’s 1.5Mt/yr Lixhe plant in Wallonia, Belgium to guarantee profitable production.

Clinker grinding continues at ENCI’s 1.4Mt/yr IJmuiden and 0.6Mt/yr Rotterdam grinding plants, each of which has better access to clinker imports due to their proximity to deepwater ports.

US: Colombia’s Cementos Argos has sold 28 ready-mix concrete plants. ValorFuturo has reported that Smyrna Ready Mix Concrete (SRM) has acquired the company’s Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia assets. Cementos Argos stated that the reason for the divestments was the failure of the plants to generate operational efficiency due to their small and isolated nature.

In 2018 Cementos Argos produced 5.3Mm3 of concrete at its 236 ready-mix plants in the US region, making it the second biggest domestic producer after Cemex. It ranked fourth for cement production over the period, supplying the US market with 4.7Mt of cement from its four integrated and three grinding plants.

Indonesia: Switzerland-based Sika has begun producing concrete admixtures and mortars at its Bekasi plant on the island of Java. “This new facility in Greater Jakarta will enable us to further expand our strong position relative to the rapidly growing demand for quality building materials in Indonesia,” said Sika Regional Manager Asia/Pacific Mike Campion. He noted a Euro293m infrastructure investment by the government of Indonesia, Asia’s fifth-largest construction market, which he predicted will grow at 7% for the next 10 years.