Displaying items by tag: Americas

Colombia: Cementos Argos reported sales of US$316m in the second quarter of 2025, down by 4.5% year-on-year from US$330m. Net income rose by 93% year-on-year to US$37.6m from US$19.4m.

In the first half of 2025, sales fell by 5% year-on-year to US$618m from US$652m, while net income dropped by 58% to US$560m from US$1.33bn. The producer said the results were achieved through ‘strong pricing discipline’ and sustained efficiency efforts across various geographies, despite cement volumes declining by 4%. It noted mixed regional performance, with volume recovery in Colombia in June 2025 and continued growth in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Demand in Guatemala was unmet due to reduced exports from Honduras, following a longer-than-expected kiln stoppage in the first quarter of 2025, while the Panamanian market continued to underperform.

US: Hollingshead Cement, a division of SRM Concrete, has opened a cement terminal in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the same site as an SRM Concrete ready-mix plant and block production facility. The terminal will receive cement by rail and can store over 50,000t.

SRM Concrete CEO Jeff Hollingshead said “We are excited to begin distributing cement from our new facility in Chattanooga. With this investment, we are better positioned to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of cement across our entire network of ready-mix and block locations, while also serving our cement customers with greater efficiency.”

The facility is the eleventh in Hollingshead Cement’s US terminal network, which supplies bulk cement for multiple construction applications.

US: Ecocem has obtained ASTM C1157 certification for its ACT low-CO₂ cement technology, confirming it meets or exceeds strength and durability benchmarks while reducing emissions and energy use. Unlike traditional cement specifications, the standard is performance-based, allowing for innovative formulations.

Founder and group managing director Donal O’Riain said “This is a significant moment for Ecocem and for low-carbon cement globally. Over the past 10 years our solutions have seen significant traction across Europe. The US is one of the largest cement markets in the world, and this certification will support integration into existing supply chains and offers a pathway for the sector to rapidly decarbonise through improved efficiency and without increasing costs or complexity.”

Ecocem is advancing its first North American project, a proposed terminal and milling operation at the Port of Los Angeles, aimed at establishing a reliable low-CO₂ cement supply chain in California. The company says that its low-carbon cement technology, ACT, cuts clinker content by up to 70% by using limestone and locally-sourced supplementary cementitious materials. The announcement follows recent regulatory approvals in France, new investment in production lines in Dunkirk, and partnerships with Bouygues, Vinci and Titan Group.

US: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) producer Eco Material Technologies has published its 2024 Sustainability Report, detailing the measures it has employed to reduce its environmental impact over the year. The producer said that its SCM displaced 5% of US cement consumption, avoiding 5.5Mt of CO₂ emissions. The company diverted 6.2Mt of ash from landfill and harvested a further 0.5Mt, reducing water use by 7.57bn litres compared to conventional materials. It produced 73,292t of ‘green’ cement, avoiding over 65,000t of CO₂, and aims to double recycled material use to 20Mt by 2030.

Chief executive officer Grant Quasha said “We're proving that domestic fly ash is not only a powerful climate solution, but also a resilient and scalable one. The infrastructure transformation is already underway, and we're proud to be leading it.”

Eco Material Technologies operates 125 sites in 42 states and employs 1100 people.

Peru: National cement despatches rose by 6% year-on-year to 1.1Mt in July 2025 and by 2% over the past 12 months, according to the Asociación de Productores de Cemento (ASOCEM). Cement production grew by 6.5% year-on-year to 0.97Mt, while clinker output fell by 22% year-on-year to 0.69Mt. Cement exports rose by 28% year-on-year to 13,300t, and clinker exports fell by 12% compared to July 2024 to 32,600t. Cement imports dropped by 63% compared to the previous corresponding period to 8000t, while clinker imports grew by 81% to 85,000t.

Brazil: Cement sales rose by 3% year-on-year to 6.1Mt in July 2025, according to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Sales for the first seven months of 2025 totalled 38.2Mt, up by 4%, driven by demand from the real estate sector and a strong job market.

SNIC reported that 3.25Mt of waste were co-processed in the year to date, avoiding 3.4Mt of CO₂ emissions. It said that the cement industry could be ‘indirectly affected’ by US President Trump’s tariffs. The sector also faces challenges from exchange rate fluctuations, which could increase the cost of cement production.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos reported sales of US$1.38bn in the second quarter of 2025, up by 5% year-on-year. Global cement sales reached 9.3Mt, up by 3% year-on-year. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 5% year-on-year to US$331m. Net profit grew by 250% to US$331m, supported by improved operations, tax gains and the divestment of Moroccan assets.

In Brazil, sales rose by 8% year-on-year to US$643m, while EBITDA fell by 2% to US$102m compared to the previous corresponding period due to higher variable costs. In North America, sales grew by 3% year-on-year to US$441m, with EBITDA up by 10% to US$134m, aided by acquisitions. In Europe and Asia, sales rose by 3% year-on-year to US$220m, while EBITDA increased by 32% to US$73m on reduced variable costs. In Latin America, sales rose by 20% year-on-year to US$52m and EBITDA by 92% to US$11m.

Global CEO Osvaldo Ayres said “We ended the second quarter with solid results, supported by our business diversification and portfolio balance between developed and emerging markets. In line with our strategic mandate, we continued to make investments in competitiveness, decarbonisation and new businesses, despite an environment that was volatile and required a cautious approach.”

Global chief financial officer Antonio Pelicano said “In this second quarter, we announced the completion of the sale of our Moroccan assets, which, combined with our previously announced divestment in Tunisia, reinforced our strategy of geographic diversification and capital allocation. We continue to have a robust cash position to support the execution of our strategy.”

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement produced a record 93,450t of clinker and 109,682t of cement in July 2025, one month after completing a US$41m plant expansion and efficiency upgrades, according to the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper. The figures surpassed previous records of 89,600t and 103,869t respectively, a combined rise of over 9600t.

Managing director Jorge Martinez said “This is an encouraging achievement for Caribbean Cement and for Jamaica. This increase in clinker and cement production clearly indicates that our investment strategy is working. We are now in a stronger position to meet local demand by reducing our reliance on imports. At the same time, we are better positioned to explore export opportunities.”

Mexico: Moctezuma inaugurated a US$12m alternative fuels storage system at its Tepetzingo cement plant in Morelos, after two years of engineering, planning and execution. The facility will process over 150,000t/yr of waste, including end-of-life tyres, municipal solid waste and non-recyclable materials, which will replace fossil fuels in cement production, with a goal of 30% substitution by 2030. The company said that the benefits of the project include saving thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill and mitigating methane emissions.

The producer, the Morelos government and the Ministry of Sustainable Development are also developing a circular economy centre in Jiutepec with an additional investment of US$1.6m. The facility will collect, shred and convert up to 3000t/month of tyres into alternative fuels.

US/Canada: Martin Marietta Materials signed a definitive agreement with Quikrete Holdings to exchange its Midlothian cement plant, related terminals and North Texas ready-mixed concrete assets for aggregates operations with a capacity of 20Mt/yr in Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Vancouver, and US$450m in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Chair and CEO of Martin Marietta Ward Nye said “Following a thorough evaluation, we believe that exchanging our remaining cement plant and related ready-mixed concrete operations for core aggregates assets and pursuing accretive bolt-on acquisitions best positions the company for long-term earnings growth.”