Displaying items by tag: Americas

Peru: National cement shipments rose by 6% year-on-year to 0.98Mt in June 2025, bringing the 12-month total up by 2%. Cement production reached 0.9Mt, up by 2% year-on-year, while clinker output rose by 24% year-on-year to 0.85Mt. Cement exports increased by 33% year-on-year to 12,000t and clinker exports rose by 166% to 98,300t during the same period.

Cement imports grew by 142% year-on-year to 71,000t, while clinker imports also increased by 496% compared to June 2024, to 0.1Mt.

Colombia: Holcim Colombia has invested US$2m to modernise its co-processing platform at its Nobsa cement plant in Boyacá. The upgraded facility will process 100,000t/yr of waste into alternative fuels for the cement plant, raising thermal substitution to 40% in the short term, with a target of 70% by 2030.

CEO of Holcim Colombia Martín Costanian said “This project realises our dream of optimising the crushing circuit and scaling our capacity to replace fossil fuels with more sustainable and truly circular solutions.”

The system renovation includes the addition of a shredder with a nominal capacity of 10t/hr, as well as new transfer systems and a modern dosing system capable of feeding up to 20t/hr of alternative fuels to the kiln. The waste used will consist of paper, cardboard, plastics and biomass.

Manager of Geocycle José Méndez said “This project represents true circularity and a solution for the thousands of pieces of waste that end up in landfills each year.”

Argentina: Cement shipments rose by 12% year-on-year to 0.81Mt in June 2025, according to Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP) data. The total includes 0.81Mt for domestic use, up 12% year-on-year, and 5250t for export. Imports, which recently returned after a six-year absence, rose by 82% to 147t. Shipments totalled 4.81Mt in the first half of 2025, up by 13% from the same period in 2024.

However, analysts expect ‘weak and erratic’ growth ahead. “The halt in public works, the elimination of the exchange rate gap that prevents reducing costs in dollars in a sector with a high level of informality, and the fall in housing prices are affecting construction,” said consulting firm LCG.

US: The American Cement Association expects that data centres will need 1Mt of cement by 2028 as investment in artifical intelligence technology rises. 

Data centres are projected to consume 247,000t of cement in 2025 and 860,000t by 2027. There were 5426 operational AI data centres in the US at the end of March 2025, with the number reportedly expected to exceed 6000 by 2027. However, the association warned that there could be challenges in meeting this demand, such as regulatory hurdles and labour shortages.

Honduras: Cementos del Norte has inaugurated its new Mill No. 4 at the Río Bijao plant in Choloma, Cortés, according to a social media post by the producer. The new unit adds 140t/hr of cement production capacity, raising the plant’s total capacity to 7000t/day.

US: Terra CO2 (Terra) has raised US$124.5m in series B equity funding, with co-leads Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Eagle Materials, GenZero and Just Climate, the round included investment from Barclays Climate Ventures. Additional strategic investors to join the round include Cemex and Siemens subsidiary Siemens Financial Services.

The capital will support the construction of Terra’s first 240,000t/yr advanced-processing facility in Dallas Fort Worth, expansion of its team and sites, and development of further commercial-scale cementitious projects.

CEO Bill Yearsley said “Terra's mandate is to deliver cementitious material solutions that the market would purchase solely based on cost and performance, even if there was no carbon benefit. The fact that Terra's cementitious materials also offer significant carbon mitigation is an additional advantage for the built environment.”

Terra produces supplementary cementitious materials as an alternative to traditional Portland cement, from resources like fly ash. Its second product, Opus Zero, is currently in the testing phase and would serve as a complete replacement for Portland cement.

Colombia: National grey cement production rose by 9% year-on-year to 1.2Mt in May 2025. Domestic shipments also increased, up by 8% to 1.08Mt. In the first five months of the year, grey cement production totalled 5.44Mt, down by 0.3% from the same period in 2024. Shipments to the domestic market during this period rose by 0.8% year-on-year to 5Mt.

Jamaica: TCL Group subsidiary Caribbean Cement has commissioned its US$42m debottlenecking project at its Rockfort plant in East Kingston. The capacity of the expanded kiln was not disclosed.

During a ribbon cutting ceremony, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness said “When we invest in our factories, we invest in our families. When we strengthen our production capacity, we strengthen our national development. This project does more than support housing. It supports jobs. The expanded kiln will enable higher throughput, greater efficiencies, and potentially more stable employment for hundreds of workers.’

He added “Instead of importing, we will be exporting. Instead of consuming value-added goods, we will be producing them. This is the shift from dependency to self-determination.”

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Aubyn Hill said “Everywhere you go, cement is being used, and Caribbean Cement is doing a great job! We want every bag of cement used in Jamaica to be made here because, for every bag that we import, we send jobs overseas. Our job in Jamaica is to keep jobs here.”

US: Holcim completed its 100% spin-off of its North American business Amrize through a dividend-in-kind distribution of one Amrize share per Holcim share owned as of 20 June 2025. The move creates two independent, publicly traded companies, each with its own management and operational focus, according to the company.

Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic said “This is an exciting moment for Holcim and Amrize as we begin a new chapter as independent companies. I thank all employees for contributing to the many remarkable achievements of Holcim including the exceptional execution of the spin-off. We wish Amrize success in the future under the leadership of its chair and CEO Jan Jenisch.”

Shares of Amrize began trading today [23 June 2025] on the SIX Swiss Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ‘AMRZ.’

Honduras: The Installation of the Loesche LM 46.2+2 vertical roller mill, designed for a throughput of 150t/hr, is nearing completion at a cement plant in Honduras, according to a social media post by the supplier. The unit features a 500,000m³/hr dedusting system. The mill was developed in collaboration with HN Ingenieros, and the project was carried out with the support of CENOSA and CEMPRO, coordinated by Loesche Latinoamericana.