Displaying items by tag: Expansion

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.

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.”

India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned its second cement grinding mill at the Maihar unit in Madhya Pradesh, adding 1.8Mt/yr to its domestic production capacity. The first mill at the site began operations in March 2025.

The expansion raises UltraTech’s total grey cement capacity in India to 186.86Mt/yr and 192.26Mt/yr globally. The company said the move forms ‘part of its larger strategy.’

Zambia: President Hakainde Hichilema has urged investors to capitalise on Zambia's favourable business environment, citing a recent upgrade of Chilanga Cement's plant in Ndola as proof of government support. Speaking via Minister of Mines Paul Kabuswe during the plant’s commissioning, the President highlighted that its daily cement capacity tripled from 500t/day to 1500t/day. The US$25m upgrade, its first since 1969, also included a new lime production line with an annual capacity of 100,000t/yr.

India: Adani Group subsidiary Ambuja Cements has commissioned a 2.4Mt/yr expansion to one of its West Bengal cement facilities. Reuters has reported that the move raises the producer's total installed capacity to 103Mt/yr.

Kyrgyzstan: President Sadyr Japarov has launched a new 0.8Mt/yr clinker production line at the Kant Cement plant. The project created over 300 new jobs and is expected to increase cement supply to the domestic construction industry. Construction of the dry-process line began in early 2024, with equipment supplied by China's Beijing Triumph International Engineering, a subsidiary of Sinoma. US$50m of the US$61m total investment was provided by the Eurasian Development Bank. In 2024, the plant produced 1.15Mt of cement.

President Japarov said “The launch of the new line is not just another production facility. It is a symbol of our industrial growth, professionalism of domestic engineers and workers, and, most importantly, the trust of investors in our country.”

Ireland: Irish Cement (ICL) has opposed a planned 139-home development by Tergnum Properties in Mungret over concerns it could ‘inhibit’ its future expansion, according to the Limerick Leader newspaper. The company said “This planning application is not consistent with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” and has reportedly written twice to the local authority to express its concern. The company’s agents indicated that permission would be sought for its own expansion plan in the future, which could take its plant just 40m from the rear wall of some of the proposed houses. They also said that Tergnum Properties should implement measures such as triple-glazed windows, to mitigate against the noise from the plant.

Irish Cement has 14 days to decide if it will appeal the council’s decision or lodge an appeal to the national planning authority.

“It is imperative to ICL that its strategically important cement plant facility and associated proven long-term reserves are protected. It is not evident from this application that limestone resources and cement plant activities on the adjacent lands will not be impacted by the proposed development,” the firm’s agents concluded.

Cameroon: Cimencam, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim-Maroc Afrique, inaugurated its subsidiary Cimencam Figuil’s (CIMFIG) new clinker and cement production line at the Figuil cement plant in Cameroon’s North Region on 12 June 2025, according to the Business in Cameroon newspaper.

The new line, part of an expansion project at the 40-year-old Figuil cement plant, has a cement capacity of 500,000t/yr and a clinker capacity of 1,000t/day. Cimencam invested US$88m in the expansion. The upgraded plant will supply cement to the North, Adamaoua and Far North regions, and aims to enter the Chadian market, which reportedly experiences frequent shortages and high prices.

South Africa: PPC’s revenues fell by 1.9% year-on-year in the 12 months to 31 March 2025, decreasing to US$560m. However, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) surged by 28% to US$88m.

CEO Matias Cardarelli said that PPC has had to focus on internal corrections to grow its earnings and unlock underutilised value for the company. He explained that the company had performed ‘ahead’ of what it had expected for the period under review. “There was a narrative that the only problems that PPC was having were the problems connected to the economy, and the cement sector in South Africa had not grown for more than 10 years. Whereas that was not completely the case. That had a negative impact on the company,” said Cardarelli.

PPC is building a new 1.5Mt/yr plant in the North West Province with China’s Sinoma, as well as a new solar power plant in Zimbabwe as it invests further into the company at a time when the costs of electricity and other inputs are spiking. The company said that imports of cement into its regional markets were not a major worry as it was increasing its competitiveness against rival local and imported products. “In South Africa, we remain cautiously optimistic for the announcement by the new government of big infrastructure plans,” Cardarelli added.

Mexico: Cemex will invest US$1.4bn in 2025 to strengthen its financial position, maintain liquidity and focus on projects delivering high profitability, including potential acquisitions in the US. Between January and March 2025, it invested US$221m, down from US$249m in the same period of 2024. It expects to invest a further US$1.15bn over the rest of 2025, subject to financial results and market conditions.

Cemex CEO Jaime Muguiro Domínguez said that the company will eventually transition its capital expenditure to acquisitions of small and medium-sized companies in the US that can ‘provide greater profitability.’ He added “Given the increased uncertainty in the current global macroeconomic environment, we will make sure that our capital allocation decisions do not compromise our financial metrics.”