Displaying items by tag: Germany

Germany: Heidelberg Materials increased its revenue by €51m, representing 1%, year-on-year to €5.81bn in the third quarter of 2025, while its result from current operations (RCO) rose by €54m, or 5%, to €1.18bn. The company expects full-year RCO to be €3.3-3.5bn. Specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material are projected to decline slightly compared to 2024.

Chair of the managing board Dr Dominik von Achten said "We continued our growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2025, despite ongoing political and economic uncertainties. Our uncompromising focus on active price and cost management in all group areas contributed significantly to improving our result and further expanding our profitability in the third quarter.” He added “We remain confident about the year as a whole. Based on the business development to date, we confirm our positive outlook for 2025.”

Germany: KHD Humboldt Wedag has appointed Martin Strouhal as its Chief Sales Officer from effect from 1 January 2026.

Strouhal previously worked as the Vice President - Head of Construction & Operation - Region APAC for wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. Before this, he worked for FLSmidth from the mid-1990s to 2022. He started as a Site and Installation Service Manager before moving into sales. Notable positions during this time included Sales Director - Cement Project Division EMEA & APAC from 2011 to 2016 and Senior Vice President - Global Projects and Asset Management from 2018 to 2022. Strouhal is a graduate in machinery and production engineering from the DTU - Technical University of Denmark and holds a number of post-graduate business qualifications.

Germany: AUMUND Fördertechnik has launched its electrified Linear Calcination Conveyor (eLCC), which enables efficient clay calcination for limestone calcined clay cement (LC3).

LC3, composed of roughly 50% clinker, 30% calcined clay, 15% limestone and 5% gypsum, can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 40% compared to ordinary Portland cement, according to the company. The technology enhances pozzolanic reactions between limestone and calcined clay, which provides additional alumina to form carboaluminate phases, improving strength and durability while lowering clinker use. Developed in collaboration with Holcim over four years, the eLCC was tested successfully at AUMUND’s pilot demonstration unit in Rheinberg, confirming its potential to support low-carbon cement production at industrial scale.

Germany/Norway: Heidelberg Materials will supply its EvoBuild 3D printing concrete for use in property developer KrausGruppe’s DreiHaus residential construction project in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg. PERI 3D Construction and Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck will execute the project, which consists of three three-storey tower blocks.

Heidelberg Materials says that it will supply a concrete blend featuring its EvoZero carbon-captured cement for the third tower block, the first application of the product in Germany. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway.

Norway/Germany: Heidelberg Materials has officially launched its evoZero product, which the company claims to be the world's first ‘carbon-captured cement,’ to customers across Europe. evoZero is a globally unique product, made possible by carbon capture technology at Heidelberg Materials' CCS plant in Brevik, Norway. The product comes with a uniquely low Global Warming Potential, delivered via a process that is now fully third-party verified by DNV Business Assurance Germany and digitally traceable to ensure seamless transparency.

One of the very first deliveries of evoZero was to the construction of the new Skøyen Station in Oslo, Norway. Another early project for evoZero is the DREIHAUS 3D-printing project, with a total of three houses currently being developed in Heidelberg, Germany. Compared to traditional construction methods, the 3D printing process enables significantly reduced material consumption through optimised design, further reducing CO₂ emissions.
Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials, said "I am proud and excited to announce that the entire process chain is now established and our Brevik CCS facility is directly contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions in the built environment. evoZero stands as proof of Heidelberg Materials' commitment to real, measurable decarbonisation and our ambition to lead the transformation of construction.”

Germany: Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has announced a €6bn industrial decarbonisation initiative that, for the first time, includes carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies within the country’s climate protection contracts. The programme targets energy-intensive industries such as cement, as Germany navigates stringent climate targets amid concerns over industrial competitiveness. Companies have until 1 December 2025 to register projects for next year’s bidding round, which is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, pending parliamentary budget approval and EU state aid clearance, according to Reuters.

Under 15-year contracts, the government will subsidise part of the cost for companies transitioning to low-carbon production, protecting them from energy and carbon price volatility. Contracts will be awarded through competitive auctions, prioritising projects with the lowest subsidy per tonne of CO₂ saved, alongside binding emission-reduction milestones. Industry groups have welcomed the inclusion of CCS and the flexible contract design, describing the programme as a pragmatic step toward reconciling climate objectives with the economic pressures facing German industry.

Germany: Rohrdorfer has inaugurated a new pilot plant for tempered clays at its Rohrdorf cement facility in a ceremony attended by regional and state officials. They included Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of the Interior Daniela Ludwig, who cut the ribbon alongside Rohrdorfer managing director Mike Edelmann.

The pilot plant has been operational since July 2025 and activates up to 50t/day of raw clay through thermal treatment. Tempered clays can replace clinker in cement, reportedly helping to cut emissions by around 30%, according to the company. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the EU, and will receive up to €8.65m in funding.

Daniela Ludwig said “With this new plant, the Rohrdorf cement plant is once again proving that it is one of the most innovative companies in our region. Decarbonising the cement industry is a key task if Germany is to achieve its climate goals as planned.”

By the end of 2026, Rohrdorfer’s Net Zero Emission team will determine the optimal composition of raw clays and refine the thermal treatment process, paving the way for a large-scale facility capable of achieving up to 60% CO₂ reductions.

Mike Edelmann said “We’ve achieved a lot within our plants, but our influence ends at the factory gates. The lack of planning security regarding CO₂ transport and storage, uncompetitive electricity prices and an uncertain mining landscape are holding us back. We urgently need more support from policymakers if climate targets are to be met.”

Germany: A major clean-up operation is underway at Heidelberg Materials’ Burglengenfeld plant in Bavaria following a fire on 17 August 2025. The fire began in the plant’s waste plastic fuel storage hall and was attended by more than 340 firefighters, who managed to prevent it spreading to other areas of the plant. Waste plastic is the Burglengenfeld plant’s main fuel.

The damage is nevertheless considerable, amounting at least to ‘ hundreds of thousands of Euros,’ according to plant manager Bernhard Reindl. He also announced that a structural engineer will inspect the hall's structure in the coming days. It is already clear that the roof will have to be at least partially dismantled and replaced.

However, despite the disruption, cement production has been able to continue, with lignite being used on a temporary basis until the waste plastic fuel facility is repaired. The kiln is reported to be operating at 80% of its usual capacity.

How the fire in the warehouse started remains unclear, but Reindl suspects a smouldering fire, similar to a considerably smaller one that affected the same building in October 2024. Burglengenfeld police station has begun an investigation into the cause.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials revenue grew by 4% year-on-year to €10.4bn in the first half of 2025 from €9.99bn in the same period in 2024. Its result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation (RCOBD) rose by 5.6% to €1.93bn from €1.83bn. By region revenue and RCOBD rose everywhere except for Pacific Asia and North America respectively.

Dominik von Achten, chair of Heidelberg Materials, said “Next to price adjustments, our strict cost management has proven particularly effective in the second quarter. Our ongoing Transformation Accelerator initiative is fully on track and has helped us to grow our earnings once again with further increasing cost savings… Even though demand is still volatile in some regions, we expect that stabilisation in our core markets is continuing.”

The group opened the world's first industrial-scale carbon capture and storage unit at its Brevik cement plant in Norway in June 2025. Production also started in May 2025 at its calcined clay plant joint-venture in Ghana. In July 2025 the group commenced operations at an industrial pilot plant for enforced carbonation in Górażdże, Poland.

Germany: Vecoplan is investing over €5m to upgrade its manufacturing plant in Bad Marienberg. It has enlarged its Plant I by a total of 1900m² and purchased new production equipment. The engineering company is now adding assembly capacity and expanding its warehouse. Construction work on a new warehouse complex started in spring 2025 and is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2026.

“We are continuing to witness a high level of demand,” said Vecoplan’s CEO Werner Berens. “We’ve had to create additional space, especially in preassembly, to meet the growing need for our heavy machinery.”

Vecoplan manufactures machinery and plants for shredding, conveying and processing. It is headquartered in Germany and has subsidiaries in Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the US and the UK.