Displaying items by tag: Italy

Italy: Cementir Holding increased its sales volumes of cement by 0.3% year-on-year to 5.13Mt in the first half of 2024. Nonetheless, group sales fell by 3%, to €812m, and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 4%, to €193m. The producer succeeded in raising its net profit, by 7% to €97m. During the half, it invested €24.7m in decarbonisation, primarily in upgrading the kiln line of its 2.5Mt/yr Guarain cement plant in Belgium.

Chair and CEO Francesco Caltagirone said "Results for the first half of 2024 were in line with our expectations. The adverse weather conditions in the first months of the year and a still weak residential market in the most important geographies, as well as a significant negative exchange rate impact, affected the results for the period, which nevertheless benefited from the reduction of main operating costs".

Cementir Holding confirmed its earnings guidance for the year of €385m (down by 6% year-on-year), but revised its revenues guidance downwards by 6% from €1.8bn to €1.7bn, in line with 2023.

Italy: The President of the Italian cement association Federbeton, Stefano Gallini, has highlighted the disadvantages of cement and clinker production relocating to non-EU countries with lower costs, according to Milan Finance.

New data from from the Federation of Italian Cement Producers reports that imports of non-European cement into Italy rose by 22.6% year-on-year in 2023 to 3.6Mt. From 2018 to 2023, the import of intercontinental cement has increased by 572%, compared to a 6.5% increase in European purchases.

Italy: NovaAlgoma, a joint venture between the Italian-Swiss Nova Marine Carriers and Canada's Algoma Central Corporation, has announced the construction of the ‘world’s largest and greenest’ cement carrier, weighing 38,000t. This vessel will be built by Xinle Shipbuilding in China and delivered by the end of 2026. It will reportedly be the first to use both traditional fuel and methanol and can connect to electrical grids in ports to eliminate emissions, according to local news reports. Additionally, it will feature a waste heat recovery system that converts exhaust gases into 250kW of electrical energy.

Vincenzo Romeo, CEO of Nova Marine, said "This new construction, which meets the forecasts for the development of our fleet and the growth of cement market demand in the coming years, is intended to consolidate our positioning among the global leaders in cement transportation.”

Italy/UK: UK-based carbon capture technology provider Nuada has launched carbon capture trials with Buzzi at its cement facility in Monselice, aiming to accelerate the decarbonisation of the cement industry. The MOF-based VPSA carbon capture plant is now fully operational, capturing 1t/day of CO₂ directly from the facility's stack.

Nuada posted on LinkedIn “Nuada's carbon capture solution is the most energy-efficient developed to date, redefining the decarbonisation landscape for hard-to-abate sectors like cement. Together with Buzzi, we are showcasing the future of carbon capture in the cement industry.”

Italy: The Italian cement association Federbeton has appointed Stefano Gallini as its president. He succeeds Roberto Callieri in the position.

Gallini is currently the CEO of Heidelberg Materials Italia, a role he assumed at the start of 2024. Before this he was the West African Region Managing Director for Heildelberg Materials and the Managing Director for Sierra Leone. Gallini previously worked for Italcementi from 2000 to 2017 becoming the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Egypt in 2010.

Italy: Cementir Holding has disclosed its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, showing a mixed performance. While the company saw growth in volumes compared to 2023, with cement up 2.3%, ready-mixed concrete up 3.7% and aggregates up 8.9%, financial metrics indicated some challenges.

Revenue for the quarter stood at €368m, marking an 11.2% decrease from €415m in the same period of 2023. Similarly, earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 18.1% year-on-year to €66.5m, down from €81.2m in the first quarter of 2023. The company's profit before taxes also declined by 8.2% year-on-year to €58.7m from €63.9m. However, Cementir Holding reported net cash of €76.6m, a substantial increase from a net financial debt of €32.1m as of 31 March 2023.

Europe: Cementir Group launched D-Carb, a 15% reduced-CO₂ white cement, in Europe on 24 April 2024. The producer says that D-Carb cement maintains the early-age performance of its Aalborg White high early strength white cement, while helping builders to conform to the highest sustainability certifications. D-Carb cement achieves its emissions reduction without diminishing the product’s brightness. Following this, Cementir Group plans to roll out D-Carb cement across its global markets.

Group product development manager Stefano Zampaletta said "Performance and the white colour are key features of D-Carb, and exploring suitable raw materials and their combinations have been crucial in the product assessment. This has resulted in the accurate selection of pure, very light limestone from a stable source, which improves and stabilises the whiteness. Additionally, leveraging limestone fineness and particle size distribution, D-Carb ensures enhanced and consistent rheology, ideal for wet-cast applications, such as self-compacting concrete. These distinctive rheological properties allow for concrete finishes that resemble marble surfaces. Moreover, the enhanced synergy and compatibility between cement and admixture cater to a wide range of white cement applications."

Chief sales, marketing and commercial development officer Michele Di Marino said "We are thrilled to introduce D-Carb, our new umbrella brand for lower carbon cements, as part of Cementir Group’s ongoing commitment to address environmental challenges and climate change. As a leading white cement producer, the successful rollout of D-Carb is pivotal in advancing our Net Zero Emissions ambition."

Italy: Bedeschi has finalised a new contract to supply Buzzi Unicem’s Guidonia integrated cement plant with a double-stage crushing unit. Each machine has a capacity of 750t/hr with two 315kW power systems installed. The system will receive limestone lumps of up to 600mm in diameter and will output limestone lumps below 50mm. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Italy: Buzzi reported a net profit of €967m in 2023, more than doubling from €459m in the previous year. The company's consolidated revenue rose by 8.1% to €4.3bn, despite a fall in cement and concrete sales volumes of 7% and 12.7% respectively. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached €1.2bn, marking a 40.7% year-on-year increase.

Italy: Scientists Gregory Chass and Kun Tian have developed a sustainable concrete from wet waste materials through their company Mesoscale Engineering Halcyon. This 'green concrete' concept was conceived in Garbatella and will first be tested on the district's pavements. The concrete, made by combining and recycling industrial CO₂ emissions with brine from saltworks, is part of the Clean Energy Transition Partnership. It is also central to the BUCK$$$ project, led by Kun, focusing on carbon capture and utilisation. This project, with €2.54m in funding, involves 13 partners from seven countries.

This innovative concrete arises from 'mineralised CO₂', which is similar to mollusc shells made of calcium carbonate, as well as materials derived from saltwork brine, desalination, and industrial wastewater. Both currently underused products are expected to become crucial in the cement and concrete industries, particularly in Italy.