Vietnam: State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) reported a loss of US$34m in the first half of 2024, a figure that has increased by 200% year-on-year.

The losses are attributed to a stagnant real estate market, rising material and fuel costs, exchange rate fluctuations and intense competition within the industry. Vicem produced 7.63Mt of clinker and 9.77Mt of cement during the period, experiencing over a 7% year-on-year decline in both. Its revenue also fell by 19.4% year-on-year to nearly US$520m. This is the second consecutive year the firm has recorded a loss, following a US$43m deficit in 2023.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement reported on 12 July 2024 that its revenue in the first half of 2024 was impacted by lower average cement prices. In the first six months of 2024, sales of cement fell 4% to 0.72Mt from 0.75Mt in 2023. The company generated sales of US$32.4m, down 9.6% from US$36bn in 2023. During the first half of 2024, the cement market in Kazakhstan declined by 1.6% year-on-year from 2023, with much of the decline concentrated in the first quarter. Overall demand in the Kazakh cement market was 11Mt in 2023, and is expected to be similar in 2024. Looking ahead, the company anticipates further growth and increased sales in 2024.

A spokesperson for Steppe said "The cost of transport and some utilities, particularly electricity, have significantly increased year-on-year. However, sales focus in local markets, better production levels and higher productivity have partially compensated for these increased costs."

Denmark: Aalborg Portland, a Danish cement firm, has completed testing for its second carbon capture pilot plant and will now undergo further trials in Romania and Greece, according to M-Brain News. This plant is a key component of the EU-subsidised ConsenCUS project.

A spokesperson for Aalborg Portland said "This experience offers preliminary knowledge ahead of establishing a full-scale CO₂ capture facility, and we are also contributing to the progression of this area where we, within the ConsenCUS collaboration, have verified the existence of multiple potential technologies for CO₂ capture."

Oman: Oman's solid waste management entity, Be'ah, has reported progress in its strategy to transition solid waste from landfill disposal to refuse derived fuel (RDF), according to Oman Daily Observer.

In 2023, Be'ah launched initiatives focusing on transforming waste into RDF, electrical and electronic waste and green waste. The company has signed an agreement with Oman Cement Company to provide tyre derived fuel for its energy needs, eventually expanding to include RDF. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Oman Cement during Oman Sustainability Week to explore the utilisation of RDF as an additional alternative fuel source, according to the company’s 2023 sustainability report.

Chair of Be’ah, Ahmed al Subhi, said "We take pride in our strategic resource management initiatives, having set ambitious targets for transitioning to a circular economy, including achieving 60% waste utilisation by 2025 and 80% by 2030.”

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.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos will invest US$36.7m to double the production capacity of its Edealina plant in Goiás from 1Mt/yr to 2Mt/yr. The new cement grinding line is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2025. This expansion is a key component of Votorantim's US$919m investment program over the next five years. The program includes significant investments in increasing cement production capacity, alternative fuel usage and decarbonisation efforts, with US$312m already being implemented.

UK: Loesche has won a contract from Aggregate Industries UK, part of the Holcim Group, to design, manufacture and deliver a grinding plant for a new production and distribution facility at the Port of Tilbury, set to open in 2025. The new plant will feature a Loesche vertical roller mill of the LM 30.2 CS type, complete with a dynamic classifier, process and nuisance filters, a hot gas generator and mill fan. This facility will allow Aggregate Industries UK to supply its customers with a range of conventional, low carbon and circular cementitious materials 24 hours a day from five loading heads.

US: Vineyard Offshore has agreed to buy 2000t of cement from Sublime Systems, a Massachusetts startup planning a US$150m ‘carbon-free’ cement plant in the city. The cement will be used for turbine platforms and onshore civil works within the Vineyard Wind 2 project, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint. This agreement is contingent on the project's selection in upcoming solicitations.

Brazil: Despite experiencing a 1.2% year-on-year increase in cement sales in the first half of 2024 to 30.6Mt, the Brazilian cement industry is adjusting to mixed economic signals, according to the National Union of the Cement Industry (SNIC). While June sales rose by 2.1% year-on-year to 5.4Mt, overall growth projections have been downgraded from 2.4% to 1.4% for 2024 due to macroeconomic turbulence and extreme weather conditions.

The Gambia: Minister for Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Baboucar Ousmaila Joof, clarified in a parliamentary session that The Gambia has not increased taxes on cement imported from Senegal. The excise tax applies uniformly to all imported bagged cement to support local manufacturing. Despite challenges in penetrating the Senegalese market due to protectionist policies, The Gambia continues to promote regional trade through a trade liberalization scheme, enabling duty-free access across member states. The scheme has seen rising imports from Senegal, growing significantly from US$11.3m in 2018 to over US$44m in 2022. The minister emphasised the critical role of government support in sustaining the industry amidst challenges such as smuggling and high production costs.

The Minister said “Past studies of the manufacturing sector in the country found that more than 80% of the manufacturing units were operating less than 50% of their installed capacity due to high cost of energy, taxation and limited market space. To spur growth in the industry, the government has decided to support the industry by imposing an excise tax on the importation of bagged cement.”