Australia: Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has appointed Michael Kilgariff as its CEO with effect from 6 May 2024. He will succeed Jason Kuchel, who has been working as the interim CEO.

CCAA represents the heavy construction materials industry in Australia. CCAA members operate cement manufacturing and distribution facilities, concrete batching plants, hard rock quarries, and sand and gravel extraction operations throughout Australia.

Kilgariff brings with him over 20 years industry association experience across infrastructure, transport, logistics, and energy sectors. He was the CEO of Roads Australia from 2018 to 2023, the managing director of the Australian Logistics Council from 2009 to 2018 and worked for the Energy Networks Association from 2004 to 2009.

George Agriogiannis, the chair of CCAA said that “Michael Kilgariff’s appointment comes at a critical time for CCAA as it goes through a process of renewal and transformation.” He continued, “The infrastructure industry is undergoing a pivot from transport to energy and social infrastructure, while the building industry is also facing a number of economic and social challenges, including an acute housing shortage. All these sectors require an efficient and sustainable supply chain of heavy construction materials.”

Poland: Heidelberg Materials Polska has appointed Piotr Misz as a Regional Director.

Misz has worked for Heidelberg Materials Group in Poland since 2015. He became the subsidiary’s Head of Regional Sales in 2019. Prior to this he held positions with JD Group and RMC Beton Śląsk managing ready-mix concrete plants. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Opole.

Germany: Vecoplan has appointed Daniel Kessler as the Head of Technology. The role covers product development for the recycling machinery company, as well as issues related to digitalisation and engineering. Kessler has worked for Vecoplan since 2005. He started as a Commissioning Engineer before becoming the Head Of Electrical Department in 2020.

Pakistan: Attock Cement has announced the successful completion of a new production line at its cement plant in Hub, Baluchistan. This additional line is capable of producing 1.28Mt/yr of cement and commenced operation on 16 April 2024.

UK: First Graphene has announced a third trial at Breedon Group’s Hope Cement Works to test an optimised formulation of its PureGRAPH-CEM product under full-scale production conditions. The trial aims to further improve the performance of graphene nanoplatelets in cement production using practical experiences obtained from the previous two trials. The third trial is based on a PureGRAPH grade with a particle size distribution and morphology optimised for use in cement grinding mills, designed for direct addition to the mill without the need for additional equipment. The trial will last eight hours and involves close monitoring of cement fineness during the process. It will use just over 2t of the graphene product in up to 1000t of cement, according to the company. The trial is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2024.

Colombia: Cementos Argos and Sistema Verde have collaborated to transform nearly 27t of waste from the Estéreo Picnic music festival in Bogotá on 21 – 24 March 2024 into alternative fuel for Cementos Argos' Cartagena plant. The initiative, which includes converting materials such as plastics and cardboard into fuel, aligns with Cementos Argos’ aim to reduce fossil fuel use and CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement by 29% by 2030.

Mauricio Giraldo, director of alternative resources at Cementos Argos said "We are very pleased to be part of this alliance with which we join the global need to join efforts to make an adequate use of waste in a safe, controlled and clean manner. Our goal as a company is to dispose of more than 300,000t/yr of waste, and with actions like this, we continue to contribute to achieving this goal.”

Equatorial Guinea: A new five-year service agreement has been signed with SSB International Limited (SSBIL) to provide expertise and supervisory support for the operation and maintenance of Abayak Cement’s plant in Akoga. The plant, equipped with key technology including an OK™ Mill and a ROTAX-2® Kiln supplied by FLSmidth, has been largely idle since its installation in 2016 due to power supply issues. With recent investments in a new power plant and the reactivation of equipment, however, commissioning is underway and is expected to be complete by mid-2024.

Spain: Cement consumption has dropped by 10% in the first quarter of 2024, totalling 3.3Mt. This represents an 11% year-on-year decrease compared to the same quarter of 2023, according to the latest data released by Oficemen. The 2024 quarterly decline was influenced by a 23.6% fall in consumption in March 2024 to 1.1Mt, 339,869t less than March 2023. Over the last 12 months (April 2023 - March 2024), consumption fell by 6.4% to 14.1Mt, nearly 1Mt less than in the previous corresponding period of April 2022 – March 2023.

Oficemen general director Aniceto Zaragoza said "Aside from the situational circumstances of March 2024, the year-moving data reflect a negative trend, resulting from 10 months of decline. This is concerning but in line with our forecasts that anticipated a negative start to the year, with a modest recovery in the second half, provided that the international and local situation remains stable.”

Cement exports have declined by 25.1% in the first quarter of 2024, standing at around 1Mt. In March 2024, the decline was 32.4%, with a loss of 178,953t, marking nine months of consecutive declines. Over the year-moving period, the fall is 14%, with a total of 4.8Mt of cement exported. representing a loss of almost 800,000t less than in the previous 12 months.

Pakistan: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has issued a policy note to the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, recommending amendments to the Pakistan Standard Specification for cement. It also recommends mandatory disclosure by cement producers of manufacturing dates and expiry dates on cement. The CCP claims that cement absorbs moisture and loses its strength within 4 - 6 weeks under normal storage conditions, or even sooner under adverse weather conditions or high humidity.

The CCP said "The non-disclosure of such material information can mislead consumers and put them at risk of purchasing expired cement, which may compromise the strength and effectiveness of construction projects."

Ukraine: Data from Ukrcement, the Ukrainian Cement Association, show that cement consumption grew by 17% from 4.6Mt in 2022 to 5.4Mt in 2023. Pavlo Kachur, the head of Ukrcement, said that consumption is expected to continue growing modestly in 2024, according to Interfax-Ukraine. He added that the country exported 1.24Mt of cement in 2023.

Before Russia invaded the country in 2022 it reported consumption of 10.5Mt in 2021. It has a production capacity of 13.6Mt/yr. Despite the ongoing war the local cement sector says it is considering plans to meet future market demand such as repairing plants in Balakliya and Kramatorsk and even, potentially, building new production lines.