Germany: Heidelberg Materials Mineralik has started a partnership with UM Recycling to use demolition and construction waste in the production of cement and concrete in the greater Frankfurt Area. UM Recycling, a subsidiary of Antal Group, specialises in the disposal and recycling of construction waste and other materials.

George Antal, the owner of the Antal Group, said “After more than 15 years of active work in the dismantling industry, we are looking forward to working with our partner Heidelberg Materials to transform mineral waste into a product for use in concrete and cement, thereby making a valuable contribution to holistic building material recycling."

Heidelberg Materials operates several ready-mixed concrete plants around Frankfurt and runs a cement grinding plant at Mainz.

US: Calderys-subsidiary HWI has highlighted upgrades it has undertaken in 2023. This has included upgrading plant production software, increasing capacity at the White Cloud plant in Michigan, the Lowellville plant in Ohio and the Thomasville plant in Georgia, and adding new equipment at sites in Ohio and Missouri. Additional investment projects are planned for 2024.

Ross Wilkin, Calderys Senior Vice President of Americas, said, "In less than a year under new ownership and since combining with Calderys, we've successfully integrated our Americas operations with the former Calderys operations in the US and in Brazil, enhanced our products and services portfolio for customers, and completed massive investments in our manufacturing facilities. We are well-positioned for the future."

Private equity investment company Platinum Equity completed its acquisition of Calderys from Imerys in January 2023. It then purchased HWI in February 2023.

Uganda: The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has augmented its operations on the country’s eastern border with Kenya to prevent the smuggling of cement. The Daily Monitor newspaper previously reported “cheap illegal cement” was being imported by both large and small-scale traders via multiple uncontrolled border points. Kenya and Uganda share land border over 800km in length

Ibrahim Bbosa, a spokesperson for the URA, said “While there is legal trade with significant amounts of Kenyan cement entering Uganda through official customs points, there has been a worrying increase in the smuggling of brands such as Simba and Bamburi.” He added that smugglers were often using bicycles and motorcycles to move cement across the border before consolidating the shipments by truck within the country for further distribution.

Sweden: CemVision has announced its first commercial agreement to sell its low carbon cement. Pilot deliveries are scheduled to begin in March 2024 to LKAB. Further commercial agreements are planned over the next four years. CemVision produces its Re-ment product using industrial residual products such as those from the steel and mining sectors instead of limestone.

Anders Lundgren, Chief Sustainability Officer for Business Area Special Products at LKAB, said “The letter of intent include the pilot deliveries and trial use of CemVision’s products in our concrete production, and intent to source from their future full-scale production, which presents a potential to further enhance the circularity and to decarbonise our supply of cement and addressing our emissions in the supply chain.”

China: China National Building Material (CNBM) has divested control of Qilianshan Cement to China Communications Construction (CCC) and China Urban-Rural Holding Group as part of an asset restructuring agreement agreed in May 2022. Following the transaction CCC holds an 85% equity interest in Qilianshan Cement and China Urban-Rural controls the remaining 15% portion.

As part of the asset swap agreement CNBM arranged to take control of companies including Southwest Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute of China, China Northeast Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute and CCCC Highway Consultants. In a statement CNBM said it no longer had control of the board of directors of Qilianshan and that both it and Qilianshan Cement were no longer its subsidiaries.

Argentina: Throughout the second half of 2023, Holcim Argentina estimates that it will use 75% renewable energy. The milestone is the outcome of an agreement signed with 360 Energy in April 2023, under which the renewable power provider contributes to the energy mix at all of Holcim Argentina’s cement production facilities. Holcim Argentina says that the deal will help to eliminate 68,600t/yr of CO₂ from its operations. The producer said that it also invested in upgrades to help reduce its water consumption by 6% throughout 2023.

Holcim Argentina has invested US$1m in on-going and planned upgrades to its facilities, and plans to invest a further US$4.9m.

India: Adani Group took a US$200m loan from Qatar National Bank earlier in December 2023. The Telegraph India newspaper has reported that the conglomerate will put the funds towards refinancing its pre-existing US$3.5bn loan for its acquisition of Holcim India.

Adani Group aims to control 140Mt/yr of cement production capacity by 2027.

India: UltraTech Cement has signed a deal to acquire a 26% stake in renewables company Clean Max Terra. The Free Press Journal has reported that the cement producer expects Clean Max Terra help it to meet its renewable energy needs, optimise its energy costs and comply with regulatory requirements for captive power consumption.

US: The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded US$45.6m-worth of federal funding to carbon capture projects across US industries. Among the nine projects that received grants are Argos USA’s engineering-scale carbon capture project at its Harleyville, South Carolina, cement plant and Holcim US’ engineering-scale carbon capture project at its Holly Hill, South Carolina, cement plant. The National Energy Technology Laboratory has reported that projects will focus on technologies for CO₂ capture and multi-modal transport via hubs.

DOE Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree said “DOE is mobilising historic levels of private sector investment in the US to capture, transport and safely and permanently store hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ per year from our industrial and power sectors. These demonstration and pilot projects bring us one step closer to effective and responsible deployment of the carbon management infrastructure necessary to achieve our climate goals, while also providing good paying and jobs and health benefits to communities in every corner of the nation.”

US: Shipments of cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico fell by 2.5% year-on-year to 80.7Mt in the first nine months of 2023 from 82.8Mt in the same period in 2022, according to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Shipments fell in most states with the exception of Texas and Pennsylvania. The USGS estimated that, in September 2023, 98% of all blended cement shipments were of Portland Limestone Cement. Turkey was the biggest exporter of cement to the country during the reporting period at 6.3Mt followed by Canada, Vietnam, Greece and Mexico.