Spain: Construction company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC) plans to turn the site of Cementos Portland Valderrivas' Vallcarca cement plant and workers' colony into a new technology ‘city.’ Local press has reported that FCC's owners have committed an initial investment of US$300m towards the project. Possible activities in the technological city include film sets, production companies, an auditorium, training and research spaces and housing, catering and leisure facilities for technology developers.

India: Dalmia Bharat sold 7Mt of cement during the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, up by 12% year-on-year from 6.2Mt in the first quarter of the 2023 financial year. The company's income also rose, by 10% to US$442m, while its net profit dropped by 30% to US$17.6m. Hindu BusinessLine News has reported that the producer noted a continued downward trajectory to its fuel costs. During the quarter, Dalmia Bharat commissioned its new 2.5Mt/yr Bokaro cement plant in Jharkhand, and completed de-bottlenecking work at its 0.6Mt/yr Midnapore plant in West Bengal.

Managing Director and CEO Puneet Dalmia said "This quarter has been a disappointment as against our expectations. Having said so, we remain focused on seizing the emerging demand opportunities.”

Cement Managing Director and CEO Mahendra Singhi added “Given the promising outlook for cement demand, the expectation of stable cement prices during the rest of the year, and the softening in commodity costs, we anticipate a gradual improvement in profitability."

India: Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech Cement recorded cement sales volumes of 30Mt during the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, which began on 1 April 2023. This corresponds to growth of 20% year-on-year from first-quarter levels in the previous financial year. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that ICICI Securities expects UltraTech Cement's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to fall by 3% year-on-year. Declining fuel prices are expected to have contributed to a drop in the producer's costs. Throughout the quarter, its capacity utilisation rate was 90%.

India: Prism Cement has taken delivery of a pendulum cooler supplied by Germany-based IKN at its Prism cement plant in Maharashtra. The new equipment will replace the 6.1Mt/yr plant's existing air beam technology cooler. The supplier says that this will help to improve the efficiency of waste heat recovery (WHR) processes at the plant.

Greece/US: Titan Cement Group has made new venture capital investments in two US-based disruptive technology suppliers. The cement producer enlarged its investment in energy storage specialist Rondo Energy, which has developed the Heat Battery. The technology enables cement plants and other industrial operations to access a constant supply of electricity using captive renewable energy sources. It also invested in venture capital firm Zacua Ventures, which handles a portfolio of companies involved in developing optimisation, automation and Construction 4.0 technology, including products relevant to the cement industry.

Titan Group Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer Leonidas Canellopoulos said “We are committed to embracing innovation and fresh perspectives. By engaging with advanced construction and green technology startups through direct and indirect investments, as well as collaborations, we intend to forge more partnerships in the sector.”

US: ThyssenKrupp Polysius, a subsidiary of Germany-based thyssenkrupp, has delivered a Polysius booster mill to Mountain Cement's Laramie grinding plant in Wyoming. The Eagle Materials subsidiary will take delivery of further ancillary equipment, including material handling, process gas management and machine protection systems, throughout mid-late 2023. The supplier said that the mill will help to increase the Laramie plant's flexibility. It will also provide site services and technical support for optimisation and maintenance for two years after commissioning, also slated for 2023.

ThyssenKrupp Polysius' project manager Matthew Burchfield said "This is a very important and interesting project for ThyssenKrupp Polysius. This is the first booster mill system sold in the US and one of the first booster mills worldwide. We are tasked with a very tight engineering and supply schedule. ThyssenKrupp Polysius is working closely with Mountain Cement and its engineering teams."

Peru: Cementos Pacasmayo's consolidated sales declined by 12% year-on-year in the first half of 2023. The company recorded a general decline in its cement and concrete volumes of 18%. It said that its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 5.9% to US$64.8m.

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has secured a US$150m loan from the International Finance Corporation for an upgrade to its Salto de Pirapora cement plant in São Paulo. The producer aims to increase the alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate at the 4.8Mt/yr plant, and reduce its CO₂ emissions. It says that the loan is tied to sustainability performance indicators (SPIs), based on the reduction in the plant’s Scope 1 CO₂ emissions.

India: Shree Cement has pulled out of the race to acquire a 40 – 70% stake in Sanghi Cement for US$205 – 369m. The Financial Express newspaper has reported that Shree Cement said that it will shift its short-term focus to ‘internal expansion.’

Sanghi Cement operates 6.1Mt/yr of cement capacity and a 143MW captive power plant in Western India. It has debts of US$219m.

India: Adani Group subsidiary ACC says that it will add 16Mt/yr-worth of new cement capacity in the five years up to the end of the 2028 financial year in March 2028. CEO Ajay Kapur said that the producer may implement the expansion plan in as short a time as two years. Reuters has reported that the company expects cement demand in India to rise by 7 – 8% between the 2023 financial year and the 2028 financial year.