Ecuador: Holcim Ecuador has appointed Caterina Costa de García as the chair of its board of directors. She is the first woman in the post and succeeds Oscar OrrantiaVernaza, who has stepped down to become the country’s ambassador to France.

Costa de García has worked for plastics manufacturer Poligrup for over 25 years becoming executive president in late 2020. She has also held leading positions at a number of national business associations such as the Chamber of Industries of Guayaquil, the Ecuadorian Business Committee and the Ecuadorian and Latin American Plastics Associations. She took her first degree from the Catholic University of Santiago in Guayaquil, earned a master’s degree in comparative law from New York University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Federico Santa María Technical University.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has appointed Zoe Sibala Senior Vice President of Sustainability and expanded the role of Richard Cruz, Vice President of Health, Safety and Security to include the environment portfolio.

Sibala was Vice President of Strategy from 2017. She held management roles in finance, strategy and business development in Lafarge Philippines’ aggregates unit, which was acquired by Holcim in 2015. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from De La Salle University and a degree in economics from the University of the Philippines.

Cruz was appointed Vice President for Health, Safety and Security in 2018. Prior to this, he held management roles in the department. He joined Holcim Philippines' waste management unit Geocycle as laboratory engineer in 2008 and helped it attain an Integrated Management System certification (Quality, H&S and Environment). A graduate of the Central Luzon State University, Cruz is a licensed chemist and a certified security professional. He holds certifications in health and safety from accrediting organisations such as the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health and the International Safety Rating System.

Cameroon: China-based Yousheng Cement has announced plans for a cement plant at the port of Douala in the Littoral region. According to the Ecofin Agency, the country has five cement plants at present. Construction is due to begin on a separate project at the port of Kribi in mid-late 2021.

Uzbekistan: The government has reduced cement producers’ income tax rate to 15% from 1 October 2021. The Uzbekistan Daily newspaper has reported that producers previously paid 20%.The government also halved the tax on limestone to US$2.11/t from US$4.22/t.

Germany/Brazil: Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt and the University of Pará in Pará have produced a cement alternative with 66% reduced CO₂ emissions. A type of calcium sulphoaluminate cement, it replaces up to 60% of limestone in clinker with overburden from bauxite mining. Researchers demonstrated that the resulting product conforms to all standards for commercial Ordinary Portland Cement. The results of the research have been published in ‘Sustainable Materials and Technologies.’

Pakistan: The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) has asked the government to appoint a commission to investigate rises in cement prices. The Pakistan Observer newspaper has reported that ABAD chair Fayyaz Ilyas alleged that producers had colluded as a cartel. He said that price rises have prevented the construction sector from being able to realise the aims of the Naya Pakistan housing scheme.

Spain: Cementos Molins has agreed to acquire Hanson Hispania’s assets in Catalonia. The Expansión newspaper has reported that the business consists of two concrete plants and multiple quarries. It generated sales of Euro18m in 2020 and employs 41 people.

Chief executive officer Julio Rodríguez said "This operation will allow Cementos Molins to reinforce its presence in Spain and strengthen its leadership in sustainable concrete solutions in Catalonia." He added "The strategic location of the plants and quarries, close to the Barcelona metropolitan area, responds to our commitment to offer more efficient and sustainable solutions for homes and infrastructures."

Nepal: Huaxin Cement Narayani has completed construction of its 3000t/day Dhading cement plant in Bagmati and plans to commence production before November 2021. The Xinhua News Agency has reported that construction of plant, a joint venture of Vaidya’s Organisation of Industries and Trading Houses and China-based Huaxin Cement subsidiary Huaxin Central Asia Investment (Wuhan), started in early 2019 but was delayed by floods, disputes over land acquisition and the coronavirus pandemic. It is Nepal’s second cement plant backed by Chinese investors following the opening of Hongshi-Shivam Cement in 2018. In 2020, the country produced 7.49Mt of cement, towards serving a demand of 9.05Mt/yr nationally.

India: Dalmia Cement has signed three memoranda of understanding with the state government of Jharkhand. The memoranda provide that the Dalmia Bharat subsidiary will invest US$104m in expanding its cement operations in the state. The producer’s plans consist of a US$68.5m upgrade and capacity expansion to its Bokaro cement grinding plant. The project will increase the existing production line’s capacity to 3.7Mt/yr and add a new grinding line, bringing the total plant’s capacity to 6.3Mt/yr. In addition the cement producer will spend US$34m towards building a solar power plant and the remainder will be spent on setting up a waste management facility.

Belgium: Holcim Belgium is hosting a public meeting as a preliminary step towards applying for a permit to install a new kiln line at its Obourg cement plant in Mons. The line is intended to replace the existing kiln line as it reaches the end of its operational life. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim has called the proposed project Go4Zero. The new kiln will be designed to concentrate CO₂ emissions to allow for capture and recovery. Limestone for the plant will be extracted from a quarry at Tournaisis and transported to the plant by railway.