India: The board of directors of Sagar Cements is considering merging its wholly-owned subsidiary Sagar Cement (R) (SCR) into the company. A meeting has been scheduled for the company’s board of directors to consider the matter in late April 2021. SCRL, formerly BMM Cements, operates the 1.0Mt/yr Yadiki Mandalam cement plant in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.

Vietnam: The Provincial Department of Trade and Industry (PDTI) of the northern province of Quang Ninh has announced a second-quarter cement production target of 879,000t in 2021. Viet Nam News has reported that the figure represents a significant increase as part of a local plan to increase gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 10% in 2021. In the second quarter of the year, the PDTI is targeting US$2.1bn-worth of private investment in the provincial economy.

US: A research team at Washington State University has developed admixtures using chitin derived from seashells. The Moscow-Pullman Daily News has reported that the substance enhances concrete’s performance when substituted for some of the cement content. The lower clinker factor may also decrease net emissions. Work has shown that lower volumes of the supplementary material are required compared to existing admixtures.

Tanzania: Tanzania Portland Cement has announced plans to invest a total of US$15.0m in modernising its 2.0Mt/yr-capacity Tanzania Portland Cement plant in 2021. The Tanzania Daily News newspaper has reported that the producer says its main challenge is cargo delays at the port of Dar es Salaam. This has caused concern for potential investors, according to the company. Senior commercial manager Danford Semwenda lobbied the government to help solve the problem.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement’s cement sales in the first quarter of 2021 were US$11.3m, up by 22% year-on-year from US$9.27m in the first quarter of 2020. Volumes increased by 13% to 266,000t from 236,000t. The company said that it remained close to full capacity utilisation. It says that it increased its Kazakh cement market share to over 13%. The market grew by 12% year-on-year in total. The producer reported an 11% price rise and constant levels of tariffs and rental expenses.

Steppe Cement forecast an increase in domestic cement demand due to government infrastructure and housing projects.

Qatar: Switzerland-based Sika has expanded concrete admixture production capacity at it Doha admixture plant. The company has also announced the start of epoxy resin production in the country. It says that its present investments target growth to serve the expanding regional construction market. Numerous major projects and the expansion of energy and utilities infrastructure have driven a growing demand. Qatar’s state sourcing policy further increases consumption of building materials produced in the country.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional manager Ivo Schädler said "Our latest investment in Qatar positions us for continued growth and strengthens our competitiveness in the country. In expanding our production, we are anticipating a substantial increase in demand and volumes for our high-value adhesives and flooring solutions. Our building sector customers will benefit from an expanded and locally produced portfolio of Sika solutions which, in addition, eliminates long-distance transportation."

Germany: Italy-based Buzzi Unicem subsidiary Dyckerhoff has received Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) Gold certification for all seven of its German cement plants. All 10 of its concrete plants also received Gold certification. The company’s seven cement plants previously received Silver certification from the CSC in 2018. It said that it was especially pleased with its latest achievement giving the more rigorous checks under the certification body’s updated 2.1 version.

Germany: HeidelbergCement’s consolidated net sales grew by 1% year-year to Euro3.96bn in the first quarter of 2021 from Euro3.93bn in the first quarter of 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 23% to Euro538m from Euro436m. The group said that the preliminary results are ‘significantly’ above market expectations.

India: Larsen & Toubro has won a contract for the construction of a 3.5Mt/yr-capacity integrated cement plant at Nimbahera in Rajasthan. The Press Trust of India newspaper has reported that the supplier classed the order’s value as ‘significant,’ meaning between US$134m and US$336m.

Spain: Domestic cement consumption was 3.38Mt in the first quarter of 2021, up by 8% year-on-year from 3.12Mt in 2020. The Spanish Cement Industry Association (Oficemen) partly attributed the increase to export growth, to 665,000t in March 2021, up by 18% from March 2020 levels.

President Víctor Brosa said, ‘A stable year is expected in 2021 compared to 2020 despite the uncertainty surrounding the arrival of funds to reactivate the economy and the evolution of the pandemic."