India: Shree Cement plans to mark Vijay Diwas, the Indian commemoration day for the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, with free donations of cement for the families of armed forces personnel who died in battle between 1999 and 2019. Under the Naman scheme, the family or the next of kin of a deceased veteran will be given free cement to build a house on a plot of land up to around 370m², according to the Times of India newspaper. The cement can be obtained in person from any of Shree Cement's manufacturing facilities spread across India.

Pakistan: Cement dispatches in the five months to 30 November 2020, the first five months of the 2021 financial year, were 24Mt, up by 17% year-on-year from 20Mt over the corresponding period of the 2020 financial year. Data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) shows that exports grew by 22% to 4.4Mt from 3.6Mt. The Nation newspaper has reported that November 2020’s dispatches were up by 4% year-on-year to 4.5Mt from 4.3Mt, while domestic demand rose by 6% to 3.7Mt from 3.5Mt. Five-month demand also rose, by 16% to 19Mt from 17Mt.

India: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has fined ACC subsidiary Madukkarai Cement US$61,000 for fugitive emissions of clinker and cement dust in mid-2020. The Hindu newspaper has reported that inspections found dust in the village Kurumbapalayam, Coimbatore District, located on the eastern side of the cement plant. An ambient air quality survey in September 2020 revealed higher-than-prescribed particulate volumes.

In addition to paying the fine, the producer must comply with 19 instructions of the TNPCB for air pollution control and monitoring by 7 January 2021.

Argentina: A dispute between a supplier and its union has caused Loma Negra to switch off two kilns at its Olavarría cement plant. The Clarín newspaper has reported that the argument is between Minerar, which provides the plant’s raw limestone, and the Asociación Minera Obrera Argentina (AOMA), which represents miners’ interests. The union says that miners are underpaid. They receive US$245/yr less than cement plant workers.

The producer said, “It is the leading Argentine cement company, with approximately 45% of total sales in the country. This shortage will impact the country's economy, which had been recovering after the pandemic." The union rejected a mandatory conciliation on 3 December 2020. Negotiations began in October 2020.

Spain: Mexico-based Cemex plans to merge Spain-based Cemex España with Netherlands-based New Sunward Holding. The transaction will be registered in late 2020 or early 2021 and dated retroactively to 1 December 2020.

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim subsidiary LafargeHolcim Bangladesh has donated US$117,000 to the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation (BLWF) fund. The New Nation newspaper has reported that State Minister for Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian received the cheque on behalf of the BLWF, which in 2020 supported 10,500 workers with US$5.2m-worth of financial support.

US: HarbisonWalker International (HWI) has enhanced its Mobile Refractory Tools app based on customer input to increase the ease of refractory products and services optimisation in the field. HWI customers and Contractor/Installer Network (CIN) members can use the free app to access the refractory mix calculator to compute mix ratios and times for HWI products, search safety data sheets, find HWI Global Sourcing Center (GSC) locations, and contact HWI. The company says that CIN members can also gain access to HWI's Pocket Reference Guide (PRG), which contains comprehensive product information, brick sizes, shapes and combinations, sprung arches, anchors, and area and volume data. All business portal account holders receive basic access, along with product data, including datasheets, installation guidelines, curing and dry-out schedules, and the new kiln brick calculator.

Senior vice president (SVP) Mike Werner said, “We are always listening to our customers and the latest advancements in our mobile app reflect what our contractor/installers and customers told us would help them the most on the job.” He added, “HWI app users can find and calculate what they need to know about our products and services when they need them. We're constantly innovating with technology to help our customers and the overall refractories industry, with offerings like our High Temperature Times podcast and our Mobile Refractory Tools app. On-going updates to the app are an important part of our commitment.”

India: The board of directors of Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech Cement has approved a planned increase in cement production capacity of 12.87Mt/yr. This will increase its capacity to 136Mt/yr from 123Mt/yr, at a cost of US$743m. The company says that the expansion will consist of new plants and upgrades to existing plants in the ‘fast-growing markets of the east, central and north regions of the country.’ This includes the upcoming Pali integrated cement plant in Rajasthan and capacity expansions at plants in Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, that are due for completion in the 2022 financial year (1 April 2021 - 31 March 2022).

The producer said, “Given the company’s history of setting up capacities in record time, commercial production from the new capacities is expected to go on stream in a phased manner, by early 2023. This capacity addition will not impact the on-going deleveraging programme, which is on track to make UltraTech debt-free by the time the expansion program is completed.”

Aditya Birla group chair Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “This significant investment in a core infrastructure sector will accelerate the wheels of economic activity and aid the kick-start of the private investment cycle. The capital outlay, given the current economic backdrop, is aligned with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat programme. It is also a marker of UltraTech’s ascent from being India’s No.1 cement player to a national champion. The cement industry has been witnessing healthy volumes post-relaxation of lockdown, on the back of the government’s thrust on infrastructure, underlying demand from the rural economy and individual home builders. Given its pan-India presence, which will be further strengthened by the capacity expansion, UltraTech will be well-positioned to support the rising demand for cement in the country.”

India: Birla Corporation plans to raise US$20m through redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCD). It has allotted 1500 NCDs with a value of around US$13,500 on a private placement basis. The producer announced plans in August 2020 for an upgrade to its Durgapur grinding plant in West Bengal.

India: Orient Cement has entered into a share purchase, subscription and shareholder’s agreement with AMPTechnology and AMPSolar Systems. It will acquire a 26% stake in the latter for around US$0.6m. The Press Trust of India has reported that AMPSolar Systems is establishing a 13.5MW solar power plant in Maharashtra, where Orient Cement operates an integrated cement plant.