India: KHD’s subsidiaries Humboldt Wedag India and Humboldt Wedag have signed a deal with LafargeHolcim’s subsidiary ACC to build a new raw meal grinding unit and a pyroprocessing line for an existing cement plant. The contracts also include the supply and installation of the electrical and instrumentation package for the entire cement plant. The entire contract package is worth over Euro35m.

Italy: HeidelbergCement and its Italian subsidiary Italcementi are each donating Euro100,000 to the Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo. The region in Lombardy in Northern Italy has been markedly affected by the coronavirus outbreak with over 400 fatalities since February 2020. Italcementi’s headquarters is located in the city. Italcementi's managing director Roberto Callieri has also invited employees to support the hospital and other institutions.

Canada: Albarrie says that there has been no interruption in any provision of products to its customers. Its production capabilities are not affected by novel coronavirus and it is implementing travel restrictions and health guidelines in line with government and World Health Organisation (WHO) advice. Key features include heightening risk assessments for employees, improved workplace hygiene, bolstered information technology support to allow home working and the cancellation of all nonessential domestic and international travel. Albarrie produces textile products including filtration products used by the cement industry.

Mexico & Thailand: Cemex and Siam Cement have made changes to upcoming shareholder meetings in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. Mexico’s Cemex intends to reduce attendance at its general shareholders meeting in late March 2020 and introduce hygiene protocols. Thailand’s Siam Cement has postponed indefinitely its annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for early April 2020. Its board of directors plan to set a new date when the “situation is resolved.”

All: Global Cement will continue to publish both Global Cement Magazine and Global Cement Weekly throughout the current coronavirus outbreak. Global Cement organises a number of cement-related conferences, and those in the remainder of the first half of the year have already been postponed to provide certainty for all participants. Each event (Global GypSupply, Global Slag and Global CemProcess) will instead take place as a virtual conference, with live Q&As and cyber-networking. Please see the respective event website for details.

Global Cement will continue to supply its customers with up-to-date and accurate information, the means to promote their businesses and the forum to make valuable business contacts. For commercial opportunities, please contact Paul Brown, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

World: A number of cement industry events such as a conferences and trade fairs have been affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Here is a roundup of some of the major ones.

This list will be continuously updated (please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with anything we may have missed)

IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference (Las Vegas 19-23 April 2020 - Cancelled (next event is in Orlando, Florida, 23-27 May 2021)

CemTech Asia (Jakarta) 14-17 June - Postponed

Solids Dortmund, Germany - postponed to 24 - 25 June 2020

Hannover Fair, Germany - first postponed to 13 - 17 July 2020, then cancelled - now due on 23-24 June 2021

IFAT, Munich, Germany - postponed to 7 - 11 September 2020

International Powder & Bulk Solids, Chicago, US - postponed to 6 - 8 October 2020

Global Slag Conference & Exhibition, Vienna, Austria - postponed to 10 - 11 November 2020

interpack, Düsseldorf, Germany - postponed to 25 February - 3 March 2021

HILLHEAD Quarrying and Recycling Show - Postponed to 22 - 24 June 2021

Cementtech, Anhui, China - postponed - dates TBA

Global CemProcess Conference & Exhibition, Munich, Germany - postponed - dates TBA

Intercem Shipping Americas, Chicago, US – postponed – dates TBA (Intercem Americas 26-28 October in Miami going ahead)

LogiMAT, Stuttgart, Germany - cancelled. Next: 9-11 March 2021

Thailand: The coronavirus pandemic has caused Siam Cement Group (SCG) to postpone its initial public offering (IPO) for 30% of its packaging subsidiary SCG Packaging at a value of US$1.0bn, which was reportedly due to take place in early 2020. Reuters News has reported that the company has yet to set a new date for the IPO.

Chile: The board of directors of Grupo Hurtado Vicuña (GHV) subsidiary Cemento Polpaico, which operates the 2.3Mt/yr integrated Cerro Blanco plant in Santiago and two grinding plants, has voted in favour of a merger with fellow GHV subsidiary Cementos Bicentario (BSA), which operates three grinding plants in the country. The Diario Financiario newspaper has reported that GHV first mooted with merger with the affected parties in February 2018.

India: Representatives from Aditya Birla subsidiary UltraTech, Ramco Cements, India Cements, JSW Cement and KCP have met with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy and other state officials to negotiate the sale of their products to construction companies working on public projects ‘at lower prices.’ The Hindu newspaper has reported that the state forecasts a year-on-year rise in its annual cement consumption of 67%, to 30Mt in 2020 from 18Mt in 2019. India Cements’ vice chair and managing director Narendra Srinavasan said that all planned infrastructure projects ‘ought to be implemented in order to bail out the industry from the turmoil it has been undergoing.’

India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has fined Aditya Birla flagship company Grasim Industries US40.6m for anti-competitive practices, specifically for failing to disclose its discount policy as instructed by the CCI. Accord Fintech News has reported that cement accounts for almost 50% of Grasim Industries’ profit.