Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW736 / 19 November 2025

Headlines


Cementir Group launched two of its lower carbon cement products in the Middle East and Africa markets this week. We’ll take a look at this in more detail and cover other recent products news from cement producers.

Egypt-based Sinai White Cement will manufacture the products under Cementir’s D-Carb umbrella. One will be a Limestone Portland cement, to the CEM II/A-LL 52.5N specification EN197-1, with around a 10% clinker reduction. The other will be CEM II/B-LL 42.5N with around a 20% clinker reduction. Both of these reductions are in comparison to Aalborg White CEM I 52.5R. D-Carb is the name of Cementir’s product range for white low-carbon cements. It was launched in European markets in 2024, with II/ALL 52.5R cement, and then expanded to Asia Pacific regions, including Australia, in early 2025. Cementir says that its customers can switch to D-Carb from CEM I as it “integrates well with their production processes without requiring major formulation changes.”

In late October 2025 Dyckerhoff revealed that it was the first cement manufacturer in Germany to receive general building authority approval (abZ) for the use of CEM VI (SLL) cement in accordance with DIN EN 197-5. The German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) granted approval for Dyckerhoff’s Lengerich cement plant. CEM VI is a newer type of composite cement similar to CEM II but with a lower clinker content. The SLL type that Dyckerhoff wants to make has a clinker content of 35 – 49 %, granulated blast furnace slag of 31 – 59% and limestone of 6 – 20%. The company says that this cement can be used in more than 60% of all concrete types produced in ready-mixed concrete plants. Its composition is also useful for low-carbon concretes when no fillers, such as fly ash, are available. Dyckerhoff added that the low hydration heat of the cement has a particularly positive effect in massive cast components.

Earlier in October 2025 Rohrdorfer held an inauguration ceremony for a new pilot unit for calcined (they say tempered) clays at its Rohrdorf cement plant. The pilot project started in July 2025 and has been processing up to 50t/day of raw clay. When Rohrdorfer launched the project in early 2024 it said that it was going to use waste heat from the main production line and was also considering the use of hydrogen to provide the remaining amount of heat required. Waste gases produced during calcination were also going to be fed back into the existing waste gas cleaning system of the clinker production line after leaving the pilot plant to further reduce emissions. Rohrdorfer said that its approach was going to be the first time waste heat recovery was going to be used in conjunction with calcining clay.

Meanwhile, in West Africa, Dangote Cement inaugurated its new 3Mt/yr cement plant near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast in mid-October 2024. Around the same time the company launched various products in the country, including its CEM I and CEM II brands 32.5R, 3X42.5N, 3X42.5R and 52.5N. This is a more traditional range of cement products compared to the ones above but note the highlighting of strength. This has been a key selling point for products in this part of the world previously, hence its focus. CEM II is a blended cement that uses lower levels of clinker. One clinker substitute in CEM II products is calcined clay. Gebr. Pfeiffer, for example, said in August 2025 that it was to supply a vertical roller mill to Ciments de Côte d'Ivoire (CIMCI) for clay grinding at its cement plant. There are also a number of other calcined clay projects in the Ivory Coast and other countries in West Africa. Further afield, JK Cement in India also started to market its LC3 clay calcined cement product line in October 2025.

Finally, US-based Amrize launched its ‘Made in America’ label for its cement range this week, “offering builders the guarantee of American manufacturing and quality, supporting American jobs and local communities.” Readers may recall that Amrize was recently owned by Switzerland-based Holcim. However, the company is currently keen to point out that its cement products are “made in the US from its raw materials and processing to manufacturing, meeting rigorous US performance standards.” Amrize does sell blended cements including FortiCem Portland-Pozzolan Blended Cement, ECOPlanet Cements and OneCem Portland Limestone Cement.

Most of the news stories highlighted above demonstrate a trend for blended cements with lower clinker factors. There’s no real change here. This has been happening for a long time and it is being driven by both profit and sustainability motives, although the current bunch of stories may also be turning up to coincide with the COP30 conference in Brazil. Note the inclusion of places outside of Europe and the drive for new blends. Another factor to consider here is protectionism in certain markets, as Amrize’s marketing drive suggests. New blends will also require new certifications, standards and approvals as is the case with Dyckerhoff’s work on CEM VI (SLL). The next trend to watch for will be the market reaction to carbon captured cements, such as Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero product. Will end users pay a premium for zero-carbon cements?


UK: Holcim UK has appointed Mohamed Ben Driss Alami as the managing director of its Cement Division.

Alami has worked for Holcim and associated companies for 16 years. He started working for Lafarge in France in 2009 as a Corporate Finance Manager before switching to logistics in the US in 2014. He subsequently became the Director of Integration, Strategy & Business Development for Holcim US Cement in 2015, the General Manager - Asphalt & Construction - Mid-Atlantic Region in the US for Aggregate Industries in 2017 and the Country Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Algeria in 2020. Prior to working for Holcim, he was an Adjunct Professor in Economics at the Sciences Po University in France. Alami holds multiple master’s degrees in applied mathematics and is a certified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).


US: Cemex US has appointed Will Price as Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions.

Price previously held corporate development roles at Cornerstone Building Brands, and engineering and corporate development positions at Oceaneering International. He holds a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas and a master of business administration qualification, focused on corporate finance, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


Peru: UNACEM has appointed José Antonio Becerra Figuerola as Operations Manager.

Becerra previously worked as an Assistant Production Manager for UNACEM. Before this he held positions at SC Volcán from 2012 to 2022 in operations, plant and project management. Earlier in his career he worked for UNACEM from the mid-1990s to the mid 2010s in engineering and project management roles. Becerra is an engineering graduate from the University of Lima with a master of business administration qualification from Escuela de Administración de Negocios para Graduados (ESAN).


Sweden: Heidelberg Materials Sweden has said that it will ‘pause’ its carbon capture project at the Slite cement plant in Gotland after the Swedish Energy Agency rejected its application for co-financing under the Industrial Step programme. The producer said that the government is currently ‘not prepared’ to strategically prioritise funds for the project. The project aimed to reduce Sweden’s total CO₂ emissions by 1.8Mt/yr, or around 4% of the country’s total emissions. Heidelberg Materials said that, as production in Slite is not being given a way to adjust with secured long-term competitiveness, Sweden now risks becoming dependent on cement imports in the future and could face weakened security of supply.

Vice president Karin Comstedt Webb said “We have worked for a long time to implement one of the most powerful climate investments in Swedish industrial history with the aim of securing long-term competitiveness. But without the state's continued support for implementation, there are currently insufficient conditions to realise the project in Sweden.”


Thailand: SCG Cleanergy and US-based Rondo Energy have launched a new 33MWh thermal battery integrated with SCG’s cement plant’s heat recovery system in Saraburi province. The system delivers 2.3MWth of continuous steam to the plant’s turbine, increasing output and enabling 24/7 electricity and process-heat supply. It also stores electrical energy as high-temperature heat in refractory materials and can reach 1500°C. CEO Eric Trusiewicz said the system was built in eight months. Rondo said that the installation is the world’s first commercial heat battery at a cement plant, and that it plans to scale further.


Egypt: Cement exports recorded their first decline in five years in the first nine months of 2025, falling by 5% year-on-year, according to Business News Africa. Exports were 14.5Mt, down from 15.3Mt in the same period in 2024. The decline follows the suspension of regulations that had allowed producers to reduce their capacity by 10% annually and instructed companies to prioritise local sales. The decision was halted for two months in May 2025, roughly five months before the dip in exports. Exports were only permitted for surplus quantities.

The policy had initially been introduced by the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) in 2021, after producers complained of heavy losses due to low demand and depressed prices. Production rose to 47.8Mt from January to September 2025, up by nearly 20% year-on-year, with local sales rising to 39.2Mt and clinker output rose to 45Mt from 42Mt.

Head of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce’s Cement Division Ahmed El-Zaini said “Egypt’s exports were only 3-4Mt/yr five years ago but surged to 20Mt/yr in 2024, largely at the expense of domestic supply.”


Bolivia: Cement sales reached 336,777t in September 2025, down by 5% year-on-year from 353,970t in September 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Sales rose by 5% month-on-month from 320,998t in August 2025.


Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its ‘Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/6’, which reports a fall by 25% in CO₂ intensity of cementitious products since 1990 and sets out policy measures needed to accelerate decarbonisation. The report was launched at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

The report highlights more than 60 decarbonisation projects across alternative fuels, alternative raw materials, carbon capture, renewable energy and recycled concrete. Examples include Fletcher’s Golden Bay plant and JSW’s Nandyal and Shiva plants. Publicly announced projects are collated and made available to see on the GCCA/LeadIT green cement technology tracker. The document also calls for policies enabling non-recyclable waste use in kilns, wider adoption of blended products, national carbon pricing mechanisms and the use of construction demolition waste as recycled raw materials.

GCCA president and Heidelberg Materials chair Dominik von Achten said “Our industry is collaborating and innovating across every aspect of our production - finding new ways to work and deploying exciting technologies that are already making a genuine step change. However, to achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we cannot do it by ourselves - our industry needs the support of governments, policymakers, stakeholders, and our allies across the built environment right now.”

GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot said “The breadth of activity we are seeing across our membership is truly inspiring, with great examples of projects and work across all decarbonisation levers, where enabling policies exist. Cement and concrete are essential materials for the world, but we know they are also essential to decarbonise. Despite our progress, we know that firm policy action across the world is fundamental to enabling us to accelerate our reductions.”


Zimbabwe: Bulawayo City Council has cancelled Labenmon Investments’ lease for the construction of a cement grinding plant at Umvumila Industrial Park after the China-based company failed to finalise the lease signing process, according to The Chronicle newspaper. The lease was awarded in October 2024 but the decision follows controversy around the project. Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and finance and development committee chairperson councillor Mpumelelo Moyo were previously arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission in an alleged bribery case.

Director of town planning Wisdom Siziba said “This report sought to cancel the offer of industrial stands 15895 and 15896 Umvumila for Labenmon Investments after council on 2 October 2024 had resolved that stands 15895 and 15896 be leased out to Labenmon Investments for an initial period of five years subject to review. The applicant indicated that they would use the stand for industrial purposes, establishing a cement mixing plant, at a monthly rental of US$450 and US$700 respectively (exclusive of VAT). The applicant had accepted the offer but did not finalise the lease signing process. Several reminders were sent to the applicant to no avail. It was against this backdrop that the department wished to have the offer cancelled and the stand repossessed.”

In October 2024, it was alleged that the two officials had been arrested for demanding a US$20,000 bribe from Labenmon Investments in exchange for approving 5.6 hectares of land for the grinding plant. The case saw the Deputy Mayor acquitted after a full trial. Councillor Moyo was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. In October 2025, he was granted US$200 bail by the High Court pending appeal.


Germany: Dyckerhoff has received general building authority approval for the use of CEM VI (S-LL) cement produced at its Lengerich plant. The German Institute for Building Technology granted the approval for the plant in October 2025 for almost all exposure classes. It combines clinker, granulated blast furnace slag and limestone to produce cement with a lower CO₂ footprint, low heat of hydration and low effective alkali content.


Brazil: Cimento Apodi said that it has recorded a 20% thermal substitution rate (TSR), avoided 1500t/yr of CO₂ emissions and invested more than US$4.7m in a new 5MW solar park. The producer has targeted a 25% TSR by the end of 2025.

It says it will increase renewable energy use through its solar park and a waste heat recovery system. Together these will supply 25% of its electricity demand by the end of 2025. The implementation of the cement mill optimiser (CMO), an artificial intelligence-based system developed with the Federal University of Ceará and the Titan Group, has increased mill productivity by up to 13% and installed capacity by 10%. The company is also developing gasifiers that can reduce emissions by up to 10% per tonne of cement.

The integrated Quixeré cement plant coprocesses byproducts such as tyres, cashew nut shells, açaí seeds, carnauba stalks and industrial waste from other sectors. All materials undergo sorting and characterisation to meet the parameters of particle size, moisture and calorific value.


Armenia: The Armenian government will exempt Dragsman Cement from customs duties on imports. The producer will invest US$5m to build a new cement plant using imported equipment. It will invest US$3.6m in fixed assets, US$654,000 in dismantling and installation,  US$130,000 in construction and US$523,000 in specialised equipment. According to local press, there will be 40 new jobs available. The customs duty exemption is valued at US$107,000.


Türkiye: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a €50m loan to cement producer Çimsa to support its decarbonisation efforts. According to the EBRD, the financing will fund a calcium aluminate cement (CAC) kiln and decarbonisation upgrades for existing grey and white cement kilns at Çimsa’s Mersin plant. CAC production has a ‘significantly’ lower carbon footprint than traditional grey cement, according to the producer.

The EBRD said that the project aligns with Türkiye’s Industrial Decarbonisation Investment Platform, the world’s largest industrial decarbonisation programme, which provides policy guidance and low-carbon pathways for hard-to-abate sectors, including cement.

Erdem Yasar, EBRD Deputy Head for Türkiye, said that the partnership supports both Çimsa’s competitiveness and broader industry sustainability.


Uzbekistan: 488,700t of cement were exported from Uzbekistan into Kyrgyzstan in the first nine months of 2025, according to the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan is the main market for cement exports from Uzbekistan, accounting for 41% of the total 1.2Mt in the nine-month period. Other major consumers of cement from Uzbekistan included Kazakhstan (317,000t) and Afghanistan (273,000t).


Egypt: Misr Cement Qena generated a net profit of US$36.2m during the first nine months of 2025, up by a factor of 33 from just US$1.1m in the first nine months of 2024. The company’s net profit after tax over the same period increased by a factor of eight, from US$1.96m to US$16.0m.


Rwanda: Narendra Raval, Executive Chair and CEO of Devki Group, owner of Cimerwa, has announced an commitment to make Rwanda fully self-sufficient in terms of cement production ‘in the near future.’ Raval made the remarks on 14 November 2025 during a customer engagement meeting with stakeholders and distributors in the Rwandan capital Kigali. Cimerwa is Rwanda’s only integrated cement manufacturer, and is currently upgrading its facilities with a new US$190m clinker line.

Raval reported that Rwanda already makes 86% of the cement that it consumes, with imports falling from 360,000t/yr to just 72,000t/yr ‘in recent years.’ He said “I have promised myself, my staff and the country that by the next budget meeting, we will achieve a 100% import-free Rwanda.” The next Rwandan budget will run from 1 July 2026. Going further, Raval added “We will make Rwanda a net exporter of both clinker and cement within two years.”


Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has reported that it ended the third quarter of 2025 with double-digit growth in net revenue and operating results. It said that this was driven by higher sales volumes and positive pricing dynamics, supported by geographic and product diversification. The company posted a global net revenue of US$1.64bn in the third quarter of 2025, a 15% rise compared to the same period of 2024. The company said that the result reflects ‘positive dynamics in both sales volumes and prices.’ The company’s cement sales for the quarter came to 10.6Mt, a 6% year-on-year rise. Votorantim Cimentos’ adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the third quarter was US$450m, up by 10% year-on-year in local currency terms. The quarter saw a net profit of US$182m a 3% year-on-year rise.

In Brazil, Votorantim Cimentos’ net revenue in the third quarter of 2025 was US$750m, a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Its adjusted EBITDA for the country was US$175m, up by 9% year-on-year.


India: The Adani Group has announced plans to invest US$1.13bn in Andhra Pradesh over the coming decade, including on developments in cement, data centres, energy and advanced manufacturing. The announcement was made by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) Managing Director Karan Adani at the Andhra Pradesh Investor Summit, where he announced plans for the Vizag Tech Park, a major data centre investment alongside Google.

"We see Andhra Pradesh not as a destination for investment, but as a launchpad for India's next decade of transformation,” said Adani. “The flagship of our commitment is the Vizag Tech Park. This is not just another tech park, it is the foundation of India's digital sovereignty. We are building one of the world's largest hyperscale data-centre ecosystems, in partnership with Google, and powered by green energy.”


Egypt: Cementir Group has launched two reduced-CO2 white cement products produced at its Egyptian subsidiary Sinai White Cement across the Middle East and Africa. The D-Carb® range comprises a limestone Portland cement (matching CEM II/A-LL 52.5N requirements according to EN197-1) with around 10% less clinker than the company’s well-known Aalborg White® CEM I 52.5R product, and a CEM II/B-LL 42.5N product that has 20% less clinker than Aalborg White.

“In 2024 and early 2025, we progressively introduced D-Carb products across Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, where we have received positive feedback from diverse industry segments,” said Michele Di Marino, Chief Sales, Marketing and Commercial Development Officer of Cementir Group. “Today, extending this portfolio to the Middle East and Africa with two tailored variants represents an important milestone in Cementir’s journey toward net-zero emissions by 2050.”


Malaysia: Hume Cement’s net profit increased to US$290,000 in its first financial quarter, which ended on 30 September 2025. Revenue for the quarter went up slightly from US$68.5m a year earlier to US$70.2m. The company reported that this was due to higher cement sales volumes.

The company stated that “The Malaysian construction sector is anticipated to maintain steady growth, supported by ongoing infrastructure development. In line with this outlook, the group continues to prioritise operational excellence and efficiency to strengthen its competitive position in the market.”


US: Amrize has launched a 'Made in America' label for its cement to offer builders ‘the guarantee of American manufacturing and quality, while supporting American jobs and local communities.’ The label signifies that all aspects of the cement are made in the US, including all of its raw materials.

Roll-out of the label will begin at Amrize's flagship cement plants at Ste. Genevieve, (Missouri), Midlothian (Texas), Devil's Slide (Utah), Holly Hill (South Carolina) and Portland (Colorado). The company, already the largest in the US by installed capacity, is investing US$700m in its cement plants during 2025.

“Our new 'Made in America' label offers our customers the confidence that their product complies with US standards for quality, performance and reliability, with local-to-local service,” said Jaime Hill, President of Amrize Building Materials. “We are proud of the role our solutions play in building America and are committed to advancing the US building industry, supporting American jobs and serving as the partner of choice for the professional builders of America.”


Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement has announced a potential acquisition of Pioneer Cement, which, if realised, would elevate it to being the second-largest cement producer in the north of Pakistan, raising its capacity from 8Mt/yr to 13Mt/yr.

Maple Leaf Cement and its subsidiary Maple Leaf Capital jointly hold an 18.6% stake in Pioneer Cement, while Habibullah Group owns ~58%. The remaining 23.4% is owned by small private investors.


Colombia: Cementos Argos reported consolidated revenues of US$369m in the third quarter of 2025, up by 2% from US$358m in the same period of 2024. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$100m, while net income rose to US$75m, compared to US$20m in the third quarter of 2024.

For the first nine months of 2025, revenues totalled US$1.05bn and EBITDA was US$250m. Net profit reached US$177m, compared to US$59m in 2024. Cement volumes increased by 7.5% year-on-year, while concrete volumes fell 8%, partly due to a business model adjustment in Panama.

“These results are a clear demonstration of our strategic discipline and our team’s commitment to creating sustainable value. We maintain an optimistic outlook for the end of 2025 and continue to make steady progress in re-entering the United States market and strengthening our international presence,” said Cementos Argos president Juan Esteban Calle.

In Colombia, quarterly revenues reached US$209m with EBITDA of US$64m. Cement volumes grew 3% to 1.4Mt, while concrete volumes declined by 9%. In the year-to-date, Colombian revenues stood at US$572m and EBITDA at US$158m. In the Caribbean and Central America region, quarterly revenues were US$144m. Cement volumes totalled 1.7Mt, up by 14% year-on-year, with year-to-date revenues of US$421m.


South Korea: Gangwon-do governor Kim Jin-tae visited Halla Cement’s Gangneung Okgye plant on 13 November 2025 to discuss challenges facing the cement industry amid the country’s ongoing construction slowdown. Governor Kim reviewed progress on the government’s US$682m carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) ‘mega’ project, which aims to capture carbon dioxide from cement plants in Gangneung and Samcheok, as well as nearby coal-fired power plants. The captured CO₂ will be converted into e-methanol for eco-friendly ship fuel, lithium carbonate for secondary batteries, and new construction materials.

Kim said that Gangwon-do’s cement production accounts for 63% of nationwide production. He pledged full administrative support to ensure the project passes its preliminary feasibility study, according to local press. Halla Cement’s Okgye plant has only operated three of its four production lines since 2024, each producing 5500t/day of cement, after reducing output due to weak construction demand.

“There have been some concerns over dust and fine particles,” Kim said. “Cement and power companies have voluntarily signed an agreement to reduce emissions by 46%, and a second reduction agreement will be signed this month. As the industry continues its efforts, the province will actively support it by significantly reducing emission charges.”


Indonesia: Indocement said that it has maintained a solid performance through the first nine months of 2025, despite a slowdown in the national cement market. Data from the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) shows that overall cement demand fell by 3% year-on-year to September 2025, driven by a 10% decline in bulk cement sales, while bagged cement volumes remained largely stable, down by 0.1%.

Indocement’s total cement and clinker sales reached 14.4Mt, representing a 2% year-on-year decrease. Domestic sales dropped by 4% to 14Mt, but exports increased by 124% to 423,000t.

“This positive performance demonstrates Indocement’s business resilience amid challenging market pressures. We continue to focus on maintaining cost efficiency, expanding export markets and strengthening sustainability initiatives and operational innovation,” said Indocement corporate secretary Dani Handajani.

The company expects domestic cement demand to decline by about 2-3% in 2025 due to infrastructure budget cuts and limited consumer purchasing power. However, it remains optimistic about a modest recovery in 2026, forecasting around 1% growth.


Philippines: Holcim Philippines has signed an agreement with Prime Infrastructure Capital for the supply of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to its cement plants in Bulacan and La Union. Under the deal, Prime Infra’s subsidiary Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) Pampanga will provide RDF produced from plastic waste converted into alternative fuels through co-processing technology, helping Holcim to reduce its reliance on traditional fuels.

Cara Peralta, market sector lead for waste at Prime Infra, said “It is rare to find like-minded organisations such as Holcim willing to partner with us and make investments in sustainable practices like RDF consumption.”


Oman: Raysut Cement has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Somalia-based Barwaaqo Cement, valued at approximately US$45m/yr. The agreement will remain in effect until 14 September 2026. According to an official statement, the deal is expected to enhance capacity utilisation and improve overall returns.