Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW752 / 25 March 2026

Headlines


Amrize launched its 'Product of Canada' label last week. This follows a few other recent news stories in the sector that touch upon a nationalistic approach to cement marketing. What’s been going on?

The US-based cement company has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois in the US. However, it was keen to release its ‘Product of Canada’ cement label on 17 March 2026 to offer “builders the assurance of Canadian-made manufacturing and quality, supporting local jobs and communities.” The marking is intended to signify that everything to do with the product is made in Canada from raw materials, to processing to manufacturing and on to conforming to local standards. The company operates five cement plants in Canada. The new label will be rolled out, starting with the Exshaw cement plant in Alberta and the Bath cement plant in Ontario. Amrize’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 5.5% year-on-year to US$3.01bn in 2025 from US$3.18bn in 2024. Overall revenues rose slightly, but they fell slightly in Canada.

A similar approach was advocated by UK-based Breedon Group earlier in March 2026 with the launch of its British Cement Advocacy campaign. Breedon is calling for government intervention to support the sector. Its view is that government aims to build new homes and that infrastructure cannot happen without cement. It has asked to establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism, address wider competitiveness challenges, accelerate support for carbon capture technologies and promote domestically produced cement for public procurement. It noted it runs over 300 sites in the UK and that around a quarter of British Members of Parliament have a Breedon operation in their constituencies. Breedon Group’s profit fell by 13% year-on-year to €97m in 2025 from €111m, in 2024.

Meanwhile, the narrative over the branding of cement took a twist in Uganda. Earlier in March 2026 residents of the Karamoja sub-region complained to local press after cement being produced at the new (and local) Moroto integrated plant started being branded as Yaobai Cement. The locals had previously been annoyed that cement made by Tororo Cement used Tororo branding despite the raw materials being sourced in Karamoja. However, the new plant at Moroto has been built by China-based West International Holding. They invested US$300m in the project. Understandably, perhaps, West International Holding may have felt that given the scale of their investment they might be able to use the name of their well-established international cement subsidiary, Yaobai International Holding. It produces cement and gypsum-wallboard products in countries including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

The examples above demonstrate that people can take where their cement is from pretty seriously. In the Amrize case, one should note the backlash in Canada against US products in response to US tariffs in 2025. The BBC reported at the start of 2026, for example, that Canadians were buying more local products. Amrize said in its annual report for 2025 that “We see increasingly domestic-focused agendas both in the US and Canada. Each country is prioritising national investments and domestic materials…” In the UK the construction materials market is currently in a slump. The Mineral Products Association (MPA) said in February 2026 that demand for "core construction materials remained stuck at “alarmingly weak levels.” Breedon Group’s advocacy makes sense in opposition to competition from imports and impending carbon tax rules. Finally, the situation in Uganda shows that people care about local manufacturing regardless of where the money comes from. Hopefully this is merely a public relations issue and both parties can jointly get behind products from the new factory.


Australia: Boral has appointed Matt McKenzie as its CEO with effect from 1 April 2026. He will succeed Vik Bansal in the role, who will join the board of SGH as a director.

McKenzie has worked as the Chief Operating Officer of Boral since July 2025. Before that he was the Executive General Manager, Concrete and Quarries (South) from late 2022. Previously, he held general management roles at Cleanaway and Oracle Utilities and spent 14 years at GE across a range of operational and executive positions. McKenzie holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from La Trobe University and a master’s of business administration qualification from the Swinburne University of Technology.


Spain: CRH has appointed Murari Perumalsamy as the Head of CRH Ventures. He succeeds Eduardo Gomez Mendoza in the role, who has become Executive Vice President, Strategy in CRH’s Americas Division.

Perumalsamy has worked for CRH Ventures since 2024, when he started as Managing Director. Before this he held positions with CRH from 2022 to 2024 as VP Strategy & Development - Europe Materials and then VP Mergers & Acquisitions - Europe. Earlier in his career he held worked for Cemex from 2011 to 2022, in corporate strategy roles. Perumalsamy holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering.


US: HWI, a subsidiary of Calderys, has officially opened a new lightweight monolithics production facility in Fulton, Missouri, increasing its production capacity for lightweight refractory materials. The greenfield facility is located at the company’s rotary kiln complex and has direct access to local clay reserves. The plant includes a furnace system for its Greenlite aggregate production, robotic automation for packaging and material handling, and upgraded packaging capabilities. The company said the new facility will reduce lead times, support make-to-stock inventory and allow it to pursue larger-scale projects that were previously limited by supply constraints.

CEO of Calderys Michel Cornelissen said “Demand for these high-performance, energy-saving lightweight refractories continues to grow rapidly while global supply chains remain under pressure.”


Algeria: Algeria has reportedly transitioned from a cement importing country to a net exporter following major investments in new cement plants and expanded production capacity, according to local press.

The country’s installed cement capacity is around 42Mt/yr, while domestic demand is estimated at between 20Mt/yr and 30Mt/yr. It exports around 10Mt/yr. Recent export activity was reported at the Port of Béjaïa on 23 March 2026, where ships were loading both bagged and bulk cement for export markets. One vessel loaded 10,000t of cement, while another loaded 46,200t. The Port Authority did not provide details on the destination of the exports.


Syria: The project to rehabilitate and modernise the Tartous cement plant in partnership with UAE-based QZ Group is advancing, as part of efforts to revive the industrial sector and reduce reliance on cement imports, according to Business News Africa. The project will upgrade the plant’s milling and packaging units, introducing modern technologies and improving environmental performance. Preparatory work is currently underway, including site cleaning, maintenance and equipment readiness before full-scale development begins.

Bassam Ali, director of the Tartous cement plant, said the agreement signed between the state-owned Omran Company and QZ Group also prioritises training local workers and transferring technical expertise. QZ project manager Ahmed Salma said that the initial phase includes engineering and environmental studies, as well as coordination with international suppliers for equipment procurement. The company has also begun importing clinker from Egypt and Saudi Arabia in preparation for grinding operations. The 15-year project is expected to increase domestic cement output and help to stabilise prices in the local market.


Kyrgyzstan: The government has proposed introducing molecular marking of cement to combat the black market and improve transparency in production, imports and sales, according to Akchabar news. Under the proposal, cement classified under HS code 2523 would be subject to mandatory molecular marking from 1 June 2026, with a ban on the circulation of unmarked cement from 1 December 2026. The system would allow authorities to track cement from production or import through to final sale. The molecular marker would be added to cement without affecting its physical or chemical properties and verified using specialised equipment.

The country’s cement production capacity is estimated at 8.40Mt/yr, although actual output is reportedly significantly lower, and authorities believe some production and sales may be underreported. Cement imports reached 1.10Mt in 2025. The Cabinet of Ministers expects that the new marking system could double the size of the legal cement market within three years and generate up to US$34m per year in tax revenue from manufacturers, with additional revenue expected from concrete and other construction companies.


Spain: Cement consumption fell by 0.1% year-on-year in February 2026 to 1.28Mt, according to data from Oficemen. In the first two months of 2026, consumption declined by 0.2% year-on-year to 2.38Mt. The association attributed the slowdown largely to heavy rainfall, noting that January and February were the wettest months in 47 years, with February rainfall reaching 2.5 times the monthly average. Despite the weak start to the year, rolling 12-month cement consumption from March 2025 to February 2026 reached 16.7Mt, representing growth of 11%.

Exports declined by 7% year-on-year in February 2026 to 265,000t, while exports for the first two months of 2026 fell by 10% to 543000t. Over the rolling 12-month period, exports totalled 4.39Mt, down by 11% compared to the previous period.


Sweden: SaltX Technology has signed a joint development agreement with Holcim to develop a fully electrified clinker production process, with the goal of building Europe’s first fully electric cement plant by 2028. The collaboration builds on an earlier partnership established in June 2025, and focuses on electrifying cement production through SaltX’s technology platform, combining electrified calcination and electrified sintering to enable fossil-free clinker production. The companies have established a joint technical and commercial roadmap, beginning with pilot-scale testing before moving to industrial-scale deployment.

Two technical development tracks are being pursued: The first focuses on electrified calcination using plasma burners in SaltX’s electric arc calciner to heat raw meal and produce calcined material. Large-scale testing is planned at the electric calcination research centre in Hofors during 2026. The second track focuses on combining electrified calcination with electric sintering to produce clinker without fossil fuels.

Lina Jorheden said “The strengthened partnership with Holcim confirms the potential of our technology and marks a key step in developing electrified clinker production. By combining our technology with Holcim’s industrial expertise, we can jointly further develop and industrialise solutions for large-scale electrified cement manufacturing.”


Belgium: TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a 31MW floating solar power plant in Obourg, located on a former chalk quarry site rehabilitated into a lake. The plant is expected to generate approximately 30GWh/yr of electricity, which will be self-consumed by Holcim’s facilities. TotalEnergies said that the installation is the largest floating solar power plant in Europe dedicated to industrial self-consumption. The project included more than 700m of horizontal directional drilling to connect the floating panels to the electrical substation.

Olivier Greiner, managing director of retail power & gas Belgium at TotalEnergies, said “We are delighted to inaugurate this floating solar power plant, which demonstrates TotalEnergies’ teams’ ability to innovate to meet the needs of our partner Holcim, whom we support along with other industrial customers in their efforts to decarbonise their operations.”


Vietnam: Sinoma (Nanjing) and MeyGroup have signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for an 8000t/day clinker production line in Vietnam, according to a post on Linkedin by Sinoma’s marketing director, Anton Zhou. The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of both companies and took place in Hanoi, Vietnam.


India: RCCPL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birla Corporation, has commissioned a third production line at its Kundanganj unit, increasing grinding capacity by 1.40Mt/yr. Following the expansion, Birla Corporation’s consolidated production capacity has reached 21.4Mt/yr.

The company said that the Kundanganj expansion is expected to strengthen the company’s competitiveness in its core markets of central and eastern Uttar Pradesh, with clinker supplied from its integrated plants at Satna, Chanderia and Mukutban. The project cost is estimated at US$32m.

The expansion includes technology upgrades to increase fly ash utilisation for the production of Portland Pozzolana Cement, as well as improvements to infrastructure and logistics. A 5MW solar power plant is also being installed at the site and is expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of the next financial year, increasing the share of renewable energy at the plant from just over 30% to around 40%. Birla Corporation plans to further increase total production capacity to 27.6Mt/yr by the 2028-2029 financial year through additional expansions and new grinding units.


Azerbaijan: Clinker production reached 654,000t in the first two months of 2026, representing a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to the State Statistical Committee. As of 1 March 2026, the country held 354,000t of clinker in stock, which reportedly indicates sufficient supply for ongoing construction projects across the country. Despite this increase, clinker production in the full-year 2025 totalled 3.95Mt, down by 12% compared to 2024.


Brazil: On 21 March 2026 CSN announced that it had signed a binding letter of commitment with a group of banks for a new secured syndicated credit facility of US$1.2bn, with the potential to increase to US$1.4bn. CSN said in a regulatory filing that the measure is part of a broader divestment plan announced in January 2026, and is expected to be secured in part by certain assets designated for divestment, which include the company’s cement production facilities controlled by CSN Cimentos.

The banking syndicate includes Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Citigroup Global Markets, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, HSBC Securities (USA), Banco XA, BNP Paribas, Banco do Brasil New York Branch, and Banco Bradesco SA. The subsidiary CSN Inova Ventures will act as the borrower, with CSN and CSN Cimentos serving as guarantors. CSN states that the funds are intended for the refinancing of existing debt and the payment of fees, expenses, and costs related to the loan.

CSN has been working with Morgan Stanley to sell CSN Cimentos. Brazil-based Votorantim and China-based Huaxin Cement are also among the companies in preliminary talks to acquire the cement unit.


India: Vedanta Group has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), challenging the National Company Law Tribunal’s approval for Adani Group's bid to acquire Jaiprakash Associates for US$1.54bn. Vedanta Group had been in the race to acquire Jaiprakash Associates through an insolvency process. However, Jaiprakash Associate’s lenders approved the resolution plan of Adani Enterprises, as it had offered more than Vedanta, in November 2025. Vedanta’s challenge was scheduled to be heard on 23 March 2026 by a two-member bench comprising Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Member (Technical) Barun Mitra.


Burkina Faso: For several weeks Burkina Faso has been facing a cement shortage that is disrupting the national market and causing price increases. Cement plant managers, speaking on national TV, denounced the situation and called for adherence to regulated prices, which they maintain say remain unchanged at the factory gates.

Kassoum Zampaligré, Director General of CIMFASO and CIMASSO, blamed the shortage on energy shortages. He noted that electricity consumption increased during heatwaves limiting the energy available to industrial users. This, in turn, reduced production at cement plants. He also pinned price increases in the market on ‘fraudulent practices’ by some resellers who were using product scarcity to their advantage.

According to Jacques Amiong, President of the Burkina Faso Cement Manufacturers Association, cement demand grew by 20% between 2024 and 2025, with similar growth expected in 2026. This growth, combined with production constraints, is exacerbating the pressure on the market.


Namibia: Cheetah Cement is reportedly facing the closure of its operations, putting 87 jobs at risk at its integrated plant in Otavi, Otzjozondjupa Region. It has faced sustained financial losses due to import restrictions on cement exported to Botswana and Zimbabwe, combined with a lack of demand in the local market. Cheetah Cement spokesperson Tabby Moyo said that consultations are currently ongoing between the government, the company and the Mineworks Union of Namibia (MUN) to resolve the situation.

MUN unionist Reginald Kock says the union has been notified, and that negotiations will begin on 23 March 2026.“We are talking about 90% of the workforce set to lose jobs, and as a union we cannot allow such a thing to happen. We need to find alternatives,” said Kock.

Cheetah Cement is owned by Whale Rock Cement, a Chinese-owned company that had previously failed to merge Cheetah Cement with Schwenk Namibia in 2025. It reportedly made a loss in each of the past eight financial years since it started clinker production.


Greece: Titan Group reported sales of €2.67bn in 2025, representing a 6% like-for-like increase, supported by strong performance in Greece, Egypt and Southeast Europe, as well as positive contributions from US operations. Titan said that the year was ‘marked by heightened geopolitical uncertainty,’ including tariff pressures on cement in the US and another year of a ‘sluggish’ residential market. EBITDA rose by 9% to €606m, driven by ‘resilient’ pricing measures, volume growth in key markets and increased export activity from Egypt. Net profit reached €236m, up by 7% year-on-year. Cement sales closed the year at 18.0Mt, marking a 1% increase year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter, sales increased by 8% to €657m, while EBITDA rose slightly to €133m. Volumes grew across all core products and regions, supported by strong demand in December 2025.


Sweden: Heidelberg Materials Sweden has announced that it intends to focus its activities at the Skövde site ‘on the end product cement’ from 2027 onwards. The reason for this is reportedly a decline in cement sales, driven by continued weak construction demand in Sweden in the current economic conditions. Heidelberg Materials said that, as part of the ongoing optimisation of its European production network, it is aligning its cement portfolio towards low-carbon products, which require less clinker. Therefore, the company intends to concentrate most of its clinker production in Sweden at its larger cement plant in Slite, Gotland. Cement production in Skövde would primarily be based on clinker sourced from Slite, which supplies customers in south-western Sweden.

Heidelberg Materials is the only cement producer in Sweden. It says that around one quarter of the country’s total cement volume is produced at the company’s plant in Skövde, with the remaining three quarters supplied from Slite.


UK/US: Climate technology company Origen has completed pre-front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) for its commercial-scale zero-emission lime production facility, with engineering conducted by Hatch. The study establishes a validated cost and performance baseline for a plant producing up to 315,000t/yr of zero-emission lime, reducing investment risk ahead of detailed design and construction planning. Hatch’s analysis indicates that costs are expected to decline further at larger scales. Origen’s oxyfuel kiln technology captures 100% of process CO2 emissions directly during production, generating a pure CO2 stream without the need for post-combustion capture systems. The company said that this enables zero-emission lime production without reliance on renewable electricity.

A lifecycle assessment conducted by Hatch as part of the study found that the process can reduce emissions intensity by around 90% compared to conventional lime production, which emits over 1t of CO₂ for every 1t of lime produced. Origen also plans to deploy the technology within industrial clusters to simplify integration with existing CO2 infrastructure and customers. With pre-FEED complete, Origen is now preparing to select from several sites under evaluation and advance into front end engineering and design (FEED) prior to detailed engineering and construction.


India: JSW Cement has commenced production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan. The facility includes a 3.3Mt/yr clinker unit and a 2.5Mt/yr cement grinding unit, with an additional 1Mt/yr grinding unit under construction. Following commissioning, the company’s total cement grinding capacity has reached 24.1Mt/yr, while clinker capacity stands at 9.74Mt/yr. It was financed through a mix of equity and long-term debt, including US$85m allocated from the company’s initial public offering.

Managing director Parth Jindal said “We look forward to servicing the growing needs of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region area. I am truly excited that the company was able to commission this greenfield integrated unit within 21 months. With this commissioning, the company is firmly on track to achieve its 41.9Mt/yr capacity on or before the 2029 financial year.”

The facility includes provisions for co-processing alternative fuels and features a 7km overland belt conveyor to transport limestone. A 16MW waste heat recovery system is also planned to improve energy efficiency.


India: JK Cement has increased cement grinding capacity at its Muddapur plant in Karnataka by 1Mt/yr, raising the unit’s total capacity to 4.5Mt/yr from 3.5Mt/yr. The expansion was achieved through debottlenecking and optimisation of the existing production system. The plant’s clinker capacity remains at 2.64Mt/yr. JK Cement’s total grey cement production capacity has now reached 32.3Mt/yr.


China: KHD Humboldt Wedag has commissioned a Pyrorotor alternative fuels (AF) system on a 5000t/day production line at Conch Group’s Baoshan cement plant in Yunnan Province. The project marks the second installation of the technology in China. During commissioning, the system processed high-moisture biomass and a mix of municipal waste, achieving a feed rate of 18t/hr while maintaining kiln stability. No material build-up at the kiln inlet was recorded, and the unit operated at higher rotational speeds to adapt to challenging fuel conditions.

KHD’s commissioning supervisor A Timuçin Tuzcuoğlu said “The Pyrorotor unit handled the adverse fuel conditions without a problem,” adding that further improvements could be achieved with higher-quality fuels.

Following commissioning, the plant plans to test additional biomass feedstocks, expand AF preparation capacity and explore the use of externally-sourced AF. It also intends to showcase the installation to officials from other plants within Conch Group.


Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos reported net profit of US$609m in 2025, up by 196% year-on-year, supported by higher sales volumes, pricing and increased revenues from new businesses. Global net revenues reached US$5.6bn, rising by 9% on a comparable basis, while cement sales volumes increased by 5% to 37.0Mt. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was US$1.3bn, up by 7%.

The company invested US$705m during the year, a 14% increase, aligned with its strategy focused on decarbonisation, competitiveness and expansion. Of its US$952m investment plan for Brazil between 2024 and 2028, US$514m is already being deployed. Operationally, Votorantim Cimentos advanced its alternative fuels strategy, including the installation of a bypass system at its Salto de Pirapora plant and the expansion of its Verdera waste management business. In Spain, the Toral de los Vados plant achieved an alternative fuel substitution rate of 80% for one month after investing in a new precalciner. The company reported net CO2 emissions of 552kg/t of cementitious material, unchanged from 2024, but representing a reduction of 28% compared to 1990 levels. It also began operations, reportedly before schedule, at the Paracatu solar farm. The facility supplies around 100MW of renewable energy from 770,000 solar panels across 700 hectares.

Regionally, the company reported US$2.7bn in revenues in Brazil for 2025, up by 13%. It said that North America presented a ‘challenging environment marked by political and economic uncertainty and volatility,’ but still recorded revenues of US$1.6bn, up by 4% compared to 2024. Revenues in Europe and Asia reached US$857m, up by 8%, with EBITDA rising by 29%. Votorantim said that Bolivia and Uruguay’s economies experienced a slowdown, but its Latin American revenues still increased by 25% and EBITDA rose by 56%.

“Votorantim Cimentos had another year of solid operational and financial performance, with consistent and consecutive growth. This performance reflects the strength of our portfolio, our geographic diversification and a solid capital structure to support our growth strategy,” said Osvaldo Ayres, global CEO of Votorantim Cimentos.


Germany: Cool Planet Technologies has begun to assemble its 10,000t/yr carbon capture facility at Holcim’s Höver cement plant, with all major equipment now delivered to the site.

The company is installing and connecting prefabricated modules, with assembly expected to be completed in April 2026. Capture operations are scheduled to begin in mid-2026, followed by a 12-month demonstration programme.

The plant uses a modular membrane-based carbon capture system, with process modules fabricated and assembled by Blackrow Engineering in the UK and transported to Höver for final assembly. This will be integrated with other equipment manufactured across Europe. Blackrow Engineering is assisting with on-site assembly.

Cool Planet Technologies’ CEO Andrew Corner said “We are excited to be in the final stages of building our plant at Höver and we look forward to seeing this ground-breaking plant operational in the coming months. This will mark a major milestone in the industrial deployment of our technology and positions Cool Planet at the forefront of lower cost, scalable industrial carbon capture solutions.”


Georgia: Kartuli Cement, which produces cement and concrete under the ‘Hunnewell Cement’ brand, has submitted plans to expand its Kaspi cement plant. According to Prime News, an environmental impact assessment has been submitted to expand the plant’s clinker production line. The proposed new line will raise clinker output by 1200t/day, or 378,000t/yr, bringing total annual production capacity to 1.86Mt/yr. The project is intended to meet growing domestic demand and reduce dependence on imported clinker from neighbouring countries.

The plant will reportedly primarily use coal as fuel, supplemented by used tyres and natural gas, while new filtration systems will be installed at 21 emission points to reduce dust. A closed-cycle water system will also be implemented to avoid discharge into surface waters.

The company reported revenues of US$210m in 2024 and net profit of US$60m, both of which are nearly double that of the previous year.


Senegal: Cement production increased by 3% month-on-month in November 2025, according to the National Agency for Statistics and Demography. The agency said that the growth reflects positive trends in both exports and domestic sales, with exports rising by 5% and local sales increasing by 1% compared to October 2025. On a year-on-year basis, cement production grew by 11%, supported by strong export performance, which increased by 52%. Domestic sales also rose by 8% compared to November 2024.