Global Cement News

France: Cemex’s venture capital unit Cemex Ventures has invested in construction value chain CO₂ emissions monitoring software developer Vizcab. Vizcab aims to help enable built environments to conform to stricter environmental regulations.

Head of Cemex Ventures Gonzalo Galindo said “Vizcab's exhaustive solution enables cooperation between different stakeholders to manage carbon strategies throughout a project's lifecycle, a critical challenge in our complex and interconnected industry. This solution also implements the use of building materials with sustainable attributes, such as Cemex's Vertua portfolio of products.”

US: Ireland-based CRH has concluded a deal for the acquisition of Martin Marietta Materials’ South Texas business. This includes the 2.1Mt/yr Hunter cement plant, a network of cement terminals on the Gulf of Mexico and 20 ready-mix concrete batching plants. The value of the transaction is US$2.1bn.

CRH chief executive officer Albert Manifold said “The acquisition of these high-quality assets further strengthens our market leading position in Texas and increases our exposure to attractive, high-growth markets. Our ability to leverage our cement expertise and technical capabilities will enable us to enhance and optimise our existing footprint in Texas, resulting in significant synergies and self-supply opportunities. This transaction reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation as well as our commitment to deliver further growth and value creation for our shareholders. We also believe there is significant potential to unlock additional growth opportunities across an expanded footprint in this attractive growth market.”

Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak has appointed China-based Sinoma Industry Engineering to provide technical consultancy services for an expansion and upgrade at its Kuching cement plant. Bernama Daily Malaysian News has reported that Sinoma Industry Engineering will help the producer to upgrade the plant’s 1Mt/yr Line 1 and build its planned 1.9Mt/yr Line 2.

Ireland: CRH reported consolidated sales of US$26.3bn during the first nine months of 2023, up by 8% year-on-year from nine-month 2022 levels. The group also grew its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) during the period, by 14% to US$4.8bn. CRH noted ‘positive’ underlying demand across its key markets and continued progress along its commercial strategy.

Chief executive officer Albert Manifold said ‘‘I am pleased to report another strong performance for our business. Our integrated solutions strategy continues to deliver superior growth, while our strong cash generation and disciplined approach to capital allocation enables us to create additional value for our shareholders.” He added “Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, we are raising our guidance and expect to deliver full-year EBITDA of approximately US$6.3bn.”

Egypt: Arabian Cement Company has hired consultancy A³&Co. to help develop a decarbonisation roadmap for its 5Mt/yr Sokhna cement plant. The roadmap will include the implementation of an integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) business model, Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-verified targets, carbon market trading and EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) registration. Arabian Cement Company will execute projects to achieve its goals via a strategic partnership with A³&Co and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Arabian Cement Company CEO Sergio Alcantarilla said “We are excited about this partnership with EBRD and A³&Co., which showcases our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable development. By embracing cutting-edge solutions and adopting greener processes, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but also setting new benchmarks for the industry.”

A³&Co. CEO Amr Nader said “Through our collective expertise, we are confident that we can drive meaningful progress towards decarbonisation and the production of green cement, setting a precedent for responsible business practices in the region. The renewed cooperation between Arabian cement and A³&Co. is an additional milestone in our successful collaboration over the past two years. A³&Co. will also develop a Climate Corporate Governance (CCG) framework for Arabian Cement Company, which is the cornerstone for a fully-functioning ESG system in line with international norms.”