Global Cement News

Japan: Sumitomo Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Fortera to conduct a feasibility study to build a low-carbon cement plant. The project will be run with subsidiary Sumitomo Osaka Cement. The aim is to then build a pilot plant in Japan by the 2026 financial year. Sumitomo Corporation is also considering expanding the business model developed in Japan to other parts of Asia.

Tajikistan: The Ministry of Industry and New Technologies has blamed falling cement production in Tajikistan on growth in production in neighbouring Uzbekistan. It also noted rising output in Afghanistan, according to Asia-Plus. Local production fell by 2% year-on-year to 4.35Mt in 2024 from 4.46Mt in 2023. Ministry data shows that exports of cement from Tajikistan dropped by 30% to 0.29Mt from 0.66Mt. In November 2024 Uzbekistan sharply increased customs clearance fees on Tajik cement to US$300/t from US$35/t.

Italy: Federbeton, the Italian cement association, has expressed alarm that the high price of gas is adding €80m/yr to the cost of cement production. Nicola Zampella, the general manager of Federbeton, called for an ‘urgent’ change to the national energy system to make it more equitable, sustainable and competitive, according to Adnkronos. He recommended energy diversification, further encouraging the use of alternative fuels, simplifying regulations, making investing and supporting sustainable technologies easier and adding incentives to use carbon capture and storage.

India: JK Lakshmi Cement’s net sales fell by 15% year-on-year to US$453m in the nine months to 31 December 2024 from US$534m in the same period in 2023. Its sales volumes of cement dropped by 9% to 6.44Mt from 7.06Mt. Its profit after tax decreased to US$25.6m from US$32.2m.

US: Summit Materials says that it has obtained the stockholder approval required for its proposed acquisition by Quikrete. The transaction is expected to close within the first quarter of 2025, subject to any remaining customary conditions. Once complete, Summit Materials will become a privately-held subsidiary of Quikrete.

Quikrete entered into a definitive agreement to buy Summit Materials for a total enterprise value of US$11.5bn in November 2024. The deal will add Summit Materials’ aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete business to Quikrete’s concrete and cement-based products business to create a vertically integrated business in North America.