India: ACC has received a renewed licence for its Rajasthan limestone mine, allowing it to increase its extraction of limestone there to 1.5Mt/yr. Local press has reported that the mine presently produces 1Mt/yr of limestone for use at the company’s 1.5Mt/yr Lakheri cement plant in Bundi District.

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.”

Bolivia: Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (SOBOCE) has successfully completed and launched its new brand redesign. The Periódico La Patria newspaper has reported that the company’s new logo comprises two circles forming an S, a ‘harmonious image’ which also implies the infinity symbol. The colour palette is green, because of its association with sustainability.

SOBOCE chief executive officer, Francisco Shwortshik said "SOBOCE has accumulated almost a century of history, in which time it has contributed significantly to the construction of this country, from its monumental works to the homes in which families have invested their dreams. But it also represents the future, a future marked by innovation and sustainability, and we wanted all this to be reflected in our new corporate image.”

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.”