Global Cement News

Kenya/South Africa: The liquidators of Kenya-based ARM Cement have written off the company’s investment in South Africa-based Mafeking Cement due to a legal dispute with the minority shareholder. Representatives of PricewaterhoueCoopers said in an update to creditors that there was unlikely to be any residual value in Mafeking Cement as the underwriter of the mining business, Lombard insurance Company, had withdrawn its guarantee, according to the East African newspaper. The move has increased the loss by creditors in ARM Cement to around US$99m or around 66% of the total claims.

ARM Cement was put in liquidation in October 2021. It owns a 70% stake in Mafeking Cement, a company that owns limestone mining rights in north-west South Africa. The remaining 30% share is owned by local communities and trusts.

UK: Carbon Re and A³&Co have signed a strategic partnership agreement to sell cement producers products to optimise production processes to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions. Carbon Re says that its Delta Zero industrial decarbonisation software product can cut fuel use by up to 10% and CO₂ emissions by up to 20% and has been piloted in cement plants in three continents. The product uses a machine learning approach to model a cement plant’s production environment and optimise processes for low CO₂ output and fuel use with no capital expenditure. A³&Co is a strategic and technical consulting company that is focused on the cement sector.

Sherif Elsayed-Ali, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Carbon Re, said "Our technology is already having a huge impact on some of the world's most energy-intensive industries. This strategic partnership with A³&Co will enable even more cement producers to benefit from the operational savings offered by AI as they tackle the challenge of cutting carbon emissions and rising fuel prices."

Italy: Buzzi Unicem recorded consolidated sales of Euro4bn in 2022, up by 16% year-on-year from 2021 levels. The producer's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 22% year-on-year to Euro288m. The earnings figure is 33% higher than Buzzi Unicem's previous full-year 2022 EBITDA forecast of Euro216m.

Buzzi Unicem said that group cement sales fell by 9.2% to 28.3Mt, and volumes contracted in Italy, Eastern Europe and the US. The producer noted logistical issues disrupting sales in the US.

Colombia: Spain-based Cemex España is offering to acquire non-Cemex-owned shares in Cemex Latam Holdings. Sentido Común News has reported that the move prefigures Cemex Latam Holdings' planned delisting from the Colombian stock exchange to become an independent company. Mexico-based Cemex will consider its divestment under the group's asset optimisation strategy. The company said that the current offer gives investors the chance to exit. It expects to conclude all transactions by 1 May 2023.

India: Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL) has won a US$124m contract for construction and demolition waste management services in Mumbai. Press Trust of India News has reported that the contract covers nine municipal subdivisions of the city and will last until 2044. AWHCL said that the contract will enable it to develop the circularity of cement and concrete within the local economy. It expects to commission 600t/day-worth of waste processing capacity by March 2023. The waste management company expects a recovery rate of 25% recyclable materials.

AWHCL chairman and managing director Jose Jacob said "This sub-segment of solid waste management provides tremendous growth opportunities given the number of infrastructure development projects underway, and the government's push to accelerate the economic growth with infrastructure being one of the important growth pillars."