Global Cement News

Zimbabwe: Khayah Cement has begun corporate rescue proceedings with appointed supervisor Grant Thornton (Zimbabwe). The Sunday News has reported that the company is in financial trouble following equipment failures affecting its vertical roller mill. Grant Thornton (Zimbabwe) has called a meeting of Khayah Cement’s stakeholders and creditors in Harare on 19 February 2025. The rescue process aims to remove the need for liquidation.

Khayah Cement switched over from integrated to grinding-only production in 2023.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) has forecast a 5% year-on-year rise in its full-year revenues due to economic revival and the government’s current stimulus package. President and CEO Thammasak Sethaudom said that increased customer purchasing power in Vietnam will raise SCG’s local cement and building material sales

SCG’s additional focuses will be on entering the Australia and North America markets and developing its high value-added products segment.

Germany: The Carbon Management Allianz (CMA), an association of emissions-intensive industrial producers in Germany, including cement companies, has urged lawmakers to legislate a framework for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in the country.

Energie & Management News has reported that CMA Chair Alexandra Decker said “Delays jeopardise investments. Regulatory clarity is urgently needed to scale these technologies and achieve the cement industry’s decarbonisation goal by 2039.”

Germany is due to elect a new parliament and government on 23 February 2025.

Vietnam: The general director of Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), Nguyen Thanh Tung, says that Vietnam will suffer continued cement overcapacity amid high production costs in 2025. Full-year production is forecast at 125Mt, 96% greater than an expected domestic demand of 63.5Mt. Việt Nam News has reported that Vietnam’s cement exports face an on-going investigation in Taiwan, and are already subject to anti-dumping duties in the Philippines.

VICEM aims to raise its domestic clinker sales volumes by 8% year-on-year to 18Mt, in order to generate sales of US$1.16bn. To this end, Tung urged the government to adopt cement reinforcement in roadbuilding, as well as lifting the export tax on cement.

US: Eagle Materials raised its sales in the first nine months of 2024, by under 1%, to US$1.79bn. Its profit also grew by under 1%, to US$569m. However, sales by its Heavy Materials Sector, which includes its cement, concrete and aggregates businesses, declined by 4% to US$352m. Cement revenue for the quarter was also down by 4% to US$295m, reflecting lower cement sales volume and increase in cement maintenance costs due to the planned outages at the company’s Oklahoma and Texas cement plants during the quarter. Cement sales volumes decreased by 7% to 1.7Mt.

President and CEO Michael Haack praised the company’s overall growth in the face of ‘ongoing adverse weather’ in the Midwest and Great Plains markets, which reportedly affected sales volume of the company’s cement business. He said “While the path to lower interest rates and improved home-buying affordability is less certain today, we remain optimistic about our businesses and our ability to execute on the opportunities in front of us. On the cement side, spending from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is still in the beginning phases, which should support multiple years of strong cement demand.”