Armenia: Employees of Armenia's Ararat Cement plant staged a protest on 9 July 2026 after the facility remained sealed by investigators, leaving hundreds of workers unable to return to their jobs, according to Panorama news. The demonstration comes after law enforcement officers carried out searches on 6 July 2026 at the residence of businessman and leader of the Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan. Investigators sealed the cement plant as part of the investigation. Company director Artyom Poghosyan said that authorities have provided no timeline for lifting the restrictions, despite the company's requests to resume production.

"They apparently came to carry out an order, sealed the plant and left," Poghosyan told local press. "We asked them what we were supposed to do next, but no one could give us an answer. We've contacted the Investigative Committee and asked them to remove the seals so we can get back to work and people can earn a living, but we still haven't received a response."

Poghosyan also alleged that investigators exceeded the scope of the legal authorisation presented during the searches.

"We told investigators that their actions were unlawful and beyond the authority granted in their warrant," he said. "Their response was, 'We're doing our job. If you disagree, file a complaint elsewhere.'"

The protesting workers said that the prolonged closure has left them worried about missing paycheques and falling behind on loan repayments and other financial obligations.

"The factory is what puts food on our tables," one employee said. "Now a single official has jeopardised the livelihoods of all these people. Who is going to protect our rights?"

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales volumes increased by 9% year-on-year in June 2026 and 5% month-on-month to 4.39Mt, reflecting a recovery from the decline in May 2026, according to Al Rajhi capital. Sales volumes in the second quarter of 2026 remained broadly stable year-on-year and were up by 3% quarter-on-quarter. Yamama Cement continues to maintain dominant market share. Clinker inventory rose by 0.1% month-on-month to 44.8Mt. Inventory levels increased in the Central, Eastern and Western regions in the first half of 2026.

Switzerland: Swiss cement plants slightly increased their deliveries in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest report by the cement industry association Cemsuisse. They supplied 1Mt of cement to the domestic market (including Liechtenstein) between April 2026 and the end of June 2026, 1% more than the previous quarter. For the first six months of 2026, deliveries reached approximately 1.8Mt, up by 0.7% year-on-year. The share of CEM II and III cements reached a new record of 98.7%, with ordinary Portland cement accounting for just 1.3%. The association said it was ‘observing with concern’ the transport sector, where the share of deliveries by rail continues to decline. Rail transported 32.6% of deliveries, compared to 34.6% in the same period of 2025. It attributed this to the ‘persistently difficult’ conditions in the transport sector and the ‘constant deterioration’ of the price-quality ratio offered to the Swiss cement industry.

Venezuela: In the wake of the earthquakes that hit Venezuela on 24 June 2026, the cement industry has warned that the cement produced in the country is not suitable for rebuilding homes, according to El Nacional newspaper. Faced with a proposed reconstruction plan designed by the government, citizens of La Guaira are urging the authorities to use ‘high-quality materials’ to ensure safe structures and prevent another disaster. Orlando Chirinos, president of the United Federation of Cement Workers of Venezuela, explained that warnings were issued eight years ago about the risks of building with CPCA 1 blended cement, saying that it’s a cement for ‘refractory work, plastering, and flooring,’ and is not suitable for large-scale construction.

“A reconstruction phase is coming, and we Venezuelans must build with quality materials, with quality cement; the necessary corrective measures must be taken to resume production of Type 1 cement,” he said.

Only 1Mt/yr of cement is produced from a production capacity of 9Mt/yr. Data provided by Chirinos reveals that the country’s cement processing plants operate intermittently. The Lara plant in Barquisimeto is only operating with one of its three installed kilns, for example. Chirinos said that this situation is replicated at all cement plants across the country, leading to a drop in production and a final product that does not meet quality standards. Many of the hundreds of buildings that collapsed in regions such as La Guaira were built by the government through the Great Venezuela Housing Mission.