Global Cement News

Switzerland: Holcim has published its financial results, with a recurring operating profit of €1.6bn for the third quarter ending September 2024. The company reported a fall in sales for the period by 3% to €6.84bn from €7.03bn in 2023, and a nine-month sales figure of €19.1bn. Holcim has also made several new acquisitions, with six companies bought during the quarter, making a total of 17 so far in 2024. Holcim's North American market, its second largest, showed ‘strong market fundamentals’, according to the company, with ongoing work on 150 infrastructure projects. The company’s cement business reported revenues of €9.9bn in the first nine months of 2024.

India: Dalmia Cement will set up a new cement plant in Madhya Pradesh with a capacity of 4Mt/yr, at a cost of US$475m. This plant will reportedly be the first in the country to operate entirely using renewable energy, according to Group Managing Director Punit Dalmia.

Canada: Climate technology company CarbonCure Technologies has announced that it has ‘saved’ over 500,000t of CO₂ across 7.5m truckloads of concrete. CarbonCure uses a technology that injects captured CO₂ into fresh concrete, which is mineralised and permanently stored, and which enables concrete producers to reduce cement usage while maintaining strength. The solution integrates into existing concrete plant operations, allowing for both environmental benefits via a reduced CO₂ footprint and cost savings through reduced cement consumption, according to the company. The company also claims that for every 1t of CO₂ that is mineralised in ready mix concrete, another 50t of CO₂ is ‘avoided’ by reducing emissions from cement adjustments.

CEO of CarbonCure Technologies Rob Niven said “This milestone reflects the strong sustainability leadership of CarbonCure’s innovative concrete producer partners. Together, we are proving that reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is not just a goal for the future — it can happen, and it is happening, today at scale.”

India: UltraTech Cement has entered a collaboration agreement with the Institute for Carbon Management (ICM) at the University of California (UCLA) to develop new technology that aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement production. The partnership will see the construction of a demonstration plant at one of UltraTech's integrated cement plants. Further details on the technology are available in Global Cement’s news story from 15 October 2024.

Mexico: Cruz Azul, owned by Cooperativa Cruz Azul, has reportedly incurred losses exceeding US$1.26bn due to the control of its cement and concrete plant in Tula, Hidalgo by a dissident group over the past four years, according to Noticias Financieras news. The company has expanded production capacity in four other plants and announced new investments in Campeche to mitigate production issues at the Tula plant. Legal director Rafael Anzures Ortiz said that the group is holding the facilities hostage, reportedly affecting over 4000 jobs. He said that the plant has the capacity to produce 35-40% of the company's total cement volumes, but no cement has been produced in the last four years, despite the salaries of more than 1000 workers at the plant being guaranteed.

Rafael Anzures Ortiz said "We have been very emphatic in requesting the state government to go to court and to seek compliance with the law so that this plant can start operating again and this entire economy can be reactivated."