Global Cement News

US: Buzzi Unicem has blamed a late tax payment in Pennsylvania on an accounting error. The cement company made the US$18m payment five months late, in May 2024, according to the Express Times newspaper.  The issue was highlighted by a lien filed in December 2023 in Northampton county civil court. Stockertown cement plant manager Rad Slavov clarified that the payment was timely but misallocated. He said "The company is financially strong and able to meet its obligations.”

Morocco: Heidelberg Materials has signed a strategic agreement to acquire Votorantim Cimentos' assets in Morocco, including a 63% share in cement and ready-mix concrete producer Asment de Témara and the entire stake in aggregates supplier Grabemaro through its subsidiary Ciments du Maroc. This acquisition positions Ciments du Maroc to expand its operations in Northern Morocco, adding a cement plant with a production capacity of 1.4Mt/yr, two aggregates sites and eight ready-mix concrete plants. The acquisition includes access to an alternative fuels platform enhancing the fuel rate at the newly acquired cement plant to 70% by 2027, reportedly contributing to reduced environmental impact and optimised production-related energy costs. The completion of the transaction awaits regulatory approval from Moroccan competition authorities, and financial details remain undisclosed.

Chair of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials Dominik von Achten said "Our latest investment marks an important step as part of our ongoing portfolio optimisation to strengthen our core markets. Expanding our presence in the attractive Moroccan market while increasing our use of alternative fuels will generate substantial financial synergies and thus help us accelerate our ambitious decarbonisation efforts throughout our sites in the country and grow our local offering of sustainable solutions."

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has announced its financial results for the first half of 2024, showing a marked improvement with revenue reaching €3.3m, a 95.7% year-on-year increase from 2023. Despite a net loss of €5.2m, the company's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) improved significantly, increasing by €0.6m year-on-year. The company’s cement sales were up 6.7% year-on-year to 7833t. The outlook for the remaining period of 2024 is a breakeven EBITDA and sales of €130m.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "The first half of 2024 was marked by Hoffmann Green's ongoing business development, highlighted by the signing of significant new partnerships with industry leaders. In response to the ongoing slowdown in France's new housing construction sector, the company has diversified its focus toward high-value markets, including renewable energy, waste treatment and B2C retail. The doubling of our revenue, coupled with tight cost control, has led to a significant improvement in EBITDA, which is on track to reach breakeven in 2024. In light of these strong commercial and financial achievements, we reaffirm all of our short- and medium-term financial guidance."

Egypt: A new waste heat recovery system has been inaugurated at Heidelberg Materials Egypt's Helwan Cement plant. The US$30m system is expected to produce 18MW of energy, equating to a saving of 40,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited (LHBL) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group. The agreement focuses on the sustainable disposal of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable materials from PRAN-RFL's food products at LafargeHolcim's Chhatak cement plant in Sunamganj.

Corporate finance director Uzma Chowdhury noted its operation of three recycling plants capable of processing 40,000t/yr of discarded materials. He said "Some materials cannot be recycled. These often mix with soil and water, causing significant environmental harm. This is why we are partnering with LafargeHolcim to ensure that non-recyclable materials are managed in an effective and environmentally friendly manner. Now, non-biodegradable and non-recyclable food products produced by Pran-RFL Group will be managed in a sustainable manner at the LafargeHolcim plant."

CEO of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury said "LafargeHolcim has been working for a zero waste future though its Geocycle wing. Our Chhatak plant is the only integrated cement plant in Bangladesh that produces clinker. This enables us to manage different kinds of ‘waste’ sustainably."