Global Cement News

Bangladesh: Bengal Cement has appointed Khandker Ataur Rahman Rifat as its chief operating officer. He has been working as the Group Chief Marketing Officer for Metrocem Group since 2019, according to the Business Standard newspaper. Prior to this Rifat, held roles with Hyundai Cement, Cemex, Meghna Group, LafargeHolcim Bangladesh and Aman Cement dating back to the mid-1990s. He holds a PhD in social science and business and a master of business administration qualification from the University of Dhaka.

Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement (TCL) has appointed Gonzalo Rueda Castillo as its General Manager and Roberto Adrian Villarreal Villarreal as its Group Strategic Planning Manager.

Rueda succeeds Guillermo Rojo de Diego as General Manager. As part of the role, Rueda will also oversee the operations of TCL’s business units in Trinidad, Barbados and Guyana. Rueda has over 25 years professional experience, and most recently held the position of Vice President – Commercial at Cemex Colombia.

Villarreal will replace Gustavo Alejandro Ruiz Silva as Group Strategic Planning Manager. Ruiz will take up another position within the Cemex Group. Villarreal has been domiciled in the Caribbean for approximately 10 years, and most recently held the position of General Manager with responsibility for the operations of TCL’s business units in Barbados and Guyana, namely, Arawak Cement Company Limited and TCL Guyana.

Saudi Arabia: Al Qura Cement has appointed Abdullah Abdulaziz Suleiman Alabdulatif as its chair. Saud Mahamed Ali Al Sabhan has been appointed as the Vice Chair. Both positions started in early July 2024 and will last until early July 2027.

US: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed a licensing agreement with Hoffmann Green USA. The company will receive a first entry fee of €2m and annual royalties based on sales generated by the commercialisation of Hoffmann cements. The contract also gives the option of sub-licensing Hoffmann units in the US. It also includes the option, until 2025, to extend the license nationwide by 2025 for €20m.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "The signing of this key licensing agreement in the US is the concrete result of the pre-agreement announced at the end of 2023. We are delighted to join forces with two partners who share our vision of the construction sector and have both significant expertise and in-depth knowledge of the local ecosystem."

Croatia: Holcim Croatia's €237m 'KOdeCO' project has been declared a strategic investment by Croatia. This will reportedly make Holcim the first producer of carbon-neutral cement in Croatia and one of the first in Europe, according to a press release by the company.

In January 2024, Holcim Croatia began implementing the carbon capture and storage project at the cement plant in Koromačno, signing a contract with the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency and securing a grant from the EU Innovation Fund totalling €117m. The project will reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 367,000t/yr.