Global Cement News

Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has appointed Qais Hussein Balas as its managing director. Other recent personnel changes at the company include the resignation of the CEO, Abdulkarim bin Mohammed Al-Nuhair, with effect at the end of his contract, on 21 August 2025. In addition, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Falih has been appointed as chair in place of Abdullah bin Oudah Al-Ghubain.

Qais Balas holds over 25 years of management experience. Previous roles include the CEO of the Al-Manaseer cement plant in Jordan, the chief financial officer of GMS Group and as a Senior Internal Auditor at Fastlink. He has also worked as the Director of Investments and Business Development at Hikma Group.

Portugal: Ailana Vilela has been appointed as Chief Supply Chain Officer at Cimpor.

Vilela holds over 25 years of experience in the mining, steel and supply chain sectors. She previously worked in procurement management roles from 2018 to 2025 for mining company Samarco in Brazil. Before this, she held procurement jobs at Brazil-based steel product manufacturers Ternium and USIMINAS from 2013 to 2018. She holds a degree in international business from the Centro Universitário Una in Betim and a master’s of business administration (MBA) qualification from Ibmec.

US: Heidelberg Materials in North America has appointed Bill Fedorka as Senior Vice President, Fly Ash, Southeast Region. He succeeds Jim Clayton, who is retiring.
Fedorka started his career working for Alstom Power in the mid-1990s in engineering roles. He then joined The SEFA Group in 2005 and worked there until 2025. He worked as the Director of Utility Relations until 2011 when he became Vice President of Operations. In 2015, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. The SEFA Group was acquired by Heidelberg Materials in 2023. Fedorka holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.

Mozambique: Moçambique Dugongo Cimentos will invest US$35m in a third cement plant in Ancuabe, Cabo Delgado province, according to local press. The plant is presumed to be a grinding facility due to the value of the investment. Project coordinator Anselmo Amurane said that the plant’s design is under development, with community consultations completed and environmental assessments pending. The start date for construction was not disclosed.

Amurane said “We hope to contribute to increasing the overall cement supply and production capacity,” adding that the project would employ 900 construction workers and 135 operational workers.

Moçambique Dugongo Cimentos is a joint venture between Mozambique-based SPI Gestão and China-based West International Holding. The plant operates two plants in the cities of Maputo and Nacala.

South Africa: Natal Portland Cement (NPC) has completed an upgrade to its kiln at the Simuma plant in Port Shepstone, increasing cement production capacity from 1.5Mt/yr to 2.8Mt/yr, according to Freight News. Since China-based Huaxin Group acquired NPC in December 2023, it has committed US$56m to drive expansion.

Huaxin Group president Li Yeqing said “The Simuma expansion is a testament to Huaxin’s commitment to strengthen and grow the NPC brand in South Africa. The investment in the latest and most modern technology will help NPC increase its production capacity and grow its market share.”

NPC operates three cement plants, a limestone quarry, two aggregate mines and six ready-mix concrete operations across Durban, Port Shepstone and Newcastle.