Global Cement News

India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of a 12.55% stake in JSW Cement Ltd by Singapore-based AP Asia Opportunistic Holdings Pte Ltd under the green channel route on 19 August 2021. Green channel is an automatic approval system, whereby a combination is deemed to have been approved by the CCI upon receiving the filing of the notice for the combination by the parties concerned.

The CCI stated that there were no overlaps between the parties to the proposed transaction and therefore it does not raise any risk of an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India, according to a notice filed with the regulator.

Mexico: Cemex has announced that it will join forces with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and Tecnológico de Monterrey (TEM) to promote Research and Development projects focused on ‘solving the company's current needs to offer more value to its customers, suppliers and stakeholders.’ Cemex has joined the Consortium for Research, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship UNAM - TEC through the signing of a ‘’ memorandum of understanding’ that took place on 19 August 2021.

"Cemex recognises the value and capacity of UNAM and TEM for the development of research,” said Ricardo Naya, President of Cemex Mexico. “We are convinced that by joining the Consortium we are taking an important step towards solving the real and current challenges we face as a company. This alliance will help us accelerate our innovation projects, such as the Future in Action program, with which we seek to achieve carbon neutrality, among many other projects that we hope to promote with both academic institutions.”

India: Authorities in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, have closed an unauthorised cement plant in connection with a crackdown on illegal production facilities in the state. The unit, reported to have been in operation for several years, was closed following a tip-off.

The investigating team confiscated more than 500 bags of adulterated cement bearing familiar brand logos, including Ambuja Cement, ACC, Birla and UltraTech Cement. In addition to mixing cement with inert materials, the authorities believe that the unit engaged in the re-sale of cement that had expired and thus could not be guaranteed to reach its designated strength in use.

Fake cement, produced by mixing genuine cement with cheaper inert materials like marble dust and artificial pigments before repacking and selling to an unsuspecting public, presents a major and growing risk to consumers of cement in India.

Romania: The Competition Council (CC) in Romania is analysing the deal involving the purchase of Euroagregate by Romcim, part of Irish building materials producer CRH. Romcim owns two cement plants in Hoghiz and Medgidia, a grinding plant in Targu-Jiu, as well as a network of quarries, cement and ballast terminals, aggregate warehouses, and precast goods production units.

India: UltraTech Cement, has announced plans to invest US$875m on a growth plan to increase its overall cement capacity by 19.8Mt/yr across the 2022 and 2023 financial years. Upon completion of the expansions, the company reports that its capacity would rise to 136.3Mt/yr, ‘reinforcing its position as the third-largest cement company in the world outside of China.’

Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said that the company recorded net revenues of US$6.0bn in the 2021 financial year, adding that the stage was set for rapid growth in the Indian cement sector. Birla said, “The fiscal stance clearly seems to be poised for an acceleration of government capital expenditure in the coming years, especially with the national infrastructure pipeline projects,” Birla said. “The three factors of cyclical upswing, conducive policy impulses and an improving global backdrop is likely to align themselves to position India for a virtuous cycle of growth and investments in the medium-term.”