Global Cement News

France: Cemex France has inaugurated a multi-service green building materials outlet and recycling centre at Genevilliers in Paris, Île-de-France. The company says that the facility will stock its reduced-CO₂ Vertua concrete range. It will also receive construction waste, excavated earth and rubble for use in concrete production or resale as aggregates. The company will offer complete traceability of waste received, and non-recyclable waste will be used in quarry restoration.

France North director of materials Alain Plantier said, "Developing construction in high-growth urban locations requires circular economy solutions which mitigate climate change and save natural resources while improving the wellbeing of inhabitants." He added “Cemex is uniquely positioned to provide integrated solutions for building and maintaining more sustainable and resilient cities, and this new site demonstrates this perfectly. Clients in Paris need low-carbon construction solutions which perform throughout their life cycle. Working together with our clients, this site will help to reduce the carbon footprint of new projects in line with Cemex’s Future In Action strategy – committed to net zero CO₂.”

Germany: Aumund has taken over all customer support services for KoWey conveyors and bucket elevators. The company assured customers that it would be there ‘anytime, worldwide’ to provide services, spare parts, conversions or support for their KoWey products.

UK: Archaeologists have completed the excavation of a 52-grave cemetery dated to 3rd century Roman Britain at Ireland-based CRH subsidiary Tarmac’s Knobb’s Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire. The company said that the find is remarkable for its high proportion of decapitated bodies (33%), indicating the proximity of an execution site. The graveyard is situated near a settlement on a peninsula in the Fens wetland area. The settlement itself is lost to the quarrying activities of the previous owner.

India: JK Cement has targeted a 10% year-on-year sales growth in its 2022 financial year, which ends on 31 March 2022. The Economic Times has reported that the company foresees sales growth due to the on-going government infrastructure investment push, minimal monsoon disruptions and pent-up cement demand following Covid-19-led disruptions. Cement chief operating officer Rajnish Kapur said that growth momentum from the end of the 2021 financial year will likely continue throughout the coming nine months, despite a Covid-19 led sales drop in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year.

The cement producer also expects that its new cement plant project at Panna in Madhya Pradesh is likely to be completed in the 2023 financial year due to Covid-19 related delays. The plant will bring its total cement production capacity to around 20Mt/yr from nearly 15Mt/yr at present once it is finished. The company is also considering acquisitions to further increase its capacity to 25Mt/yr by the mid-2020s.

India: The Kerala state government aims to establish 25% state ownership of the cement industry locally. The New Indian Express newspaper has reported that the policy aims to control rising cement prices. The government said that state-owned Malabar Cements and Travancore Cements will increase their cement production. The former has already lowered its cement prices, according to the administration.