Portugal: Cimpor has signed a 10-year extendable contract with Vodafone Portugal for private ‘pure’ 5G network installations at its plants, starting with the Alhandra plant and soon expanding to Souselas and Loulé. This network will aim to improve data management and operational efficiencies across Cimpor's cement business and eventual expansion to other sectors. Technology partners include Germany-based SAP and Sweden-based Ericsson.

Cimpor's chief technology officer Berkan Fidan said that the company felt the need to make this investment because the cement industry is data-intensive, and the collection of available data is a challenge due to the physical and operational conditions at the plants.

This partnership makes it possible to obtain precise quality reviews of the cement manufactured at the plants without having to wait 28 days. It also gives total visibility of the plant, making emission forecasts and maintenance easier. The deal involves around 10,000 sensors in 19 plants globally, 50 antennas, drones to measure stock levels and thermal cameras with real-time monitoring capabilities. The long-term strategy with Vodafone also involves the use of smart glasses with video streaming functionalities inside the plants. Fidan explained that the plants have some connectivity challenges, which is why the company is investing heavily in the mobile network.

India: Cement demand in India is projected to increase by 7 - 8% to approximately 475Mt in the 2025 financial year, down from a compound annual growth rate of about 11% between financial year (FY) 2022 and FY 2024, according to a report by CRISIL Ratings. The company analysed 18 cement producers, which account for over 85% of domestic sales volume. The forecast follows a 3% growth in demand during the first half of FY 2024, affected by an extended heatwave and a labour shortage during the general elections, the Financial Express has reported.

Director of research at CRISIL Market Intelligence and Analytics, Sehul Bhatt, said "Cement demand is expected to rebound in the second half of the 2024 financial year, as construction activity gathers pace across infrastructure and housing segments post-monsoon. Healthy monsoon, improved labour availability after the festive season, and an increase in government spending on infrastructure and housing should drive demand up 9 – 11% in the second half of the year, taking the annual growth tally to 7 – 8%."

Canada: Sustainable materials startup EnviCore has raised US$3m in its seed funding round led by CSN Inova Ventures (the corporate venture capital arm of Brazil’s Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional), Heidelberg Materials and others. The funding will scale up Envicore’s production of low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), like mining tailings, slag, shale and glass. The company’s technology reportedly reduces the carbon footprint of cement production by up to 30%, using recycled mineral feedstock, with the SCMs replacing up to 35% of Portland cement in concrete. Proceeds will expand EnviCore's production capacity and support new business development, operations and research and development efforts. Heidelberg Materials, together with EnviCore, will conduct a feasibility study for a pilot SCM production facility close to one of Heidelberg Materials’ recycling hubs.

CEO and co-founder Shahrukh Shamim said "This investment marks a pivotal moment in our journey to commercialise a game-changing technology in the cement industry. The support from CSN, Heidelberg Materials and other investors will allow us to scale up quickly and meet the growing demand for greener building solutions."

Philippines: Holcim Philippines and Universal Robina Corporation (URC) have entered a tripartite agreement with the local government of Obando, Bulacan, to provide incentives for workers at the town's material recovery facility, based on the volume of refuse diverted. The material recovery facility in Obando has collected and sorted 785t of plastic waste for co-processing. Since 2021, URC and Holcim's waste management unit Geocycle has been processing plastic from URC's operations for co-processing. The plastics are converted into alternative fuels used to power the kiln at Holcim’s plant in Misamis Oriental.

Irwin Lee, URC president and CEO, said "This new agreement, with Obando as a key partner, aims to further drive community-based ‘waste’ diversion efforts. We hope to replicate it in other towns and cities to amplify the impact of what we set out to do three years ago."