Germany: Heidelberg Materials has secured a patent for a new method for producing Portland composite cement (PCC) using calcined clay and recycled waste cement. GlobalData News has reported that the process involves grinding clay with quartz and feldspar and calcining the clay, before mixing it with the cement. The PCC’s cement content varies from 30% to 80%, while its calcined clay content varies from 10% to 70%.

Vietnam/US: Several Vietnamese cement companies, including Long Son Cement, Nghi Son Cement, Vicem Ha Tien Cement, Thanh Thang Cement, and Xuan Thanh Cement, raised their exports to the US in early 2024. The reasons for the increase include an ongoing local shortage in the US, Việt Nam News has reported.

In 2023, Vicem Ha Tien Cement and Nghi Son Cement made their first shipments of cement to the US, averaging 40,000t per shipment. Vietnam's cement industry, with a production capacity of 120Mt/yr, is experiencing a surplus of 60Mt. To address this, producers have increased their exports, with the majority of sales going to China, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Taiwan and some Middle Eastern countries.

Mexico: Cemex has launched a new process called clinker micronisation, developed at its Research and Development Center in Switzerland. The method enables cement producers to lower the clinker factor of their cement by up to 50%, while maintaining its strength. It also offers the additional benefit of allowing concrete users to reduce the proportion of cement in their mixes.

CEO Fernando González said “We are finding new ways to boost our decarbonisation roadmap in the production of cement and concrete. We remain committed to achieving our ambitious 2030 decarbonisation goals on the path to becoming a Net Zero company by 2050.”

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has reported a 36% year-on-year rise in its sales to US$1.44bn in 2023. Meanwhile, the producer’s profit after tax grew by 19% to US$300m. Dangote Cement’s expansion of its market share across Africa continued, with pan-African volumes growth of 13%, to 11.3Mt.