Argentina: Camargo Correa Group’s auctioneer JP Morgan will receive offers from bidders for Loma Negra later in February 2024. The La Nación newspaper has reported that Loma Negra may attract a price of over US$700m. Private investors Marcelo Mindlin and Daniel Sielecki will bid together, against anticipated corporate bidders from Brazil and China. Mindlin and Sielecki are joint owners of utilities provider Transportadora Gas del Sur.

India: JK Cement Ltd has completed the acquisition of a 100% stake in Toshali Cements. The parties concluded their agreement in June 2023, at which time the value of the deal was reportedly US$19m.

Toshali Cements operates a 200,000t/yr cement plant and a 435,000t/yr grinding plant, both in Odisha.

Colombia: Cementos Argos recorded a 30% year-on-year rise in its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to US$620m in 2023. This came despite a 3% drop in the producer’s cement sales, to 15.7Mt. Its profit rose by 83% to US$74m. The producer attributed the growth to favourable price dynamics, cost efficiencies and productivity improvements.

Cementos Argos had an installed cement capacity of 24Mt/yr at the end of 2023.

US: Eagle Materials has outlined its climate change mitigation successes in its 2023 Sustainability Report. During 2023, the company increased its production of blended cement products, including Portland Limestone Cement (PLC). It commenced a major CO2 reduction study with the US Department of Energy, and established a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Team to explore new clean technologies. Eagle Materials says that it is currently working to increase the use of alternative fuels at three of its cement plants.