India: HeidelbergCement India has clarified that it is ‘unaware’ of reported discussions between its parent company Heidelberg Materials and JSW Cement over the possible transfer of the former’s Indian assets, Reuters has reported.

Heidelberg Materials owns 13.4Mt/yr-worth of cement capacity in India, of which HeidelbergCement India comprises 6.3Mt (47%).

Pakistan: Cement producers increased their sales volumes by 23% year-on-year during the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, which began on 1 July 2023. They recorded despatches of 11.9Mt during the quarter, compared to 9.62Mt during the first quarter of the previous financial year. The Express Tribune newspaper has reported that exports grew by 72% year-on-year to 1.75Mt from 1.02Mt.

Vietnam: Exports of cement and clinker from Vietnam totalled 23.9Mt during the first nine months of 2023, down by 0.4% from nine-month 2022 levels. Việt Nam News has reported that the value of the country’s cement exports dropped by 2.6% year-on-year to US$1.03bn.

Throughout 2022, Vietnam exported 31.1Mt of cement, for US$1.36bn.

India: Heidelberg Materials has entered preliminary discussions over the possible acquisition of its Indian business by JSW Cement. The business commands 13.4Mt/yr in cement production capacity, 7.1Mt/yr (53%) of it via Zuari Cement and 6.3Mt (47%) via HeidelbergCement India.

ET Now News has reported that JSW Cement made an unsolicited offer for the assets. The company aims to raise its capacity by 46% to 60Mt/yr by the end of 2028, in order to be among the top five cement producers in India.