US: US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District Ryan Mackenzie has written to President Donald Trump to request an executive order to designate cement as a Critical National Security Material. This would prioritise domestically produced cement in federal procurement and require agencies to review regulations hindering domestic production, including restrictions on alternative fuel (AF) use.

Mackenzie’s district includes the cement-producing Lehigh Valley metropolitan region, where Amrize, Heidelberg Materials and Titan all operate plants. Meanwhile, supplier Fuller Technologies is also headquartered there, following a June 2025 acquisition by Pacific Avenue Capital. Local press has reported that producers face a ‘drag’ on residential and commercial construction due to high interest rates, partly offset by data centres and warehouse construction activity.

Heidelberg Materials North America senior vice president for sustainability and public affairs David Perkins said "Over the last several years, it has become increasingly difficult to expand and to add additional production capacity in the US. Permitting has been a significant inhibitor for additional capacity investment.” Perkins added “We are looking at this year with some caution, but there are some glimmers of optimism. There's so much volatility on the political front that it's very difficult to see what that's going to look like."

Chile: Peru-based producer UNACEM’s Chilean subsidiary has signed an agreement with Cementos Transex to produce cement at a plant in Puente Alto, according to Gestion newspaper. The company said in a notice to the Superintendency of the Securities Market that the agreement will enable it to ‘achieve greater logistical efficiencies’ using the installed capacity of the plant in Puente Alto. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Unacem recently highlighted the company’s performance in Chile, which increased its revenue by 27% to US$24m in the fourth quarter of 2025. It began operations in Chile in 2018.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has upgraded its compressed air system at its Gboko plant in Benue State with the installation of eight Kaeser rotary lobe blower units by JMG Industrial. The upgrade followed a comprehensive system audit and airflow analysis by the supplier, according to the Daily Independent newspaper. The improvements reportedly increased airflow efficiency by approximately 23%, with peak airflow capacity rising by nearly 47% compared to the previous system.

Plant engineer Natu David said “The performance improvement we achieved with the new Kaeser blower system has significantly enhanced airflow stability across our production lines. We have seen measurable gains in efficiency and reliability. JMG Industrial demonstrated strong engineering capability from system evaluation through full commissioning.”

Americas: Geocycle is reportedly planning to invest US$125m in Latin America by 2030 to expand co-processing capacity, according to local press. It said that it had processed 12.6Mt of waste worldwide in 2025, converting it into alternative fuel for use in cement production across its operating countries. The company said the waste helped to reduce its reliance on conventional fuels and raw materials, and that it had reduced CO₂ emissions by 1.10Mt during the year. It said that 30% of Holcim’s thermal energy demand in Latin America had been met through co-processing.

Head of Geocycle Latin America Luis Rivas said “Reaching the milestone of 1Mt of managed waste is not just an operational achievement, it is proof that in Latin America we are leading a true circular revolution. With this installed capacity, we are not only solving a critical waste problem for cities and industry, but we are also accelerating the decarbonisation of our sector.”