India: Adani Group is rumoured to have entered negotiations to extend the repayment duration of its US$4bn loan for the acquisition of Holcim's Indian business. The group secured the funds in August 2022. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the group is seeking to extend the duration of its repayments from 18 months to at least five years. It is reportedly also seeking a similar extension for a parallel US$1bn mezzanine loan tranche.

Adani Group described the rumour as 'incorrect.'

US: Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Mason City Cement plans to invest US$4 - 5m in upgrades to its kiln line by 2026. Upon completion, the work will enable the plant to achieve an alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate of 50%.

Heidelberg Materials' North America regional vice president of government affairs and communications David Perkins said "We want to be proactive as a company and really try to lower our carbon footprint and energy intensity, while recognising we have to be competitive." He added "We're a long-term industry on the cement side because of the investment that's required to produce it."

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has advanced its diversification strategy with the acquisition of coatings company Quitam. Quitam produces the Quimexur range of paints and liquid membranes. Holcim Argentina said that the range will join its GacoFlex Technoprotect waterproofing and roofing offering.

Holcim Argentina CEO Christian Dedeu said "This is a business opportunity strongly aligned with Holcim's growth strategy in Argentina, allowing us to expand our portfolio of solutions and products for construction, taking advantage of our channel of distributors and the over 450 points of sale of our Disensa retail network." Dedeu added "This agreement helps us to consolidate our 2025 strategy, with a focus on integral solutions to reinforce our leadership and continue to support the development of the construction sector.”

Paint and membranes currently constitute 11% of the Argentinian building products market.

India: Ambuja Cements' parent company Adani Group says that the cement producer aims to more than double its sales to US$8.5bn in 2028. Ambuja Cements currently expects to record sales of US$3.61bn in 2023. It is targeting an earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin of 25% in 2028. Its EBITDA margin averaged 19% in the period from 2020 to 2022.

Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that Ambuja Cements' internal accruals are sufficient to fund US$5.58bn in capital expenditure (CAPEX) over the same period, according to the company. It says that it plans to double its capacity through CAPEX investments before 2028.