France: Switzerland-based Holcim has taken control of Carbocia, a producer of limestone fillers based at the Marquise quarry basin in Hauts-de-France, via the acquisition of a 90% stake in the company. The acquisition provides the group with greater access to raw materials used in the manufacture of low and / or zero-CO₂ cements and concretes.

"Micronised calcium carbonates make it possible to give compactness and resistance, in addition to reducing the share of the components of the cement most loaded with CO₂," explained the president of Holcim France, François Petry. Holcim also hopes to maximise its new subsidiary’s expertise to take advantage ‘compatible deposits in France’ that it already owns. It plans to grow Carbocia’s output from 0.4Mt/yr at present to 0.6Mt/yr in 2024.

Pakistan: Cement dispatches declined by 18.5% year-on-year across Pakistan in October 2022, according to data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA). Total cement dispatches during October 2022 were 4.25Mt, compared to 5.22Mt in October 2021. Local dispatches fell by 3.98Mt in October 2022 from 4.60Mt in October 2021, a fall of 15.5%. Exports fell by 40.7% from 611,000t in October 2021 to 362,000t in October 2022.

During the first four months of the current fiscal year, which began on 1 July 2022, Pakistan’s total cement dispatches - domestic and exports - were 13.9Mt, down by 23.1% from more than 18Mt during the corresponding period of the prior fiscal year. Domestic dispatches during this period were 12.5Mt against 15.9Mt a year earlier, a reduction of 21.4%. Exports were 36.0% lower than in the first four months of the 2021 - 22 fiscal year, falling to 1.38Mt.

Paraguay: Cementos Concepción (CECON), a company belonging to the Cartes Group, has begun commissioning its US$300m cement plant in the Concepción Department. Test bags are currently being made, with commercial operations expected in late 2022 or early 2023.

Jorge Méndez, CECON's manager said that the test production represented an ‘historic day for the production of 100% Paraguayan cement.’ He added, “Cementos Concepción will bring many benefits to the country. Paraguay needs many infrastructure works, but the deficit of the lack of cement always played against us.”

The 1.0Mt/yr plant was built with the support of nine Paraguayan banks. Méndez emphasised that the cement plant is now generating labour in the ‘forgotten’ Department of Concepción.

Italy: Cementir Holding sold 8.2Mt of cement and clinker during the first nine months of 2022, down by 1.7% year-on-year from nine-month 2021 levels. China, Denmark, Egypt and Türkiye all contributed to the decline. Group nine-month revenues were Euro1.26bn, up by 25% year-on-year. Third-quarter 2022 revenues rose most sharply, by 45%, in Türkiye, followed by the US (38%), the Nordic and Baltic region (20%) and Belgium (17%). During the third quarter of the year, operating costs increased by 36% to Euro365m from Euro268m. Raw materials, fuels and transport costs all contributed to the rise.

In the first nine months of 2022, the group recorded earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of Euro238m, up by 11% from Euro215m during the first nine months of 2021.