Ghana: The district government of Shai-Osudoku in Accra has stopped the construction of an ‘illegal’ cement plant. The Daily Guide newspaper has reported that a China-based producer had been building the plant without a permit.

US: LafargeHolcim US, part of Switzerland-based Holcim, has launched its CementDirect ready-mix concrete delivery mobile and web application (app) on the US market. The app consolidates ordering, tracking and shipping records for customers. Plant operators will be able to sign-off on deliveries and access bills of lading remotely.

Supply chain senior vice president Kristin Beck said “More than ever, ready-mix producers are operating under significant constraints. CementDirect allows for easier access to delivery information and removes the daily burden of managing and storing paper.”

Canada: Lafarge Canada has signed a deal with aerated concrete block producer Cematrix to renew its cement supply and joint marketing agreement with the company. The new agreement is effective until 2026.

Western Canada sales and logistics vice-president Cory Cannon said "Lafarge and Cematrix have worked together seamlessly throughout Canada. The extension of these agreements is a natural result of the joint successes we have experienced on numerous projects with the full expectation that this relationship will only continue to grow into the future."

Austria: Baumit has invested Euro5.6m in a new waste heat recovery (WHR) system at its Wopfing cement plant in Lower Austria. The producer claims that the installation will enable it to make energy savings of almost 20GWh/yr, corresponding to the energy consumption of 1000 households.

Commercial director Georg Bursik said “We have been using the waste heat for drying systems in the plant for decades. Thanks to this investment, the use of waste heat can be further increased – saving 4000t/yr of CO₂.