Uzbekistan: Cement production grew by 23% year-on-year to 5.8Mt in the first half of 2021. Data from the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan shows that production increased fastest in the second quarter. It was previously reported that the country imported 1Mt of cement in the first four months of the year. 48% came from Kazakhstan, 27% from the Kyrgyzstan, 23% from Tajikistan and 1% from both Iran and Turkmenistan.

Russia: Cemix, a subsidiary of the Austrian firm Lasselsberger, has launched its new 0.24Mt white cement plant at Bashkiria, near Magnitogorsk in Chelyabinsk Oblast. President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony. The building materials producer plans to distribute its products nationally from terminals at Lukhovitsy in Moscow Oblast and Afipsky in Krasnodar Krai. The company is a subsidiary of Austria-based Lasselsberger.

Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement’s sales rose by 22% year-on-year to US$216m in the financial year to 30 June 2021 from US$177m in the same period in 2020. It reported a profit after tax of US$23.2m compared to a loss of US$21.6m previously.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland says it has joined Madaster, an online registry for materials and products. Under the scheme, buildings are registered, including the materials and products that were used in their construction. This is intended to make the reuse or recycling of the materials easier, to encourage ‘smart’ design and to eliminate waste. Thorsten Hahn, the chief executive officer of Holcim Deutschland said “The use of alternative raw materials and the closing of product cycles are among the greatest challenges in the construction industry. We owe it to future generations to use the resources that are available to us responsibly and sensibly.”