India: Germany’s ThyssenKrupp plans to build a procurement centre for its engineering business in India. Marcel Fasswald, the chief executive officer (CEO) of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, said that the company is trying to reverse its poor performance in 2018, according to Reuters. He views the cement and mining industries as key drivers of the company’s growth in India as state-backed infrastructure projects take shape. He added that India had cost benefits that made the country a preferred location for the project.

UK: Climate change protestors from the Extinction Rebellion group have been arrested for blockading a ready-mixed concrete plant operated by London Concrete at Bow in London. Concrete from the plant is being used to supply a major road tunnel project at Silvertown beneath the River Thames, according to Reuters. Extinction Rebellion blamed concrete production for being a major source of CO2 emissions and it also has concerns about dust pollution. Seven people were arrested by the Metropolitan Police for aggravated trespass. London Concrete is part of LafargeHolcim Group. It operates 12 concrete plants in London.

India: The Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (JIADA) has cancelled an allotment of land to UltraTech Cement for a project to build a 1.5Mt/yr plant. The cement producer was allotted 48 acres of land by JIADA in 2016, according to the Times of India. The industrial development body for the state government also sent notices to 20 other companies warning them that their allocations would be nullified. The action is being taken to free up land for development.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines is promoting its retail mobile app called Easybuild. It is intended to allow customers to place orders, check delivery status and review account history and credit, among others functions. The company has initially partnered with leading financial institution Metrobank for an online payment facility. Nearly 700 customers are using the system. It is the latest version of Holcim Philippines’ online customer service portal, which it pioneered in the cement industry in 2001. Already available for the Android operating system, an iOS version will be launched in August 2019.