Italy: Cementir Holding has released its 2026 first-quarter financial results, reporting sales of €344m in the first quarter of 2026, down by 7% year-on-year. It attributed this to the reduction of volumes in several regions and the negative exchange effect of €21.4m, in particular due to the devaluation of the Turkish Lira and the US Dollar against the Euro.

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 41% year-on-year to €41.4m. It attributed the decline to volumes reduction from adverse weather conditions and a different annual maintenance schedule. Cement and clinker sales volumes declined by 3% to 2.20Mt compared to the same period in 2025, due to the progressive completion of post-earthquake reconstruction in Türkiye, as well as the weak performance of Asia Pacific. Profit before tax was down by 63% to €14.8m. The company confirmed its 2026 guidance, targeting sales of around €1.7bn and EBITDA of €400m-€420m. It said that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East did not have a significant impact on the first quarter results in terms of energy and logistics costs.

Chair and CEO Francesco Caltagirone Jr said “The first quarter of 2026 was affected by the harshest winter in the past 20 years in Europe and Türkiye, as well as by a different maintenance schedule, which had a significant impact on volumes and profitability. In March 2026, a recovery in volumes was recorded in certain regions. Within a complex and uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment and pending greater visibility in the coming months, we believe we are able to confirm the guidance for the year.”

US: Novada Cement, part of Medcem Group, has selected ABB to deliver full plant electrification, automation and drives solutions for its new cement plant in Tampa Bay, Florida. ABB will design, supply and commission the solutions and provide integrated engineering, project management and support. The grinding plant is expected to produce more than 0.6Mt/yr of cement at full capacity. It marks a first investment in the US by Novada, which has large-scale production in Türkiye, as well as plants in Cameroon and Tunisia.

Plant manager at Novada Cement Isa Eltez said “By centralising operations with ABB technology we’ll improve energy performance, maximise throughput and deliver expected quality. We’re looking forward to the results.”

Nigeria/UK: Dangote Cement is considering listing part of its cement business in London to attract investors and strengthen its international profile. The company said that the move would expand access to global capital and support its regional expansion across Africa. CEO Aliko Dangote said that recent changes to the UK’s listing rules had influenced the decision to list the company, as it had ‘brought down minimum listing requirements,’ according to The Financial Times.

Dangote said “We want to do a dual listing. We have been thinking about it for seven to 10 years.” About 10% of the company’s shares would reportedly be sold. The company attempted to list the company on the London stock exchange back in 2018, but reportedly faced several challenges. The listing could take place around September 2026, subject to market conditions and investor demand.

Dangote Cement operates plants in more than 10 countries across Africa and has a capacity of around 55Mt/yr.

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Cement will start trial operations at its 12.6MW waste heat recovery project in the second quarter of 2026, according to Zawya news. The company signed a US$34.8m contract with Sinoma Energy Conservation in November 2023 to build the 12.64MW project. Full operations will reportedly begin in the second half of 2026, reducing electricity consumption and operating costs, said CEO Shoeil Al Ayed. It signed a US$22.6m contract with Chengdu Design and Research Institute in December 2025 to build an electrical grid under the Ministry of Energy’s liquid fuel displacement programme. Al Ayed also said that the company would soon announce a 30MW solar panel project, expected to further reduce production costs.