October 2025

Mexico: Switzerland-based Holcim has acquired building materials retailer INDAR. INDAR operates nine distribution centres across Mexico, as well as a fulfilment centre in Guadalajara. The retailer will join the group’s Disensa Latin American retail network. Holcim says that the acquisition expands Disensa’s product range with the addition of 10,600 new products. It says that the chain stocks goods from across 80 different brands. The group added that the acquisition advances its Strategy 2025 – Accelerating Green Growth plan, under which its solutions and products business is expected to reach 30% of sales globally by 2025.

Holcim’s Latin America regional head Oliver Osswald said “With its powerful logistics network and a focus on delivering the best in service, quality and customer experience, INDAR will make a perfect fit with our Disensa network by strengthening its product range and value proposition. I look forward to welcoming INDAR’s 420 employees into the Holcim family as we reach our next era of growth together.”

India: Adani Cement has won four awards at the Occupational Health, Safety and Sustainability Association of India (OHSSAI) Awards 2023. The producer won two manufacturing sector awards - the OHSSAAI Safety Silver Award and the OHSSAI Road Safety Gold Award - and two individual awards. The individual awards went to Ambuja Cements' chief operating officer Sukuru Ramarao, who won the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Leadership Award, and Ambuja Cements' head of safety, manufacturing and logistics Pankaj Singh, who won the HSE Mentor of the Year Award for his contributions to road safety.

Adani Cement CEO Ajay Kapur said "We are proud to be recognised by OHSSAI for our safety achievements. Safety is an integral part of our overall business strategy, and we are committed to continually improving our safety performance and achieving excellence in all areas of our operations. Safety is everyone's responsibility, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for our employees."

India: Adani Group has entered talks with lenders for the sale of a 4 - 5% stake in Ambuja Cements. Adani holds a 63% stake in the producer, which it acquired from Switzerland-based Holcim in 2022. The Financial Times newspaper has reported that the move is intended to reduce debt and restore investor confidence in Adani Group.

The Hindu Business Line newspaper has named US-based asset management company GQG Partners as a probable buyer for the stake.

US-based short seller Hindenburg Research alleged fraud and stock market manipulation by Adani Group in a report published on 24 January 2023.

Dominican Republic: Grupo Estrella subsidiary Cemento PANAM plans to execute a 1.23Mt/yr grinding plant project in the Dominican Republic. CNS News has reported that China-based Sinoma Construction won a contract to deliver the project.

Sinoma Construction said that Cemento PANAM had expressed 'strong interest' in its carbon-neutral technology. The supplier expressed the hope that the two sides might 'have further cooperation opportunities in the field of CO₂ emissions reduction.'

US: Buzzi Unicem subsidiary Alamo Cement Company has successfully commissioned its new 17,800MWh solar power plant at its San Antonio cement plant in Texas. The producer says that the facility will eliminate 8000t/yr-worth of CO₂ emissions from the plant's operations. It spans an area of 18.2 hectares at the site of the 1.1Mt/yr cement plant. Texas-based energy provider CPS Energy built the installation.

Alamo Cement's director of engineering and construction management William Kovacs said "I am incredibly proud of the multi-discipline work that went into this first-of-its-kind project for Alamo Cement in San Antonio. It is an example of the type of collaboration necessary to continue to unlock and apply new energy sources for cement producers. It was a collective effort that brought together our corporate team, CPS Energy and regional engineering firms and contractors."

Ukraine/Italy: The Ukrainian National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has placed Italy-based Buzzi Unicem on its list of Russian war sponsors. Ukrinform has reported that the NAPC accuses Buzzi Unicem of expanding its business in Russia since the country's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, of supplying its products to Russian state-owned businesses including energy suppliers Rosatom and Rosneft, and of voicing support for the on-going invasion via its social media presence.

Between 2016 and 2021, Buzzi Unicem reportedly paid Euro62m-worth of taxes to Russia. In a statement, the NAPC said "For comparison, this is the cost of 206 Tochka U missiles." It concluded “Buzzi Unicem's continued business in Russia means direct support and sponsorship of terrorism by Russia.”

On 10 March 2023, Buzzi Unicem clarified that it has no business in Russia, calling the NAPC's listing 'defamatory.' The group explained that it has 'no involvement' in its Russian subsidiary SLK Cement's decision-making process related to local initiatives and commercial actions.

Buzzi Unicem said "Buzzi Unicem already clarified in its press release dated 12 May 2022 the decision to cease with immediate effect any operational involvement in the activities carried out by the subsidiary SLK Cement in Russia and to suspend all strategic initiatives and investments in the country." It defended the subsidiary, saying "SLK Cement is a Russian domiciled entity operating exclusively in that country and therefore subject to domestic legislation. Payment of taxes and having employees being mobilised to the army are not discretionary decisions, rather legal obligations within the Russian jurisdiction."

The group also voiced its support for Ukraine, saying "Despite significant financial losses incurred as a consequence of the Russian invasion, Buzzi Unicem did not stop operations in Ukraine, keeps supplying products to Ukrainian customers, paying taxes in Ukraine and providing job and humanitarian aid to its nearly 1000 employees and families in the country."

The English language release may be found here.

China: The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has granted its subsidiary China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) approval to restructure. Reuters has reported that, under the plans, the company will transfer supporting finances to China National Building Material (CNBM) subsidiary Gansu Qilianshan Cement. Additionally, there will be a spin off and listing of CCCC subsidiaries CCCC First Highway Institute and CCCC Second Highway Institute.

Italy: Cementir Holding recorded 'record' revenues of Euro1.72bn in 2022, up by 27% year-on-year from 2021 levels. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7.8% to Euro335m, also a record figure, according to the group. Throughout 2022, Cementir Holding sold 10.8Mt of cement and clinker, down by 2.8% from 11.2Mt. It attributed this to a 'general slowdown of the market,' mainly in Türkiye, Denmark, China and Belgium, especially during the second half of the year.

Chair and CEO Francesco Caltagirone noted the 'solidity and resilience' of Cementir's business model, even in spite of 'geopolitical uncertainty and more restrictive monetary conditions.' He said "We have already achieved significant results in terms of decarbonisation, innovation and transparency, evidenced by the improvement of all environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and we want to continue on this virtuous path, in the interest of all stakeholders."

Canada/UAE: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) producer Carbon Upcycling Technologies has signed a strategic partnership agreement with technical consultancy A³&Co. The partners will now work towards the delivery of an SCM enhancement reactor that bolts on to existing cement plant equipment. Canada-based Carbon Upcycling Technologies expects to be able to offer the technology to global cement industry customers by March 2025.

Carbon Upcycling Technologies CEO Apoorv Sinha said "We look forward to collaborating with A³&Co. Their extensive experience working with over 125 facilities across the globe will prove invaluable as we continue to adapt our technology for seamless integration at cement plants, enabling onsite sequestration and utilisation of CO₂."

El Salvador: Holcim El Salvador says that the upcoming solar power plant at its El Ronco cement plant will have a capacity of 21.4MW, across three separate installations. Energy provider AES El Salvador holds a 20-year power supply agreement for construction and operation of the plant. The La Prensa Grafica newspaper has reported that Banco Cuscatlán supplied a loan for the project. When operational, the new solar power plant will lower Holcim El Salvador's oil consumption by 43,000 barrels/yr.

Holcim El Salvador CEO Rodrigo Gallardo said "We are not only making solutions and products with a lower CO₂ content, but also cutting CO₂ in our production processes."