October 2025

India: LafargeHolcim subsidiary ACC has commissioned a new 1.4Mt/yr unit at its Sindri cement grinding plant in Jharkhand. The plant now commands a total grinding capacity of 4.4Mt/yr. The company began work on the expansion in December 2019 in order to strengthen its presence in the Eastern region. It said that the state government and local authorities aided smooth commissioning.

LafargeHolcim India chief executive officer (CEO) and non-executive director ACC Limited Neeraj Akhoury said, "Strong ambition aimed at deliverance of high performance is what guided ACC to establish the commissioning of the Sindri GU-Phase-II within a record period.” He added, “I am proud of the flexibility and agility demonstrated by the team."

ACC managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Sridhar Balakrishnan said, “The commitment, meticulous planning and collaborative approach by the Project Sindri team in these unprecedented times and commencing the cement production in a record time have set a new benchmark for ACC.”

US: A US court has fined Argos USA US$20m for violations of antitrust rules between 2011 and 2016 with regards to the ready-mixed concrete market. The subsidiary of Columbia-based Cementos Argos subsidiary has admitted to collusion with another ready-mix producer. The US Department of Justice says that the companies coordinated price rises, submitted collusive non-competitive bids to customers, allocated markets in Southern Georgia and elsewhere and charged fuel surcharges and environmental fees.

Argos says the conspiracy was committed by, “a small number of former employees of a small, local sales office” that joined Argos when it acquired another company, according to Reuters. It added that its management “did not participate in or condone the conduct, which was undertaken in contravention of company compliance policies.”

Morocco: Bab Sahara Company is building a new cement plant in Guelmim, Guelmim-Oued Noun. Le Desk has reported that the company is a joint venture between three private investors, including Tarfaya City Council Chair Abdelhay Hartoun. An environmental impact study for the project was started in late December 2020 by the Ministry of the Interior.

Kenya: Bamburi Cement has decided against the planned sale of its Mombasa precast concrete blocks plant. The Standard newspaper has reported that the company previously failed to sell the asset to Yellow House Limited, because the buyer failed to meet conditions precedent to the agreement. The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) had approved the sale in March 2020.

Paraguay: Cementos Concepción (Cecon) says that its new 1Mt/yr integrated Concepción cement plant in San Lazaro will start commissioning in June 2022. Regular production is expected to start in August 2022. The Hoy newspaper reports that the project recently secured the last phase of its funding. It has a total investment of US$240m.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has confirmed that it will stop milling activity at its Yocsina cement grinding plant in Córdoba province at the end of March 2021. The decision is part of a move to unify all cement grinding in the region at its integrated Malagueño plant, according to Agência CMA. The latter unit is currently being upgraded with start-up scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

Trinidad & Tobago: Rock Hard Cement says it will close during January 2021 in Trinidad due to alleged changes in government tariffs on imported cement. It hopes to reopen In February 2021, according to the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian newspaper. The company has published advertisements in local media warning of potential price rises of up to 80% in 2021. As well as changes to import costs the cement importer claims that the quantity of imported cement will be restricted to 75,000t/yr. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said it couldn’t comment on the matter as it is currently undergoing legal proceedings.

Dominican Republic: The Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) estimates that local production fell by 8% year-on-year in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Julissa Báez, the executive director of ADOCEM, said this compared to a 16% drop in the construction industry generally, according to local media. She added that local cement plants were allowed to continue production during a local lockdown that started in March 2020.

Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Transport has granted Najran Cement a licence to launch its own limited liability transportation company. Reuters News has reported that the company is in the process of obtaining the final licence for the launch.

Oman: The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) has intervened to suspend operations at a cement producing facility in Al Dhahirah Governorate. The Times of Oman has reported that the suspension results from repeated complaints to the CPA’s consumer protection department about product quality. The operation is also suspended from selling its goods.