Displaying items by tag: Americas

Mexico: GCC has reported a 0.2% increase in its 2024 consolidated net sales to US$1.36bn, whilst sales in the fourth quarter of the 2024 financial year declined by 1% to US$335m.

US operations showed strength, with 4% sales growth and 4.5% increase in concrete volumes in the fourth quarter. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6% to US$500m for 2024, with the fourth quarter showing 4% growth to US$122m.

CEO Enrique Escalante said "GCC delivered exceptional results once again in 2024. Despite navigating a challenging economic environment, we achieved record-breaking sales, EBITDA, margins and net income. These results underscore our team’s flexibility and agility to successfully execute our strategy. Looking ahead, we remain cautious about demand dynamics. The fundamentals of our business remain strong, especially in the US market where we generated more than 75% of our EBITDA.”

US: Titan Cement has announced that its subsidiary, Titan America, has launched its initial public offering (IPO) of 24 million common shares, comprising 9 million new shares to be issued and 15 million existing shares to be sold. The IPO is expected to price between US$15-18 per share.

Following completion, Titan Cement will retain 160,362,465 shares, representing 87% ownership of Titan America.

Colombia: Cementos Argos has obtained third-party verification for an environmental product declaration (EPD) for the Type VII cement produced at its Cartagena plant.

Tomás Restrepo, vice president of Cementos Argos, said "This certificate validates our efforts to reduce environmental impacts, optimise resources and offer a high-quality material that responds to the needs of each of our clients' projects.”

Canada: Cement exports declined by 2% year-on-year to 4.4Mt in 2024, according to a report by IndexBox. In terms of value, exports reached US$534m in 2024.

The US remained the sole export destination, accounting for 100% of total exports, according to the report. Portland cement represented 85% of total shipments at 3.7Mt.

US: Carbon capture firm Nuada and lime producer MLC (formerly Mississippi Lime Company) have signed a memorandum of understanding to demonstrate net-zero lime production at MLC's Ste. Genevieve plant in Missouri. The partners aim to contribute to a reduction of the facility’s CO₂ emissions by 95%.

Nuada’s technology uses metal-organic frameworks as a solid sorbent alongside vacuum swing pressure adsorption, which utilises pressure rather than heat to separate CO₂ from flue gases.

Co-CEO Jose Casaban said "Our breakthrough in carbon capture technology sets a new standard for energy efficiency, paving the way for transformative decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors like lime manufacturing. Through this collaboration with MLC, we are driving the next generation of carbon capture forward, setting a new standard for emissions reduction and sustainability in the lime industry."

Canada: Ash Grove Cement, part of CRH, says it will release the findings of technical studies supporting its plan to burn alternative fuels at its Mississauga cement plant. Ash Grove plans to burn materials such as construction and demolition waste, wood, plastics and rubber.

The company says the initiative will reduce fossil fuel emissions by limiting its current reliance on coal, while also diverting materials from landfill.

US: The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has selected Cemex's Knoxville cement plant in Tennessee as the site for a carbon capture, removal and conversion test centre. The project is part of a US$101m initiative shared among five projects that aim to decarbonise cement plants and power facilities.

Cemex, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and a coalition of US cement producers, will develop the conceptual design, business, technical and managerial frameworks for the test centre under Phase 1. Phase 2 will involve constructing and operating the centre to evaluate advanced carbon management systems.

Jaime Muguiro, president of Cemex US, said “While we are making steady progress, the cement industry has the opportunity to accelerate the pace of our decarbonisation even more. I am excited that our Knoxville cement plant has been selected as the host site for the carbon capture test centre. Through collaboration and continuous innovation with the University of Illinois and industry peers, Cemex is committed to advancing decarbonisation solutions.”

Brazil: thyssenkrupp Polysius has secured a front-end engineering design contract from Circlua for the construction of the world’s largest activated clay plant, with a capacity of 0.96Mt/yr (3000t/day). The plant will be largely powered by renewable electricity, and will be located in Pará, utilising clay sourced from the Carajás iron ore complex. The clay contains up to 80% kaolinite content, and will be upcycled as supplementary cementitious material.

thyssenkrupp Polysius CEO Christian Myland said “We are honoured to partner on this landmark project. Leveraging high-quality local clay and our advanced activated clay technology, this plant will set a new benchmark for carbon-conscious cement production.”

Peru: National cement despatches reached 0.97Mt in December 2024, a 0.1% year-on-year increase, according to the Cement Producers Association (Asocem). Total despatches in 2024 were nearly 12Mt, marking just a 0.01% rise compared to 2023, indicating stagnation in the sector.

Asocem members produced almost 0.92Mt of cement in December 2024, a 1% year-on-year decrease, and recorded a 3% decline in 2024 to 11Mt. Cement exports from members rose by 70% year-on-year in December 2024 to 0.13Mt, but fell by 8% for the full year. Imports increased to 3000t in December 2024, up by 22% year-on-year, and grew by 29% over 2024, with Chile as the sole supplier.

Clinker production by Asocem members dropped by 30% year-on-year in December 2024 to 0.66Mt, and by 8% over the 2024 period. No clinker was exported by Asocem members, a 100% year-on-year decrease from December 2023. Clinker imports surged by 376% year-on-year in December 2024 to 0.2Mt, sourced from South Korea (44%), Japan (24%), Ecuador (19%) and Turkey (13%).

US: Oakland, California-based cleantech startup Brimstone has received a US Department of Energy grant worth up to US$189m to establish a plant with a capacity of 80,000t/yr of ‘green’ cement and 20,000t/yr of smelter-grade alumina, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The grant will be paid out in instalments and requires matching funds from new investments, loans and other sources.

The US$378m facility, which is still in the site selection phase, will be located near an existing quarry in order to mine calcium silicate rocks.

CEO Cody Finke said “We’re exclusively looking at brownfield sites. The goal is to build our own plant while utilising existing quarries to ensure a sustainable and economically viable operation.”

Brimstone plans to begin pilot operations in 2025 and aims to have the plant fully operational by the end of the decade. The company is currently testing its decarbonised cement with potential customers from its Oakland research and development facility.