Displaying items by tag: Asia

India: FLSmidth has signed a contract with UltraTech Cement to supply two new Cross-Bar coolers with HRBs to upgrade the pyroprocessing lines at its Dalavoi and Sankar Nagar plants in Tamil Nadu. The upgrades aim to increase efficiency and productivity at both facilities.

Vietnam: VICEM Ha Tien Cement has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a waste heat recovery power generation project at its Kien Luong cement plant. The agreement is valued at US$7.5m, and was concluded with a consortium of Sinoma International Engineering, Viet Industrial Construction and Installation, and Viet Tuan Trading Construction Architecture.

The consortium will design, supply, construct and install the system, which will utilise residual heat from the clinker line to generate electricity. The project is set for completion within 16 months, and will meet a ‘considerable portion’ of the plant’s internal power needs, according to S&P Global.

India: Shree Cement has commissioned a 20MW solar power plant in Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh. Phase I has achieved commercial operation, with Phase II expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of the 2026 financial year. The facility will supply renewable power to the company’s Etah grinding unit and is expected to offset about 22,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

The project will create 30-40 jobs for the local community. With this commissioning, Shree Cement’s total installed solar capacity stands at 313MW across India.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said “Each new plant is an opportunity to innovate, integrate renewable energy and lead the cement sector toward a sustainable, low-carbon future, creating lasting value for both the business and the environment.”

India: JK Cement has commissioned a new 1Mt/yr cement grinding facility at its Prayagraj works, raising the unit’s capacity from 2Mt/yr to 3Mt/yr and the company’s total grey cement capacity from 25.3Mt/yr to 26.3Mt/yr. The project forms part of JK Cement’s 6Mt/yr capacity expansion plan approved in January 2024, which includes brownfield projects in Panna, Hamirpur and Prayagraj, and a greenfield plant in Bihar.

Bangladesh: Most cement plants are operating at less than 30% capacity, far below the global benchmark of 70–80%, according to the Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) via The Business Standard. National consumption fell to 38Mt in 2024, less than 40% of total capacity, and has declined further in 2025, forcing producers to cut output and lay off workers.

BCMA president Amirul Haque said “After Covid-19, we began recovering in 2021, driven by renewed construction. But since 2023, the situation has worsened drastically. Entrepreneurs expanded based on government demand. When projects slowed, we faced a severe cash flow crisis. Several small plants have already shut down.”

Bashundhara Cement, which has a capacity of 7.3Mt/yr, is reportedly running at 20% utilisation, while Mir Cement has reduced output to a quarter of capacity. Premier Cement is operating at around 40% capacity and Crown Cement has 60% of its capacity idle. Only Meghna Group of Industries reports growth, though utilisation remains 65%.

North Korea: The Puhung Cement Factory carried out the blasting of 350,000m³ of earth on 22 October 2025, according to Korean News. The blasting allows for increased cement supply to construction sites in order to implement government policies.

Pakistan: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has approved the acquisition of Denmark-based FLSmidth’s global cement business by Pacific Avenue Capital Partners Management Company subsidiary ApS as it affects the Pakistani market. Local press has reported that the parties concluded a global share purchase agreement earlier in 2025.

FLSmidth subsidiary FLSmidth (Private) holds a non-dominant share across various cement technologies and services market sub-segments in Pakistan, while ApS has no current operational presence. The CCP’s Phase 1 investigation concluded that the transaction does not result in horizontal or vertical overlaps, raise competition concerns, create entry barriers or enhance the market power of FLSmidth (Private).

India: Sagar Cements reported sales of US$146m in the first half of the 2026 financial year, up by 22% year-on-year. Its costs also rose steeply, by 11%, to US$149m. As such, its loss before interest and taxation was US$2.58m. This represents a successful reduction of 82%, from US$14.4m in the first half of the 2025 financial year. Sagar Cements proceeded with expansion projects at its Andhra Cements and Jeerabad cement plants ‘as per plan.’ Subsidiary Andhra Cements has since commissioned a six-stage preheater at its Dachepalli Plant in Andhra Pradesh on 23 October 2025. By the end of the 2026 financial year, Sagar Cements expects to commission a 4.35MW waste heat recovery plant at its Gudipadu plant in Andhra Pradesh and complete a 50% capacity expansion at its Jeerabad plant in Madhya Pradesh, up to 1.5Mt/yr. The group forecast full-year sales volumes of 6Mt.

Capital Markets News has reported that Joint Managing Director Sreekanth Reddy said "Our focus on operational efficiency and cost optimisation helped us sustain healthy margins even in a softer pricing environment. EBITDA/tonne remained resilient, supported by higher plant utilisation levels and disciplined cost management across the value chain. We have maintained our growth momentum in the second quarter of the 2025 financial year, despite the seasonal impact of the monsoon. As expected, realisations softened during the quarter; however, the overall operating environment remained stable, with costs remaining low.” Looking ahead to the current, second half of the financial year, Reddy said "With the monsoon season now behind us, we expect demand momentum to pick up, led by the continued push in infrastructure, housing and other construction activities.”

Sri Lanka: Siam City Cement subsidiary INSEE Cement has secured EcoLabel certification for its products, in recognition of their environmental performance. Key initiatives included energy efficiency upgrades, raw materials optimisation, increased alternative fuels substitution, clinker factor reduction and emissions monitoring and control. Daily FT News has reported that EcoLabel Sri Lanka and the National Cleaner Production Centre awarded the label, the first of its kind for any cement producer in Sri Lanka.

Asia: Three national sustainability certification providers have signed a tripartite mutual recognition agreement for harmonised green label criteria for cement products. Ecolabel Sri Lanka, the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme and Thai Green Label agreed to the mutual recognition of each other’s certification of cement. Through the collaboration, the bodies aim to enhance market access to environmentally preferable products across South and South East Asia, Daily FT News has reported.