Displaying items by tag: Asia

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.

China: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has enacted new regulations requiring cement producers to align cement production with their registered production capacity. It further reminded the industry to adhere to a prohibition on building new capacity and an enforced phase-out of older existing plants. People’s Daily Online News has reported that the ministry is responding to the issue of oversupply and the need for sustainable development.

China Building Materials Federation (CBMF) has forecast a reduction in total national production capacity of 500Mt/yr under ongoing efforts. It plans to establish a disclosure and supervision platform for capacity management. Cement production fell by 23% between 2021 and 2024, according to CBMF data.

Cement producer BBMG Corporation said "We will restructure existing capacity, accelerate the phase-out of inefficient production and increase the share of advanced capacity to achieve value-added growth through optimising existing assets."

Japan: The Renewable Energy Institute (REI) has published The Decarbonisation Pathway for Japan's Cement Industry, a report on strategies to ensure cement industry decarbonisation in line with a global 1.5°C climate change limit. The report found that the calcination of limestone gives rise to 60% of process CO₂ emissions from Japanese cement production. The report reviews possibilities for tackling emissions both from calcination and from other sources. In the former category, it noted scope for clinker factor reduction. Japan Cement Association members recorded an average clinker factor of 0.8 and Scope 1 emissions of 680kg/t of cementitious product in 2024. REI contrasted this with India-based Dalmia Bharat, which had a clinker factor of 0.6 and Scope 1 emissions of 467kg/t.

India: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has directed the initiation of insolvency proceedings against Jaiprakash Associates subsidiary Bhilai Jaypee Cement over debts owed to coal supplier Sidhgiri Holdings, amounting to US$5.12m. News18 News has reported that the NCLT has suspended the company’s board and appointed an interim resolution professional.

Sidhgiri Holdings sent a statutory demand notice in June 2024 over three partly-paid purchase orders for 6000t of coal between September 2021 and June 2022. The principal amount is US$3.43m, with US$1.74m in interest accrued.

Bhilai Jaypee Cement contested the insolvency plea, claiming that Sidhgiri Holdings filed it with an intent of recovery, because Bhilai Jaypee Cement is solvent.

Asia: South East Asia's regional cement association, the ASEAN Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM), has launched its AFCM 2035 Roadmap at its 46th Council Meeting at the Rizqun International Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Under the roadmap, AFCM members will achieve a cumulative 38Mt reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2035. Efforts will unfold under four priority areas: promoting low-carbon cement, advancing the energy transition, maximising supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and adopting deep decarbonisation technologies. The council meeting served the members to help align their strategies, including through the proposed establishment of a unified emissions reporting system.

India: Ambuja Cements has placed a US$100m order for seven 19,000dwt bulk carriers from China-based Nantong Xiangyu Shipbuilding. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the vessels will serve logistics operations at the company’s 6.1Mt/yr Sanghi Cement plant in Gujarat.

India: Aditya Birla Group subsidiary UltraTech Cement’s revenues grew by 21% year-on-year to US$2.33bn in the second quarter of the 2026 financial year. ET Now News has reported that the producer’s profit was US$148m, up by 75% year-on-year. During the quarter, UltraTech Cement’s costs rose by US$2.28/t, contributing towards a 45% quarter-on-quarter drop in its net profit.

In the 2026 financial year to-date, UltraTech Cement acquired a 76% stake in fellow producer The India Cements and acquired putty producer Birla White Wallcare outright.

India: Dalmia Bharat recorded sales of US$849m in the first half of the 2026 financial year, which began on 1 April 2026. This corresponds to a year-on-year rise of 5%. The producer also increased its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), by 43%. As a result, its profit after tax more than tripled to US$76.4m.

During the first half of the 2026 financial year, Dalmia Bharat sold 13.9Mt of cement, down by 2% year-on-year from 14.1Mt in the first half of the 2025 financial year.