Displaying items by tag: Europe

Sweden: Swedish cement manufacturer Cemvision has entered a strategic partnership with Norway-based residential developer JM to develop ‘climate-friendly’ cement and concrete. As part of the agreement, JM has also acquired a minority stake in Cemvision.

Cemvision’s cement reportedly reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 95% compared to traditional cement, through the use of recycled industrial waste from mining and steel industries, combined with renewable energy in its kiln operations.

Türkiye: Cimpor Global has launched an initiative in partnership with Fizix to enhance operational efficiency and reduce energy losses in cement plants. The system will use 10,500 sensors for global machine health monitoring, enabling early detection of potential failures before they occur.

The initiative will be implemented across 25 facilities in 10 countries, including Türkiye and Portugal. The optimisation phase will begin in 2025, with initial deployment in six countries, followed by expansion to Cimpor’s operations in China and Taiwan by 2026.

Switzerland: Holcim has announced its 2024 financial results, reporting record performance with full-year net sales of €28.2bn and an operating profit of €4.9bn. The company increased its use of recycled construction demolition materials by 20% to 10.2Mt. The planned listing of its North American business remains on track for completion by the end of the first half of 2025.

Holcim's net sales in the cement sector reached €14bn. In North America, net sales were €6.8bn despite challenging market conditions. Latin America achieved its 18th consecutive quarter of profitable growth, with net sales of €3bn. During the year, there were four acquisitions to enter the new market of Peru and expand operations in Mexico and Guatemala. The Asia, Middle East and Africa region reported net sales of €3.85bn, driven by growth in Australia and North Africa, alongside four divestments completed in 2024. The Solutions and Products sector continued its profitable growth, with net sales of €6.3bn, primarily due to increased sales of its advanced roofing systems. Sustainable building solutions contributed to profitable growth in Europe, with net sales of €7.7bn

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Holcim's net sales were €6.9bn, a 1.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The company remains optimistic about 2025, with a strong outlook across all business segments.

Ireland: CRH recorded a 2% year-on-year increase in sales to US$35.6bn in 2024, with net income rising by 15% to US$3.5bn during the period. The producer's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 12% year-on-year to US$6.9bn.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company's sales rose by 2% year-on-year to US$8.9bn, while its net income increased by 24% to US$700m and its EBITDA by 12% to US$1.8bn.

CRH invested US$5bn in mergers and acquisitions during 2024. It maintains a positive outlook for the 2025 financial year, forecasting a net income of US$3.7 – US$4.1bn and an EBITDA of US$7.3 – US$7.7bn.

Spain: Molins has recorded a 22% year-on-year rise in net profit to €184m in 2024, despite market slowdowns and political instability in some regions.

Molins’ revenues grew by 1% year-on-year to €1.37bn in 2024, as price increases offset volume declines and currency effects. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 6% to €356m, with its operations in Europe, South America and North Africa showing growth. Mexico reportedly remains its largest contributor to results. The company increased investments by 31% to €98m, with 70% going to sustainability, digitisation and efficiency improvements.

Belgium: Gebr. Pfeiffer has received an order for an MVR 5000 R-4 vertical roller mill. The mill is intended for a new 4800t/day line at Holcim Belgique's Obourg cement plant, the site of the GO4ZERO decarbonisation project.

The mill will grind 370t/hr of cement raw material to a fineness of ≤15%R to 0.090mm and reduce moisture content from 4% to <0.7%. The mill is expected to reduce both emissions and specific operating costs.

Chinese contractor CBMI is managing the installation, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2025. The mill will be integrated into the plant's oxyfuel operations to achieve efficiency in the CO₂ capture process.

Denmark: FLSmidth's cement revenues fell by 26% year-on-year to US$616m in 2024.
Cement gross profit fell by 3% to US$204m. The producer attributed the decline to divestments and withdrawal from project-orientated business.

Group revenues, including both the Mining and Cement businesses, fell by 16% year-on-year to US$2.8bn. Group gross profit rose by 8% year-on-year to US$905m.

The company said that it expects the short-term outlook for the cement industry to remain impacted by ‘macroeconomic uncertainty’.

France: Vicat recorded consolidated sales of €3.9bn, a year-on-year decrease of 1%, in 2024. It cited negative exchange rates, including for the Turkish Lira and Egyptian Pound. €1.16bn in sales came from its operations in France and €1bn from its US operations. It also reported earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €783m, up by 6% year-on-year. Its Cement business underwent a 3% decline in volumes during the year, driven by declines in France and India. Demand in France reportedly reached a 25-year low. The company noted an increase in the use of alternative fuels to 36% and has set itself the target of lowering its direct specific emissions to 497kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement equivalent and to 430kg CO₂ per tonne of cement equivalent in Europe by 2030. At the end of 2024, these figures stood at 576kg and 497kg respectively.

At the end of 2024, the Group's financial structure remains ‘solid,’ with net debt down by €185m over 2024. In 2025, it will aim for an increase in sales on a like-for-like basis and ‘low single-digit’ EBITDA growth.

Guy Sidos, chair and CEO of Vicat, said "In a deteriorated environment in Europe, the group has delivered historic results. We have witnessed strong growth in the US and progress in the Mediterranean region. I am confident that 2025 will be another successful year for Vicat, thanks to continued momentum in the US, stabilisation in Europe and the first contribution from our investment in Senegal.”

Europe: Sweden-based SaltX has signed a letter of intent with German engineering firm thyssenkrupp Polysius to collaborate on establishing 100% electric cement production facilities in Europe. The facilities will combine SaltX’s electric arc calciner (EAC) technology with thyssenkrupp Polysius’ material handling solutions.

CEO of SaltX Lina Jorheden said "Strong partnerships are essential for us to effectively implement our technology and reduce millions of tonnes of CO₂ emissions from the industrial sector. Our collaboration with thyssenkrupp Polysius is crucial for developing complementary systems to the EAC technology and building electrified facilities for our customers."

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 8% year-on-year to 1.13Mt in January 2025, according to the latest statistics from Oficemen. Consumption grew by 4% year-on-year to nearly 15Mt in the 12 months to January 2025. Exports increased by 12% year-on-year to 323,000t in January 2025, but fell by 5% year-on-year during the 12-month period.

General director Aniceto Zaragoza said "In this regard, we are cautiously observing the evolution of US tariff measures, as it is the fourth destination for Spanish cement exports, with 11% of the total. However, we are confident that sales to the intra-community market, in which Spain maintains a leading position, will remain stable."