Displaying items by tag: Europe

Italy: Cementir recorded a 0.4% year-on-year decrease in sales revenue to €1.687bn from €1.694bn in 2023. This was reportedly widespread across all geographical areas except Türkiye and Sweden, driven by lower volumes in some regions and the depreciation of the Turkish Lira and Egyptian Pound. Group earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 0.9% to €407m from €411m in 2023. Net profit rose by 0.1% to €201.6m from €201.4m. The group sold 10.72Mt of grey and white cement and clinker in 2024, up by 0.5% year-on-year from 10.67Mt in 2023. According to the group’s financial report, this was due to good trading in Türkiye and to a lesser extent in the US and Egypt, which offset the volumes reduction in other areas.

Francesco Caltagirone, chair and CEO, said “2024 has been another satisfactory year for our group, which demonstrated remarkable resilience despite the complex geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop. We are preparing to face the next three years with a strengthened industrial footprint, thanks to the upgraded Kiln 4 in Belgium, the second production line in Egypt, and the opportunity to completely decarbonise our Aalborg plant by 2030 with a limited investment. We look forward to the challenges ahead with renewed confidence.”

Europe: 77 decarbonisation projects (including 14 for the cement sector) have signed grant agreements under the Innovation Fund 2023 Call (IF23), following the announcement of results in October 2024. The cement projects, spanning nine European countries, will begin operations between 2025 and 2029.

The funding, sourced from the EU Emissions Trading System, provides grants ranging from €4.4m to €234m, supporting projects expected to avoid 118Mt of CO₂. The total 77 projects funded have the potential to reduce emissions by around 398Mt of CO₂ equivalent over their first 10 years of operation. The projects funded in the cement industry mostly involve carbon capture and storage (CCS). Among the selected CCS projects are Carbon2Business in Germany, Olympus in Greece, Go4Zero in Belgium and Cementir’s Accsion project in Denmark.

UK: Breedon has replaced the Traylor primary gyratory crusher at its Hope Cement Works after 72 years of operation. According to a post on Facebook by Breedon, the original crusher had been in service since 1952, crushing over 110Mt of minerals during its 72-year lifespan. FLSmidth supplied the new 1250t/hr primary gyratory crusher, which was successfully commissioned in October 2024.

Slovakia: Slovak cement plants recovered 374,000t of alternative fuels made from waste in 2024, replacing 75% of heat from fossil fuels, according to the Cement Manufacturers Association (ZVC) of the Slovak Republic. This has reportedly saved almost 230,000t of coal and reduced the cement plants’ carbon footprint.

Director of ZVC Rudolf Mackovic said “Instead of waste, such as non-recyclable plastics, being deposited in landfills without being used, it is processed into fuel in processing plants. Such an alternative fuel meets strict quality and ecological parameters.”

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has reported stable group revenues of €21.2bn in 2024, with its result from current operations (RCO) rising by 6% year-on-year to €3.2bn. Geographically, revenues remained steady at €9.5bn in Europe, increased by 2% year-on-year in North America to €5.3bn, declined by 4% in the Asia-Pacific region to €3.5bn, and remained stable at €2.3bn in the Africa-Mediterranean-Western Asia region.

The company states that it is ‘optimistic’ about the current year, and expects demand to stabilise in 2025, forecasting a RCO of €3.25bn - 3.55bn. It will release its full annual report at the end of March 2025.

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.