Displaying items by tag: Europe

France: Two workers have been hospitalised following an explosion at Heidelberg Materials’ Airvault cement plant. They were dismantling an old gas tank at the plant on 20 May 2025 when it exploded at around 17:30 local time, according to the La Nouvelle République newspaper. One worker was taken to a specialist burns unit and the other suffered an injured ankle.

Heidelberg Materials has launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

France: Ecocem will invest €170m to build four new production lines for its ACT low-carbon cement technology in Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk. This follows a €50m investment at Ecocem’s Dunkirk facility to deliver its first production line. The additional manufacturing capacity will come online between 2028 and 2030. At full capacity, ACT production in France will reach 1.9Mt/yr, reducing CO₂ emissions by 800,000t/yr and creating 60 jobs. The French government has reportedly committed to working closely with Ecocem to identify operational and financial solutions to accelerate and deliver the expansion.

UK: Medcem, a subsidiary of Turkish conglomerate Eren Holding, and UK-based Peel Ports Group will begin construction of a new deep-water cement terminal at the former P&O site at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool. Construction is scheduled to start at the end of May 2025, according to Construction Management magazine.

The €41m project’s first phase will include four silos with a combined capacity of 45,000t for cement and supplementary cementitious materials. The 2.3-hectare site allows for future expansion and increased capacity in subsequent phases. Completion is expected by mid-2026.

Medcem business development and investments director Enver Celikbas said “This new terminal significantly strengthens our presence in the UK market, consolidating our position as the leading provider of low-carbon cement and cementitious materials in Europe. The logistical advantages of Liverpool allow us to enhance our ability to accommodate large vessels and product handling.”

Spain: Cement consumption grew by 5% year-on-year to 4.88Mt in the first five months of 2025, despite a 3% fall in April 2025, attributed to the Easter period. Consumption increased by 6% to 15.1Mt from May 2024 - April 2025. Exports fell by 0.3% in April 2025 to 0.42Mt, a decrease of 1258t compared to April 2024. In the year-to-date, exports fell by 2% to 1.5Mt. However, they rose by 1% year-on-year in the last 12 months to 4.9Mt, almost 60,000t more than in the previous 12 months. Imports, meanwhile, dropped by 16% from January – April 2025, to 344,305t, but rose by 28% over the last 12 months.

Italy: Buzzi recorded sales of €972m in the first quarter of 2025, up by 9% year-on-year, driven by acquisitions and ‘favourable’ exchange rates. Sales remained level year-on-year in Italy, but dipped by 3.3% in the US. During the quarter, Buzzi sold 6.38Mt of cement and 2.18Mm³ of ready-mix concrete, up by 23% and 4% respectively. The producer noted ‘solid’ shipments in Eastern Europe and signs of recovery in Central Europe.

Buzzi confirmed its 2025 guidance for operating results in line with 2024.

Denmark: Cementir Holding subsidiary Aalborg Portland Cement has awarded Christian Pfeiffer an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the installation of a QDK-T 250-Z high-efficiency separator for Cement Mills 8 and 9 at its Rørdal plant. The equipment will integrate both mills into a shared separator system, in order to increase their total capacity and facilitate the production of new cements. The upgrade also includes the installation of a single replacement bucket elevator, two air slides with integrated flow impact meters and a bag filter system. Commissioning is scheduled for 2026.

Christian Pfeiffer’s Product Line Manager Cement, Juan Camilo Vanegas Aguirre, said “This was the first EPC offer jointly prepared by our team in Chennai, and reaching this agreement after two years of collaboration is a real achievement.”

Switzerland/US: Holcim’s shareholders have approved all proposals at the group’s annual general meeting in Zug, Switzerland. A key proposal was the planned spin-off of the producer’s North American business as US-based Amrize. Holcim will now make a special distribution of one Amrize share for every Holcim share. Amrize shares are due to list on the SIX Swiss Exchange the New York Stock Exchange as AMRZ from June 2025.

Holcim says that over 99% of voters favoured the spin-off proposal.

UK: John King Chains has been honoured with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade - its first King’s Award, following a Queen’s Award in 2020.

The award was officially announced on Tuesday 6 May 2025, and John King Chains is delighted to be one of just 197 organisations nationally recognised this year for outstanding achievement.

Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, John King Chains has built a proud legacy of engineering excellence. Now a fifth-generation family-owned manufacturer, the company continues to experience strong international growth, supported by ongoing investment in its people and British manufacturing facilities.

Managing Director William Wadsworth commented:

"Receiving the King’s Award is a truly proud moment for everyone at John King Chains, and we are honoured to receive this prestigious accolade, particularly as the company approaches its 100-year anniversary next year of British manufacturing. It reflects the incredible effort our team puts in every day to deliver world-class products and services to our international customer base."

International markets have been a key driver of growth for John King Chains group, with the company continuing to achieve year-on-year expansion. Today, operations span four continents, enabling the business to better serve customers worldwide.

Continued investment in people, technology and UK manufacturing facilities has been fundamental to John King Chains' international success. As the company prepares to celebrate its centenary, winning the King’s Award marks a powerful milestone that highlights what can be achieved through hard work, innovation and dedication.

Now in its 59th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise are the United Kingdom’s most prestigious business accolades and a globally recognised mark of excellence, making this achievement a proud moment in John King Chains' history and a testament to the commitment and passion of its entire team.

Italy: Cementir reported revenues of €368m in the first quarter of 2025, down slightly from 2024. The company said this was despite the reduction in sales volumes in many regions and negative currency exchange effects in Egypt and Türkiye. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also fell slightly to €66.4m from €66.5m. Profit before tax dropped by 48% year-on-year to €30.3m from €56.7m previously.

Cement and clinker sales declined by 6% to 2.24Mt, due to the Turkish government’s ban on exports to Israel active from the second quarter of 2024, as well as the general decline in the ‘main geographical areas’, with the exception of Malaysia, Egypt and China. Ready-mixed concrete volumes rose by 2%, while aggregates remained stable.

Chair and CEO Francesco Caltagirone said “Notwithstanding a modest reduction in cement sales volumes, group revenues for the first quarter of 2025 are in line with the same period of last year, as is EBITDA, which at constant exchange rates would instead have grown by 7.5% over 2024. Despite the current phase of significant geopolitical and trade uncertainty, we are keeping our industrial targets unchanged and continue on our decarbonisation path.”

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has formed a strategic partnership with paper mill Norske Skog Golbey to integrate ash from paper residue incineration into its clinker-free cement. The partners have been collaborating since January 2024 and the first shipment of paper ash for large-scale use was sent in May 2025, after successful testing.