Displaying items by tag: GCW740

Germany: Spot, the autonomous robotic dog developed by Boston Dynamics, has joined operations at Heidelberg Materials’ Leimen grinding plant, taking on regular inspection duties to support on-site engineering teams. Equipped with advanced sensors and digital tools, Spot independently navigates buildings, monitors machine thresholds, detects anomalies and leaks early, and captures inspection data for real-time decision-making. The robot has already covered more than 4km autonomously, completed more than 20 inspection rounds, and recorded over 700 inspection points across the plant’s machines and equipment.

The team will now focus on validating Spot’s data, optimising its routes and expanding its inspection coverage.

India: Deccan Cements has issued a notice to the National Stock Exchange of India that its ‘Line-3’ cement plant has been successfully commissioned, with commercial production officially commencing on 15 December 2025. Following the commissioning, the company’s total cement production capacity now stands at 4Mt/yr.

France: Ecocem has welcomed the publication of a new European Assessment Document (EAD) on blended cements, confirming that the company’s ACT low-carbon technology meets recognised technical requirements for the European construction market. The EAD enables Ecocem and other low-carbon cement producers to pursue the European Technical Assessment (ETA) route and obtain CE marking for market access.

Ecocem’s ACT product reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 70% compared to conventional cement, and received ETA 23-0877 in December 2023, issued by Cerema. Ecocem is currently building the first production line for ACT at its new €50m facility in Dunkirk, France, which is planned to begin commercial operation in late 2026. This is part of a wider €226m investment programme to expand the company’s production facilities by 2030.

India: UltraTech Cement has awarded Fuller Technologies the contract to supply two high-capacity clinker coolers for its upcoming production lines at Pali Cement Works in Rajasthan and Vikram Cement Works in Madhya Pradesh. Each cooler will have a capacity of 12,000t/day of clinker.

Türkiye: Batıçim–Batı Anadolu Çimento has secured a positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) decision from the İzmir Governorship for its proposed clinker grinding and packing plant in Aliağa, İzmir. The US$20.4m project will utilise a cement grinding mill with a capacity of 250t/hr, supported by four packing units (180t/hr each), 12 bulk loading units (150t/hr each), a 300t/hr crusher, and two 1000t ash silos. Total production capacity is projected at 3.5Mt/yr. Construction is expected to be completed within one year.

The Gambia: The managing director of Jah Oil, Momodou Hydara, has attributed the ongoing cement shortage in the country to external constraints, including the shallow channel at the Port of Banjul and weather-related disruptions to operations. Hydara said that large vessels cannot dock at the port, and that smaller boats are facing delays due to adverse weather conditions. The shortage has disrupted construction activity and increased retail prices of cement across the country. The shortage has also been attributed to the government's April 2024 decision to increase import tariffs on bagged cement from Senegal.

Hydara said that Jah Oil has sufficient capacity to meet domestic demand. “As we speak, we have two ships at sea carrying 55,000t and 59,500t of cement each, and another carrying 55,000t en route to Banjul,” he said. The two ships contain approximately three million bags of cement, which would cover the monthly consumption of 30,000t. To ease pressure on port operations, Jah Oil has acquired two seagoing vessels, each with a 4000t capacity, to help offload cement from larger ships offshore.

Jah Oil is investing in its production capacity, with a new plant in Farafenni producing 100,000 bags per day, while another in Bafuloto, which can produce 200,000 bags per day, is nearing completion.

Bolivia: Cement production and sales in October 2025 increased month-on-month by 6% and 10%, respectively, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). Production rose from 355,167t in September 2025 to 378,669t in October 2025, while sales climbed from 336,917t to 373,885t, an increase of 11%. Compared to October 2024, cement production rose by 4% to 378,335t, up from 363,784t. Sales also increased slightly year-on-year by 0.3%, or 1175t.

From January to October 2025, cement production was 3.38Mt, a 0.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. However, total sales during the 10-month period fell slightly to 3.28Mt, down from 3.33Mt in the previous year. La Paz continues to lead in cement production with 1.03Mt, while Santa Cruz leads in sales with 883,430t as of October. INE data shows that Bolivia reached an all-time cement production record of 4.06Mt and sales of 4.10Mt in 2024.

Global: Cement and clinker shipments rose by 13% year-on-year between January and November 2025, supported by a 39% increase in deliveries to Africa’s Atlantic coast, according to World Cargo News. BIMCO shipping analysis manager Filipe Gouveia attributed the growth to ‘strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation and significant infrastructure development’ across the region, which is largely import-dependent due to limited domestic clinker production capacity.

“Clinker capacity is particularly limited; although grinding facilities exist, manufacturers still rely on imported clinker, sustaining bulk shipments,” said Gouveia.

Beyond Africa, cement exports increased across East and Southeast Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America, while clinker volumes remained broadly stable. Asian producers, particularly China and Vietnam, have boosted low-priced exports amid overcapacity and weak demand.

“Chinese seaborne exports have more than doubled, up by 135% year-on-year, as domestic construction activity declines amid the country’s property crisis,” said Gouveia. “Vietnamese exports have grown by 16% year-on-year, maintaining Vietnam’s position as the world’s largest exporter with a 27% share of global shipments.”

The US, the world’s largest importer, saw only a 3% rise in shipments, despite recent tariff hikes. Gouveia said that imports from Vietnam and Türkiye have risen by 27% and 14% respectively, despite tariff increases, noting that US clinker production fell by 7% year-on-year from January-July 2025. Gouveia concluded that the global outlook for cement and clinker shipments remains positive, with African demand and intense price competition supporting trade, but cautioned that US building permits fell by 5% year-on-year between January-August 2025, indicating that US demand could slow in the short term.

Australia: Boral has received US$16.6m in funding from the New South Wales Government to support an alternative fuel project at its Berrima Cement Works, aiming to reduce emissions and accelerate decarbonisation in cement manufacturing. The project will transition the kiln from coal to lower-carbon alternative fuels, with a target of 60% thermal energy substitution. Over its service life, the initiative is expected to reduce Scope 1 emissions by 1.6Mt. It will also divert an estimated 73,000t/yr of waste from landfill.

The grant was awarded under the NSW Government’s High Emitting Industries Grant programme, which supports manufacturing and mining facilities to develop and deploy decarbonisation projects to reduce emissions by 2030. Boral said that about 35% of its Scope 1 emissions come from fuel combustion, with the rest being process emissions from calcination during clinker production.

“This project will enable us to build technical and operational capabilities to sustainably achieve significant emissions reductions,” said Vik Bansal, Boral CEO and Managing Director. “We look forward to sharing our findings across the sector and helping to preserve and strengthen Australia’s domestic cement manufacturing capability for generations to come.”

Norway: Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe has announced the launch of a new methanol-powered cement carrier in partnership with the Hartmann Group and the Norwegian NOx Fund. The vessel is scheduled to begin operation in Norway in the first quarter of 2028. It is expected to cut CO₂ emissions by up to 6000t/yr compared to conventional fossil-fuel ships. The vessel was selected following a competitive tender involving six shipping companies. The Hartmann Group will design, own and operate the vessel, with Cyprus-based InterMaritime providing technical management after delivery. In early 2025, Heidelberg Materials applied for financial support, and the project received US$5.9m from the Norwegian NOx Fund, without which the vessel would reportedly have been too costly to develop.

Knut Omreng, director of logistics at Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe, said “This vessel cuts emissions by 80% and increases our overall transport efficiency. A 10-year contract signals our willingness to support innovation and build lasting partnerships.”