Displaying items by tag: growth

Brazil: Cement sales were 6.3Mt in October 2025, up by 7% year-on-year, according to preliminary data from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Between January and October 2025, cumulative sales reached 56.6Mt, marking a 3.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Shipments per working day averaged 252,300t, up by 5% year-on-year.

The sector’s performance reflected the contradictory macroeconomic scenario, which combined strong employment and infrastructure activity with high interest rates, rising defaults and household indebtedness.

SNIC reaffirmed its 2025 growth projection of 2-3%, supported by the continued strength of the government’s ‘Minha Casa, Minha Vida’ housing programme, which is expected to generate an additional demand of 2.5-3Mt/yr of cement, as well as continued investments in infrastructure.

Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC, said “The Brazilian cement industry has a long history of acting with environmental, social and economic responsibility. Shortly after implementing the sector's mitigation roadmap in 2019, we renewed our commitment to decarbonisation with a proposal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The roadmap covers the entire cement value chain, supported by the development of alternative fuels and raw materials, energy efficiency, carbon capture, storage and use, as well as nature-based solutions. Technology and innovation play a central role, with the active participation of academia, funding agencies and the construction supply chain.”

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.”

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa recorded sales of US$533bn in the first nine months of 2025, up by 63% year-on-year from US$327m. Its operating profit more than doubled to US$204m, from US$88.9m in the first nine months of 2024. The company grew its profit after tax to US$142m, more than triple its nine-month 2024 figure of US$41.1m. The producer attributed the growth to an increase in sales volumes and operational efficiency gains.

CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said "Building on the performance from previous quarters, the third quarter of 2025 showcased our cost discipline, strategic market positioning, unwavering commitment to value creation and strong operational efficiency – demonstrated by a 7% year-on-year improvement in capacity utilisation."

India: Aditya Birla Group subsidiary UltraTech Cement will invest US$1.23bn to grow its cement production capacity by 10% to 241Mt/yr. The company’s board has approved new plant projects and expansions amounting to 22.8Mt/yr of additional capacity, scheduled to begin coming online from the start of the 2028 financial year on 1 April 2027.

Chair Kumar Mangalam Birla said “The latest capacity expansion follows US$5.69bn invested in the past five years. The investment reflects the company’s confidence in the Indian economy and the scale of its infrastructure ambitions. When capital is deployed strategically, it energises ecosystems, deepens industrial linkages and creates durable employment. As India enters a transformative era of infrastructure and economic development, UltraTech is well-positioned to meet the rising demand for cement.”

India: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has approved a reduction in GST on cement, lowering the rate from 28% to 18%. The new rate will come into effect from 22 September 2025, a move expected to reduce capital costs for infrastructure projects and improve cash flows for developers. The structural boost is expected to accelerate cement demand growth to 8–9% per year over the next two financial years from 6-8% previously estimated.

India: Management guidance for Indian cement demand growth in the 2026 financial year for ‘most companies’ in the sector was 6 – 7% year-on-year.

In the 2025 financial year, UltraTech Cement and JK Cement raised their cement sales volumes by 17% and 15% year-on-year respectively, due to to demand recovery and the effects of new acquisitions. Ambuja Cement’s volumes grew by 13%, while Dalmia Cement Bharat’s fell by 2% and Ramco Cements’ by 5%.

The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the all-India cement capacity ended the 2025 financial year at 655Mt/yr, up by 5% year-on-year. 60Mt/yr-worth of new cement production capacity is due to come online later in the 2026 financial year, which would increase that figure by a further 9%.

India: ICRA expects cement volumes to grow by 6-7% in the 2026 financial year, following a 6% rise in 2025, driven by housing and infrastructure demand. Capacity additions are forecast to increase to 43-45Mt/yr from 32-35Mt/yr in 2025. Eastern and northern regions will lead the expansion, with 22–24Mt/yr of new grinding capacity.

The assistant vice president of corporate ratings, Abhishek Lahoti, added “The southern region, despite an oversupply of capacity, is experiencing significant capacity additions by large cement companies as it is operating at optimal utilisation levels and intends to maintain its market share in the near term. Overall, the industry’s capacity utilisation is likely to remain stable at 70% in the 2026 financial year, similar to the previous financial year, on an expanded base.”

India: UltraTech Cement has projected that India’s cement demand will surpass 640Mt by the 2030 financial year, driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7-8% between the 2024 and 2030 financial years.

According to industry research and estimates, cement demand for the financial year ending 31 March 2024 stood at 424Mt. The growth is expected to be supported by rising infrastructure development and construction activity across the country.

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement's sales declined by 0.8% year-on-year to US$1.09bn in the first nine months of the 2025 financial year. Nonetheless, the producer succeeded in raising its pre-tax profit, by 16%, to US$44.9m. The company forecasts full-year sales of US$1.47bn (up by 0.6%) and profit of US$54.4m (down by 2%), maintaining previous estimates.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) has forecast a 5% year-on-year rise in its full-year revenues due to economic revival and the government’s current stimulus package. President and CEO Thammasak Sethaudom said that increased customer purchasing power in Vietnam will raise SCG’s local cement and building material sales

SCG’s additional focuses will be on entering the Australia and North America markets and developing its high value-added products segment.