France/Syria: Lafarge SA, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has been placed under judicial investigation over its actions in Syria between 2011 and 2014. It has been accused of complicity in crimes against humanity and financing terrorism, according to the Agence France Presse.

LafargeHolcim said that would appeal against the charges. It admitted that the system of supervision of its Syrian subsidiary did not allow the company to identify wrongdoing. However, it blamed this on “…an unprecedented violation of internal regulations and compliance rules by a small group of individuals who have left the group.”

“We truly regret what has happened in the Syria subsidiary and after learning about it took immediate and firm actions. None of the individuals put under investigation is today with the company,” said the chairman of the board of LafargeHolcim, Beat Hess.

Non-government organisation (NGO) Sherpa, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said it was the first time that a parent company anywhere in the world had been charged with complicity in crimes against humanity. A panel of three judges in Paris has ordered Lafarge to pay over Euro30m as a security deposit ahead of the trial. Eight former executives, including ex-chief executive officer (CEO) Bruno Lafont, have already been charged in connection to the investigation.

India: UltraTech Cement has commissioned a 1.75Mt/yr grinding unit at its Manawar plant in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh. The main part of the 2.5Mt/yr integrated plant was commissioned in April 2018. A 13MW waste heat recovery unit is also being built at the site.

China: The city of Wuhu has suspended cement production for local producers for six days. Anhui Conch, South Cement and Leida Cement have all been affected, according to Hexun. Local production is expected to drop by 0.5Mt/yr.

Colombia: Cemex Colombia plans to grow its additives production to 9.7ML in 2018. The building materials producer says it is the only local manufacturer of producing aggregate, cement and additives, according to the La Republica newspaper. It produces additives to enhance the properties of cement and concrete. It also supplies additives to other companies with around 11% aimed at third parties in Latin America.

Switzerland: 2016 data published by the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) from its Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) report shows no change in CO₂ emissions in recent years. Gross specific CO₂ emissions from cementitious products rose slightly from 2014 and net specific emissions have remained the same. However, the data shows considerable improvement since a baseline in 1990 with both metrics falling by over 15%.

Other notable figures from the latest report include an 11% year-on-year drop in clinker volumes to 606Mt in 2016 from 680Mt in 2015 and a 12% fall in cementitious volumes to 818Mt from 916Mt. Kiln fuel use, specific electricity use and the percentage of clinker in cement all rose slightly. However, the percentage of alternative fuels used increased to 16.7% from 15.9%.

The GNR report presents information on energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions from the worldwide cement industry. Participants use the CSI CO₂ and Energy Accounting and Reporting Standard for the Cement Industry to provide information and 80% of the data provided is independently assured. The report uses information from 849 cement manufacturing plants around the world, both integrated and cement grinding units, representing 19% of global cement production.

Kenya: Samson, a subsidiary of Aumund Group, has delivered four hoppers with ATEX certification to the Port of Mombasa operated by the Kenya Port Authority. The new equipment will be used to import clinker, coal and gypsum to the site. Peak rates of 700t/hr per hopper are expected to considerably improve the import capabilities of the port.

The hoppers are decked with inlet grills with suction capacity, a reverse-jet cleaning system, air compressors, a flex-flap filtration system creating a pressure differential between the inner and outer hopper areas and dust filters on three sides of the hopper. The hoppers are mobile with powered travel and crabbing functionality which lets them be positioned alongside a vessel for unloading and which will allow them to be manoeuvred off the quay and freeing up space when not required. Samson says that these are the first ecological hoppers to be provided with ATEX certification.

This equipment was sourced to fulfil the aims of TradeMark East Africa - Kenya Port Authority Port Resilient Infrastructure Programme to improve port facilities whilst minimising the environmental impact of port operations.

India: Shree Cement has commissioned the cement grinding mill at its Kodla cement plant in Karnataka. The mill has a cement production capacity of 3Mt/yr. The new integrated plant was proposed in early 2017 with a clinker production capacity of 2.8Mt/yr. It had an investment of US$260m and was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

Philippines: Global Ferronickel is considering building a cement plant to take advantage of the government’s rapid infrastructure development programs.
Company president Dante Bravo said that its Cagdianao mine showed potential for limestone, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. The mining company is considering options to maximize the investment from its reserves.

Vietnam: Cement exports rose by 50% year-on-year to over 15Mt in the first half of 2018. Estimates from the Construction Materials Department of the Ministry of Construction shows that the country consumed 51.4Mt of cement, an increase of 25%, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. Cement inventory was 3.1Mt or equivalent to 14 - 15 days of production. High local consumption has been attributed to good weather and growing exports have been attributed to a halt in cement production in a number of cities in China.

Nigeria: The Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) plans to merge with Kalambaina Cement, a subsidiary of BUA Cement. CCNN operates a 0.5Mt/yr plant at Sokoto and Kalambaina Cement runs a 1.5Mt/yr plant, also in Sokoto state, according to the This Day newspaper. The merger is intended to improve CCNN’s competitiveness locally and take advantage of the newly-built Kalambaina Cement plant.