India: JSW Cement has entered the competition to acquire a 38% stake in Orient Cement from the CK Birla Group, against UltraTech Cement and Adani Group. UltraTech Cement is reportedly in advanced discussions with CK Birla, having proposed a share price range of US$4.18 - 4.48, which places the enterprise value at US$872m-931m. The Adani Group has also expressed interest in acquiring Orient Cement, although their negotiations have been hindered by valuation disputes and environmental clearance issues.

India: The board of Shiva Cement has approved plans to build a 1Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Sambalpur in Odisha. The unit will be built with Bhushan Power and Steel at one of its operating sites. As part of the deal Shiva Cement, a subsidiary of JSW Cement, has the option to buy the plant for US$45m. Approval from the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and other relevant governmental authorities will be required to set up the plant.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building says that a mechanical issue with a cement carrier ship is causing operational business for its Golden Bay Cement subsidiary. The Marine Vessel Aotearoa Chief (MVAC) ship is currently docked at Northport while inspections and repairs are made by the owner. The New Zealand Herald newspaper has reported that the ship is owned by China Navigation Company, an operating arm of the Hong Kong-based Swire. The ship normally transports cement around the North Island from Golden Bay’s cement plant near Whangārei. The cement producer added that “The timeframe required to make the necessary repairs and source replacement parts, is not known at this time.” Fletcher Building’s preliminary assessment is that it expects the impact on its 2025 financial year earnings to be up to US$18m.

Golden Bay has enacted its contingency plans to cope with the outage and is talking to its customers. It is using alternative transport options to distribute cement. including the use of an existing coastal barge and the greater use of road and rail options. The company is also investigating longer-term solutions, which include potentially sourcing the use of alternative cement supplies from domestic and offshore suppliers along with securing the use of a replacement ship if required.

China: China Energy Engineering (CEEC) has announced the completion of reliability testing for ‘CarbonBox’, Asia's ‘largest direct air capture device by capacity’, according to the company. Developed jointly by a CEEC subsidiary and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, CarbonBox can reportedly capture over 600t/yr of CO₂. This technology will help to contribute to the production of green methanol and aviation fuel. The device aims to reduce the traditionally high energy consumption and costs associated with direct air capture devices.

A recent report by the Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21 and two other institutes revealed that China is advancing in CCUS deployment, with nearly 100 planned and operational projects.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has released its financial results for the second quarter of 2024. It noted a 2% year-on-year decline to €5.5bn, down from €5.6bn in the same period in 2023. However, the company achieved a 5% increase in its result from current operations (RCO), which increased by €40m to €971m. Heidelberg Materials stated that it experienced a moderated slowdown in volumes across all business lines compared to the first quarter of 2024 due to weak activity in the construction sector and adverse weather conditions. The company maintains its 2024 financial year RCO forecast to be between €3bn and €3.3bn.

Ukraine: The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has stipulated that CRH must transfer 25-28% of shares in Dyckerhoff Cement Ukraine to an independent investor as a condition for its purchase of two Buzzi cement plants. In June 2023, CRH agreed to acquire parts of Buzzi's business in Eastern Europe, including the Ukrainian assets Volyn-Cement and YUGcement. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is expected to be the investor receiving the shares, following a mandate letter signed with CRH in December 2023. Additionally, CRH will be required to report regularly to the AMCU on production and pricing for the next five years and is expected to invest in the modernisation and expansion of the acquired plants while retaining jobs and improving working conditions.

South Africa: PPC has warned of increased risks from substandard cement in the South African market, advocating for state intervention to protect the local industry from unfair competition. The broader South African cement industry continues to face challenges from dumped imports and locally blended variants, with latest Cement Import Montior research from March 2024 cautioning that local cement cement producers may be forced to mothball plants, putting thousands of jobs on the line as the number of cheap cement imports rises. PPC plans to engage with the South African Bureau of Standards for stricter compliance testing. Its recovery strategy includes exiting non-core businesses and major structural adjustments, aiming for tangible results in two years but resulting in possible in job cuts.

Vietnam: Vietnam produced 104.1Mt of cement in the first seven months of 2024, marking a 1% increase year-on-year, as reported by the General Statistics Office (GSO). In July 2024, the country's cement output is estimated at 15.2Mt, a rise of 7% compared to July 2023.

Germany: The University of Trier is transforming post-consumer materials into ‘ecological’ cement through a new research project that aims to find sustainable alternatives for the construction industry. The project involves using low-CO₂ industrial post-consumer materials as alternative cement binders, such as sludge from gravel and sand mining, as well as dust from quartzite extraction. The research will run for two years and is supported by the German Federal Environment Foundation.

India: UltraTech Cement, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla, has purchased a 33% stake in India Cements for US$472m. UltraTech now controls a 55% stake and plans to make an open offer for a further 20% at US$4.66 per share. The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals, values India Cements at approximately US$1.39bn and could increase UltraTech's holding to 75.49%, according to The Northlines news.