Philippines: Germany-based TÜV Nord has awarded three ISO certificates to Philcement Corporation's Bataan cement bagging plant and distribution centre in Mariveles. The facility achieved an ISO 9001:2015 for quality management, an ISO 45001:2018 for occupational health and safety management and an ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management.

Philcement Corporation, a subsidiary of PHINMA Corporation, previously secured a loan towards an upgrade to the Bataan terminal in September 2022.

Chair Ramon del Rosario Junior said “As we continue to provide a reliable and consistent supply of cement products of good quality, these ISO certifications attest to PHINMA, Philcement and our partners’ expertise in this industry. These give us even greater confidence in our operations and especially in the products that we offer our customers."

South/Central America: Holcim Latinoamérica says that it expects to use 18% renewable power across its operations in February 2023, compared to 8% throughout 2022. The regional unit of Holcim says that it will increase its share of renewable power to 25% by the end of 2023. It is committed to a target of 60% renewables by 2030. Holcim Latinoamérica's operations span Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico.

Earlier in February 2023, Holcim Nicaragua commenced construction of a 3.38MW solar power plant in Nagarote, León Department. The producer said that the solar power plant's contribution to the national grid will cover 40% of its consumption in its cement operations there.

Holcim's Latin America regional head Oliver Osswald said “Our world is in constant change from population growth, urbanisation and the climate challenge. That is why, at Holcim, we are determined to put our best foot forward to accelerate low carbon circular construction."

Germany: ScrapeTec will present its latest generation DustScrape dust management system at the SOLIDS Dortmund bulk handling technologies exhibition in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. ScrapeTec says that the new model boasts increased box robustness and is specifically designed for use in closed transfers with high material pressure. It works without the use of energy and also saves energy by enabling users to switch off existing dust extraction systems.

Switzerland: CDP, a non-profit organisation that helps industrial players improve their environmental performance, has recognised Holcim's sustainability achievements with an award for a double ‘A’ ranking in climate and water management. The double ‘A’ award, a first for any cement producer, was handed over at the 2023 CDP Europe Awards in Paris, France, on 16 February 2023.

Magali Anderson, Holcim’s Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, said "This award is a testament to the progress that our teams around the world are making to build a net-zero future, while protecting and restoring precious freshwater resources. 2022 marks the third consecutive year that our climate actions have put us on CDP's A List, and our first ‘A’ ranking for our work on water security. I am confident we will keep the momentum going in years to come."

Malaysia: UEM Group, an infrastructure and services conglomerate, is reported to be working with financial advisers on the potential sale of Cement Industries of Malaysia (CIMA), its Malaysia based producer and distributor of cement and ready-mixed concrete. UEM is seeking a valuation of about US$230m for CIMA, which has a cement capacity of 1.3Mt/yr. Persons close to the company indicated that other producers in the Malaysian cement market had shown interest in purchasing CIMA, although a representative for UEM Group declined to comment.

US: The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded US$3.2m to Solar MEAD, a project that aims to replace fossil fuels with concentrated solar thermal (CST) energy in clinker production. Solar MEAD is jointly led by Cemex, Swiss solar fuels innovator Synhelion and Sandia National Laboratories, a research and development laboratory run by the DOE.

Synhelion’s CST technology generates hot gas at 1500°C, high enough to produce clinker without any thermal fuels. Cemex and Synhelion produced a batch of clinker with CST in a research setting in Spain in 2022. In the Solar MEAD project, Sandia National Laboratories will contribute its research facilities in New Mexico and subject expertise to help accelerate the adaptation of the technology for use in cement manufacturing. The projects aims are to increase the efficiency of CST technology by improving heat transfer from the hot gas to the cement raw mix and further reduce the CO₂ emissions of the process.

Algeria: The GICA group exported a total of 3Mt of cement in 2022 for a total income of US$106m. Destinations included countries in West Africa, Latin America and Europe. The group is working, through its various subsidiaries, to increase its cement exports as part of the government's strategy aimed at diversifying non-hydrocarbon exports.

As part of this, its SCIMAT subsidiary recently obtained ISO 45001 and ISO 50001 certificates relating to health and safety and energy management standards to help it increase exports to the EU and US.

Spain: Brazilian cement producer Votorantim Cimentos has reached an agreement with Spanish renewable energy Acciona Energia to purchase a further 19% of the electricity it will need for its cement production activities in Spain until 2033. Alongside a previous contract for 6% of its electricity needs, from 2024 to 2033, this brings the proportion of renewable energy supplied by Acciona Energia to 25% of Votorantim Cimentos’ needs from the start of 2024.

Greece/Italy: The Hercules international research project, which has 27 partners from 10 countries, has been launched officially at Milan Polytechnic, Italy. Hercules, an acronym for ‘Heroes in Southern Europe to decarbonise industry with CCUS’ will test new solutions in the CO₂ capture, transport, use and storage value chain and transform them into a scalable industrial process. Buzzi Unicem and Titan Group are two of the 27 partners, alongside waste-to-energy players and developers of advanced CO₂ capture equipment. This includes ‘calcium looping’ technology from Finnish Sumitomo SHI FW and cryogenic purification technology from TPI in Italy.

A part of the pure CO₂ flow will be destined for use in production processes. These include the production of new cementitious materials that could replace conventional concrete, as well as uses in the technical gas sector. Hercules will also investigate the transport of CO₂ from the industrial capture sites to geological storage sites at Ravenna (Eni) and Prinos (Energean). The gas will be handled by Air Liquide and Titan Cement.

Germany: Holcim has signed an agreement to acquire FDT Flachdach Technologie (FDT), a leading manufacturer of thermoplastic roofs. FDT has a presence in European markets, with net sales of Euro50m in 2022. Holcim says that, as a technology and sustainability leader in its sector, FDT will complement Holcim’s integrated roofing product range and strengthen the geographical footprint of the business.

With this acquisition, Holcim roofing systems will exceed US$4bn in net sales ahead of schedule. Chief executive officer Jan Jenisch said “By acquiring FDT we are further expanding our Solutions & Products business to become a global leader in roofing systems. Due to its leadership in technology and sustainability, as well as its strong customer relationships, FDT will be a cornerstone of our continued expansion into the most attractive European roofing markets. I am excited to further grow and strengthen FDT’s business and welcome all 180 employees to the Holcim family.”