Egypt: Sinai Cement has appointed Wael Abdrabbou as Head of Finance.

Abdrabbou has worked in financial management roles at the subsidiary of France-based Vicat since 2020. Before this he held accounting roles for the bags unit of Lafarge Egypt from 2004. He eventually became the division’s Chief Accountant from 2014 to 2020. Abdrabbou holds an accounting degree from Mansoura University and a master of business administration from the Arab Academy For Banking And Financial Science.

Türkiye: Medcem Cement has appointed Emre Karabulut as Group Manager of Information Technologies and Digitalisation. He has worked in information management roles at Medcem Cement for over a decade. Prior to this he held software engineering positions with chemicals manufacturer Organik Kimya and various software companies.

France: Vicat recorded consolidated sales of €3.9bn, a year-on-year decrease of 1%, in 2024. It cited negative exchange rates, including for the Turkish Lira and Egyptian Pound. €1.16bn in sales came from its operations in France and €1bn from its US operations. It also reported earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of €783m, up by 6% year-on-year. Its Cement business underwent a 3% decline in volumes during the year, driven by declines in France and India. Demand in France reportedly reached a 25-year low. The company noted an increase in the use of alternative fuels to 36% and has set itself the target of lowering its direct specific emissions to 497kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement equivalent and to 430kg CO₂ per tonne of cement equivalent in Europe by 2030. At the end of 2024, these figures stood at 576kg and 497kg respectively.

At the end of 2024, the Group's financial structure remains ‘solid,’ with net debt down by €185m over 2024. In 2025, it will aim for an increase in sales on a like-for-like basis and ‘low single-digit’ EBITDA growth.

Guy Sidos, chair and CEO of Vicat, said "In a deteriorated environment in Europe, the group has delivered historic results. We have witnessed strong growth in the US and progress in the Mediterranean region. I am confident that 2025 will be another successful year for Vicat, thanks to continued momentum in the US, stabilisation in Europe and the first contribution from our investment in Senegal.”

Türkiye: Titan Cement has agreed to sell its 75% stake in Adocim Cimento Beton to Mugla Cimento (50%) and Yurt Cimento (25%) for US$87.5m. The assets include a cement plant, terminal and related infrastructure in eastern Türkiye.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approval. Titan Cement will retain its grinding and supplementary cementitious materials assets in other parts of the country.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building has reported its financial results for the first half of its 2025 financial year, which began on 1 July 2024. The group recorded sales of US$2.05bn, down by 7% year-on-year from US$2.21bn, and negative earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) at a loss of US$14.9m. It previously recorded a positive EBIT of US$44.1m in the corresponding first half of its 2024 financial year.

Europe: Sweden-based SaltX has signed a letter of intent with German engineering firm thyssenkrupp Polysius to collaborate on establishing 100% electric cement production facilities in Europe. The facilities will combine SaltX’s electric arc calciner (EAC) technology with thyssenkrupp Polysius’ material handling solutions.

CEO of SaltX Lina Jorheden said "Strong partnerships are essential for us to effectively implement our technology and reduce millions of tonnes of CO₂ emissions from the industrial sector. Our collaboration with thyssenkrupp Polysius is crucial for developing complementary systems to the EAC technology and building electrified facilities for our customers."

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 8% year-on-year to 1.13Mt in January 2025, according to the latest statistics from Oficemen. Consumption grew by 4% year-on-year to nearly 15Mt in the 12 months to January 2025. Exports increased by 12% year-on-year to 323,000t in January 2025, but fell by 5% year-on-year during the 12-month period.

General director Aniceto Zaragoza said "In this regard, we are cautiously observing the evolution of US tariff measures, as it is the fourth destination for Spanish cement exports, with 11% of the total. However, we are confident that sales to the intra-community market, in which Spain maintains a leading position, will remain stable."

Sweden: Heidelberg Materials has successfully operated a 300kW plasma-heated cement kiln at its Slite cement plant, which it claims is the first of its kind. The producer has achieved 54 hours of continuous operation, with 60% CO₂ concentration in the flue gas. The aim is to reach 99%.

The kiln is part of the ELECTRA project, which aims to replace traditional combustion processes with electricity-based solutions, like plasma. The project consists of 17 partners from 8 countries.

Project manager Bodil Wilhelmsson said "It looks very promising. We started the tests at the end of last year and can now say with certainty that this is the right way to go: we will be able to produce clinker with plasma."

Fuel-related CO₂ emissions from cement production are eliminated because no fuel needs to be used in the production process. Instead, CO₂ is heated to over 5000°C, where it becomes a plasma jet that heats the material in the kiln.

Wilhelmsson added "The absence of fuel in the process means that there is no ash in the product. This means that a parameter that could affect the quality of the product if it fluctuates is no longer considered. So, it looks like the quality of the clinker can actually be slightly higher in this process."

Heidelberg Materials plans to build a 1MW kiln in Skövde cement plant in 2026, where further tests will continue.

Nigeria: The Lagos State government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lafarge Africa for the collection of non-recyclable combustible waste from across the state and landfill sites for conversion into alternative fuel at Lafarge’s Ewekoro plant.

Lafarge Africa CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said “We have successfully deployed waste-to-energy solutions globally, and today, we are extending that expertise to Lagos.”

Taiwan: The government will draft carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) legislation in the second half of 2024 ‘at the earliest’, according to the Taipei Times. The measure will follow the EU's CBAM implementation in 2026, with official guidelines expected to be issued by July or August 2025.

Domestic cement and steel producers have reportedly complained to the Ministry of Environment that competing importers are not required to disclose their emissions. Subsequently, the Ministry is preparing a list of importers to be regulated. According to the Minister of Environment, Peng Chi-Ming, Taiwan imports about one-third of its cement from Vietnam, which would be subject to CBAM regulations.

The legislation will align with corresponding EU regulations and complement carbon fees for domestic producers introduced in 2024.