Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW481 / 11 November 2020

Headlines


2020 has been a year like no other and this clearly shows in the financial results of the major cement producers so far.

The first jolt is that several major Chinese cement producers have seen their sales fall. Following a tough first quarter due to coronavirus, the Chinese industry then overcame floods in the summer, to eventually report a decrease in cement output of 1.1% year-on-year to 1.68Bnt in the first nine months of 2020. The world’s largest cement producer, CNBM, reported a slightly smaller drop in sales year-on-year in the first nine months of 2020. This relatively small fall, just below 1%, may be due to CNBM’s size and diversity of business interests. Other large Chinese producers have noted bigger losses, such as Huaxin Cement’s 9% sales decline to US$3.04bn and Jidong Cement’s 5% sales fall to US$3.8bn. However, Anhui Conch actually saw a 12% rise in sales to US$18.7bn.

Graph 1: Sales revenue from selected cement producers, Q1 - 3 2020. Source: Company reports.

Graph 1: Sales revenue from selected cement producers, Q1 - 3 2020. Source: Company reports.

Graph 2: Cement sales volumes from selected cement producers, Q1 - 3 2020. Source: Company reports.

Graph 2: Cement sales volumes from selected cement producers, Q1 - 3 2020. Source: Company reports.

LafargeHolcim’s sales look worse in Graph 1 than they really are because the group was busy divesting assets in 2019. Its net sales fell by 7.9% on a like-for-like basis to US$18.7bn in the first nine months of 2020, a rate of change similar to HeidelbergCement’s. Being a properly multinational building materials producer brings mixed benefits given that these companies have suffered from coronavirus-related lockdowns in different times in different places but they have also been able to hedge themselves from this effect through their many locations. In the third quarter of 2020, for example, LafargeHolcim was reporting recovering cement sales in its Asia-Pacific, Latin America and western/central parts of its Europe regions but problems in North America. Again, HeidelbergCement noted a similar picture with cement deliveries up in its Africa-Eastern Mediterranean Basin Group area, stable in Northern and Eastern Europe-Central Asia and down elsewhere. How the latest round of public health-related lockdowns in Europe round off a bad year remains to be seen.

The other more regional producers are noteworthy particularly due to their different geographical distribution. Cemex has seen a lower fall in sales revenue and cement sales volumes so far in 2020, possibly due to its greater presence in North America. What happens in the fourth quarter is uncertain at best, with US coronavirus cases rising and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) expecting a small decline in cement consumption overall in 2020. Along similar lines, Buzzi Unicem appears to have benefitted from its strong presence in Germany and the US, leading it to report a below 1% drop in sales revenue so far in 2020, the lowest of the decreases reported here for the western multinational cement companies.

Looking more widely, UltraTech Cement, India’s largest producer, had to contend with a near complete government-mandated plant shutdown in late March 2021. The figures presented here are calculated for comparison with other companies around the world due to the difference between the standard calendar financial year (January to December) and the Indian financial year (April to March). However, they suggest that Ultratech Cement suffered a 14% fall in sales to US$3.9bn and an 8% decline in sales volumes to 56Mt, among the worst decline of all the companies featured here. This is unsurprising given that UltraTech mostly operates in one country. Sure enough it bounced back in its second quarter (June – September 2020) with jumps in revenue, earnings and volumes.

Finally, for a view of a region that hasn’t had to face coronavirus-related economic disruption of anything like the same scale, Dangote Cement has reported solid growth so far in 2020, with rises in sales and volumes both above 5%. Economic problems at home in Nigeria have seen relatively higher growth elsewhere in Africa in recent years but now the pendulum has swung back home again. The big news has been that the company has pushed ahead with plans to turn Nigeria into a cement export hub, with a maiden shipment of clinker from Nigeria to Senegal in June 2020. The vision behind this has expanded from making Nigeria self-sufficient in cement from a few years ago into making the entirety of West and Central Africa cement and clinker ‘independent.’

The big news internationally this week was of the reported effectiveness of a Covid-19 vaccine in early trials by Pfizer and BioNTech. It might not yet make it into people’s arms at scale but it shows that the vaccine appears to work and that others in development and testing may do too. Building material manufacturer share prices didn’t rally as much as airlines or cinema chains on the news, construction has carried on after all, but this is a positive sign that normality for both health and wealth is on the way back at some point in 2021. One point to consider, given the wide regional variation with the economic effects of coronavirus, is what effect a disjointed global rollout of a vaccine or vaccines might have. A building material manufacturer dependent on a region that stamps out the virus later than other places might face an economic penalty. Recovery seems likely in 2021 but it isn’t guaranteed and the implications of the coronavirus crisis seem set to persist for a while yet. Here’s hoping for a different outlook at this point in 2021.


Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement has appointed Francisco Aguilera Mendoza as its chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from 1 December 2020. He succeeds Joe Luis Seijo Gonzalez. Aguilera Mendoza currently serves as deputy chairman and is a member of the board of directors of the company. He will continue in both of these roles.

Seijo Gonzalez has been in post since mid-2015. He will take up a new post with parent company Cemex.


India: Dalmia Bharat Group has appointed Rajiv Bansal as a Senior Executive Director in the managing director’s office. The company said that he would work with Puneet Dalmia, managing director, and Mahendra Singhi, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO), to ‘strengthen our existing goals and strategies and in formulating and implementing newer initiatives that align with the long term goals and vision of the company.’

Bansal joins Dalmia Bharat Group from DXC Technology, an IT services company, where he served as the chief financial officer (CFO) for America. Prior to DXC, he was the CFO of Ola (ANI Technologies), an India-based mobility platform and ride-hailing companies. Before joining Ola, he was the Global CFO of Infosys, an India-based IT services company. He holds over 26 years of experience across various industries including power generation, telecoms, IT services and internet start-ups. Bansal holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Calcutta University and is a chartered accountant and a cost accountant.


Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s net sales fell slightly to Euro2.41bn in the first nine months of 2020 from Euro2.42bn in the same period in 2019. Its cement sales volumes declined by 1.8% to 21.7Mt from 22.1Mt. The group said that sales volumes recovered during the third quarter of 2020 due to a rebound of demand in Italy, stability in Germany and a ‘trend reversal’ in Russia. Net sales also increased in the US during the third quarter.


Thailand: SCG’s revenue from its cement-building materials business fell by 6% year-on-year to US$4.33bn in the first nine months of 2020. The group attributed this to poor demand resulting from coronavirus-related lockdowns. However, its earnings before interest, taxation, deprecation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the division rose by 9% to US$590m due to cost savings and lower energy prices. Overall, the group reported a similar picture with sales down but earnings up. National cement sales volumes rose slightly in the third quarter of 2020.


Turkey: Çimsa’s net sales grew by 27% year-on-year to Euro175m in the first nine months of 2020. Its operating profit more than doubled to Euro37.1m. Local sales grew faster than export sales in the reporting period but export revenue remains greater than domestic revenue. Chief executive officer (CEO) Umut Zenar reflected this when he praised the company’s strong export performance despite the challenges posed by coronavirus.


Philippines: Japan-based Taiheiyo Cement has approved plans for the installation of a new 3.0Mt/yr production line at its integrated San Fernando cement plant in Cebu. The project at subsidiary Taiheiyo Cement Philippines (TCPI) will cost around US$280m.

The company said that it decided to build the upgrade in response to four-year demand growth of 30% to 32Mt/yr in 2019 from 24Mt/yr in 2015, in line with economic growth in the Philippines. It said, “Despite demand shrinking in 2020 due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, it is expected to rise again with strong gross domestic product (GDP) recovery, estimated to be 5% in 2021, and the massive infrastructure investment programme ‘Build Build Build’.”

The company added, “The new line will offer significant advantages in terms of energy efficiency and will reduce CO2 emissions from energy use in clinker production by more than 10% compared with the efficiency of the current line. Additionally, it is expected that the higher quality clinker produced with the new line will enable a reduction in the clinker factor and thereby realise a further CO2 reduction per tonne of cement produced.” The line has the potential for expansion to 5.0Mt/yr production capacity.


Oman: Raysut Cement has held the groundbreaking ceremony for its new 1.0Mt/yr Duqm grinding plant. The project will cost US$30m. Chief executive officer (CEO) Joey Ghose said that, when operational, the plant will “contribute significantly to our ambitious capacity expansion targets of 10Mt/yr by 2022, which is expected to be further scaled up to 22Mt/yr in the near future. Secondly, it will help us generate more employment opportunities, aiding our efforts to enhance social and economic progress in Oman.”

The company acquired the lease to the site in the Port of Duqm in September 2019 as part of an on-going series of ‘calibrated’ investments in “locations where demand is high and locally available additives are at close proximity.” Ghose added, “Our aim is to develop Raysut Cement into a global leader in cement manufacturing, supply and exports, and the development of Duqm is an important element in this strategy. Our expansions are dovetailed to the opportunities that exist and are upcoming in the markets we focus on, for instance in East Africa - a booming market for the next 50 years.”


Nigeria: Dangote Cement and Bua Cement have been allowed to export goods by land following a closure of land borders in mid 2019 due to smuggling. The government has granted permission for Dangote Cement to export its products to Niger and Togo, according to the Business Live newspaper. Bua Group has also received approval. However, Lafarge Africa has reportedly not yet received permission.


Tanzania: Tanga Cement says that talks with the government about a new 0.5 – 0.75Mt/yr grinding plant in Arusha are progressing. Discussions about the project with the authorities originally started in 2016, according to the Daily News newspaper. At present the cement company transports cement to the region using a freight train that was recently inaugurated.


Tanzania: Mbeya Cement, part of LafargeHolcim Tanzania, has launched Lafarge Tembo Pozzi, a pozzolana-based cement product. It is intended to replace imports of fly ash, according to the Daily News newspaper. At present the country imports 40,000t/yr of fly ash for the construction industry.


Chad: Idriss Déby, the president of Chad, says that Société Nationale de Ciment du Tchad’s (SONACIM) grinding plant at Baore will reopen in the next month. The government has paid the company a subsidy of US$9m to restart operations, according to the Alwihda newspaper. The price of cement will also be capped locally. The president previously asked SONCAIM to restart production at the unit in July 2020 following reports of cement shortages and price rises.


Uzbekistan: Cement companies produced 7.8Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2020, a rise of 2.6% year-on-year from the same period in 2019. The Trend News Agency reports that the country exported US$24.2m-worth of cement in the period, to Afghanistan, Singapore, Russia, China and Turkey. The value of its cement imports – from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Iran and Russia – exceeded this by more than double at US$870m.


Turkey: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions Turkey has launched a new 14,000m2 manufacturing and service centre including four workshop halls and offices in Ankara. The company said that the site will employ 30 people to begin with and produce and assemble steel structures, machines, components and spare and ware parts, including for the cement industry.

Managing director Can Yapan said, “This new manufacturing and service centre enables us to even better meet our customers’ increasing demand for services throughout the entire life cycle of their plants and machines.” He added, “We already started contributing Turkey’s economy with the completion and export of our first manufacturing order in October 2020.”

Plant manager Serhan Usman said, “We want to offer the best possible services to our customers. Our maintenance assistance system and performance and quality monitoring make it easier to plan and forecast plant operation. Drone inspections and 3D plant scanning, or remote inspections and remote condition monitoring are just a few more solutions of our digital service portfolio.”


Vietnam: Long Son Cement says that it has nearly completed the installation of a new kiln line at its Long Son cement plant. When commissioned in December 2020, the latest expansion will increase the plant’s capacity by 2.5Mt/yr to 7.0Mt/yr. The Việt Nam News newspaper has reported the cost of the upgrade as US$172m.

The new line is Vietnam’s 86th and brings the country’s integrated capacity to 106Mt/yr, against a domestic demand of 70Mt/yr.


South Korea: SungShin Cement has placed an order with Denmark-based FLSmidth for the supply of two HotPlate combustion devices for installation in lines three and six of its SungShin cement plant. The plant is in the transition from coal fuel to the possibility of 100% alternative fuel (AF) use in the two lines, which it plans to commission in mid and late 2021 respectively.

Team manager of production technology Cho K-R said, “With its degree of flexibility, the HotDisc allows us to substitute coal with a wide range of AFs – refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in our case. As we turn waste into energy, the HotDisc lowers our operating costs without compromising energy efficiency.”

FLSmidth previously delivered two HotDiscs to South Korea, to SsangYong’s Donghae and Yeongwool cement plants.


Australia: James Hardie’s group sales rose by 4% to US$1.36bn in the first half of its 2021 financial year from US$1.32bn in the first half of its 2020 financial year. Its adjusted earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) were US$288m, up by 11% from US$258m.

Jack Truong said, “Delivering these record results is a confirmation that the global strategy we launched in early 2019 to transform James Hardie into a high-performing, world-class organisation is on track and is accelerating. This is now the sixth consecutive quarter that our team has delivered growth above market with strong returns.”


India: JK Cement recorded sales of US$339m in the first half of the 2021 financial year, down by 3% from US$348m in the first half of the 2020 financial year. Profit after tax for the period rose by 15% to US$40.6m from US$35.4m, partly due to a 5% decrease in total expenses to US$285m from US$301.

In comments about the coronavirus pandemic the group said, “With gradual resumption of overall economic activities, operations have started moving towards normalcy."


Philippines: Phinma Group subsidiary PhilCement has committed to the adoption of the Department of Trade and Industry’s new labelling regulations for cement. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the producer agreed to cooperate with the department in the interests of the country’s construction materials’ quality and stability. This followed on from a deadlock when the department suspended cement bag printing to ensure than no new cement bags marked ‘Product of the Philippines’ were able to enter circulation containing imported cement.

In a joint statement, Phinma Group and the Department of Trade and Industry said, “DTI and Phinma Group are in full agreement that this clarity in labelling conventions would help consumers in selecting and deciding on the cement products they prefer. This will also strengthen the country’s ability to support and patronise locally manufactured products.” The department also reiterated its commitment to ensuring that all cement producers uphold consumer welfare by supplying affordable cement.


US: The Department of Energy has granted Cemex funding to “research and develop innovative carbon capture technology” at its Balcones, Texas cement plant. The company says that this will partly fund an 18-month feasibility study of partner company Membrane Technology & Research’s membrane carbon capture product at the plant. It says that, if successful, the study will be “an important advancement towards Cemex’s ambition to deliver net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) concrete globally by 2050.”

USA president Jaime Muguiro said, “At Cemex, sustainability is embedded in our operations and we are consistently looking for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint. We strive to develop and gradually adapt new technology which will help us achieve our ambition to deliver net-zero CO2 concrete to all of our customers. With this grant, we will be able to leverage our expertise to define the feasibility of implementing the membrane carbon capture technology in a cost-effective manner.”

Membrane Technology & Research has supplied membrane-based separation systems to the petrochemical, natural gas, and refining industries since 1992. Vice President of Technology Tim Merkel said, “Cement plant emissions are a good target for the CO2 capture membrane technology that we’ve been developing with Department of Energy support.” He added, “We look forward to working with Cemex on this exciting project to confirm that our technology can capture cement plant emissions at a minimal cost.”


Nigeria: Dangote Cement has reported group sales of US$2.00bn in the first nine months of 2020, up by 12% year-on-year from US$1.79bn in the first nine months of 2019. Its cement volumes rose by 7% to 19.2Mt from 18.0Mt, while its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 17% to US$934m from US$797m.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Michel Puchercos said, “Dangote Cement’s strategy to offer high quality products at competitive prices is meeting customers' expectations in Nigeria and across the continent, where we continue to deploy excellent marketing initiatives and operational excellence. We remain committed to protecting our staff and communities by being fully compliant with health and safety measures in all our territories of operation. We are focused on adapting to the rapidly evolving markets in which we operate.”

The group said, “By 2021, all our countries of operation are estimated to return to growth, and we are well positioned to capture the demand eventually driven by this economic growth. We have seen a strong recovery across our operations in the third quarter of 2020, which is our strongest third quarter to date.” It added, “Our vision is for West and Central Africa to become cement and clinker independent, with Nigeria being the main export hub. This will notably contribute to the improvement of regional trade within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region and beyond with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”


UK: Breedon Group says that it has agreed to sell 14 sites to Tillicoultry Quarries for Euro13.5m. The sale includes a cement terminal and two quarries in Scotland, and 10 ready-mix plants and an asphalt plant in England. Breedon says it is making the divestment in order to meet the concerns of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) with regard to its takeover of part of Cemex UK’s ready-mix and aggregates operations. Once completed the group expects to be able to finalise its integration of the remaining assets acquired from Cemex into its existing business.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Pat Ward said, "We are very pleased with the outcome of this process and believe it is in the interests all stakeholders. It allows Breedon to realise fair value for the assets disposed of, which, together with the people employed in them, will be in good hands under new ownership by Tillicoultry Quarries."


China: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has named Anhui Conch Cement subsidiary Chongqing Conch’s integrated cement plant in Chongqing State a National Green Factory for its “resource conservation, recycling and harmonious development.”

The company says that its efforts include “implementation of precision denitrification, wet flue gas desulfurisation, belt corridor noise reduction, electricity conversion bags, rainwater collection and other environmental protection technology reforms,” as well as co-processing domestic waste from the city of Chongqing as fuel. The plant has also undergone greening, and its 30,000 new trees form a habitat for wildlife. It said that the scenery also “greatly enhances employees' sense of happiness and gain.”


India: Dalmia Bharat’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 15% year-on-year to US$177m in the first half of the 2021 financial year, from US$154m in the first half of the 2020 financial year. Overall sales were US$591m, down by 8% from US$644m, while cement sales fell by 5% to US$567m from US$596m. The company attributed this to “a seasonal weakness of cement prices during the second quarter especially in the eastern region” in addition to a fall in volumes by 6% to 8.46Mt from 9.02Mt in the first half.

Chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Mahendra Singhi said, “The strength of our company’s foundation is visible in overall improvement in the operating metrics during the second quarter and during the first half of the 2021 financial year. Our team has truly been instrumental to our success and we are completely geared up for a successful integration of the new capacity and ramping up its utilisation levels. Our second quarter EBITDA of US$94.6m is the highest ever for the company.”


China: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has named Huaxin Cement’s Yangxin plant in Hubei province on its National Green Manufacturing 2020 list. The list includes industrial facilities that have taken successful measures towards sustainability and pollution reduction.

The company said that the plants have together invested US$15m in “dust collection system transformation, rain and sewage separation projects, mill sound insulation and noise reduction treatment, kiln bypass air release and other large-scale environmental protection projects, supplemented by “greening and cleaning” and tree planting.” It added that the plant processes 219,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), saying, “This signifies our successful transformation from a traditional cement company to a green and environmentally friendly building materials company.”


France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France says that it will continue to provide its regular service to customers as operations continue into a second national coronavirus lockdown in 2020. This was made possible by the government’s decision to permit the continuation of construction and industrial activities, according to the company.

It said, “The company has learned a lot since the containment last spring and is prepared to guarantee the best possible service for all of its markets, even under the specific conditions linked to the acceleration of the Covid-19 epidemic. All activities - cements, concretes and aggregates - will therefore operate normally throughout the country.” It added, “All our sites are now showing sufficient stock levels to deal calmly with the coming months.”


France: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim and Netherlands-based Witteveen + Bos have launched the 3D Printing Hackathon, an event in which engineering, architecture, and materials science students will compete to develop a new product leveraging 3D concrete printing technology to solve major problems in construction.

LafargeHolcim will supply concrete and provide technical mentorship to contestants. The company said that, while construction accounts for 40% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, 1.6bn people are altogether without adequate housing. “Building more with less accelerates the speed of construction and reduces a building’s footprint. Leading the way in green building solutions, LafargeHolcim is actively deploying 3D printing towards addressing these challenges.” Research and development head Edelio Bermejo added, “We need to join forces to make this ground-breaking technology a reality. Join us on this exciting adventure!”

The group is offering a prize pool of Euro15,000 and operational support for full-scale implementation of the winning 3D printing solution.


Spain: HeidelbergCement subsidiary FYM has partnered with the University of Malaga (UMA) to create a chair on climate change at the institution. The position aims “to create and promote the study, research and development of new solutions to the climate emergency and its consequences for nature and daily life.” The company said that this consists in: “deepening the knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate change in Malaga Province, investigating the possibilities of its mitigation, especially through circular economic processes, encouraging research, development and innovation within the different lines of action in the fight against climate change, setting and substantiating industry targets and promoting understanding of the effects of climate change and the different forms of mitigation and adaptation.”


Germany: HeidelbergCement recorded net sales of Euro13.1bn over the first nine months of 2020, down by 8% year-on-year from Euro14.3bn over the corresponding period of 2019. Sales fell in most regions during the nine month period but rose in Africa-Eastern Mediterranean by 4% to Euro1.31bn from Euro1.26bn. Group cement volumes totalled 17.9Mt, down by 2% from 18.3Mt, while concrete volumes fell by 12% to 4.40Mt from 5.00Mt.

Speaking of the third quarter of 2020, chair Dominik von Achten said, “HeidelbergCement has achieved an excellent result. In an environment that continues to be characterised by major regional differences and great uncertainty, we were able to increase earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by 17% in comparison to the third quarter of 2019.“ He added that the group expected earnings to grow in 2020 compared to 2019.


Pakistan: Cement producers dispatched a record 5.74Mt in October 2020. Exports rose by 12% to 875,000t from 784,000t. The Nation newspaper has reported that the figure brings Pakistan’s total dispatches for the first four months of the 2021 financial year, from 1 July 2020 to 31 October 2020, to 19.3Mt, up by 20% from 16.1Mt in the first four months of the 2020 financial year.

The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association said that cement consumption may increase further if the government rationalises duties and taxes and withdraws excise duty.


UK: Cemex UK has invested around Euro0.65m in its UK rail transport network between 1 January 2020 and 31 October 2020, upgrading the Crawley, Cambridge, Dove Holes, Salford, Selby and Sheffield railheads. The company spent Euro0.44m on the Dove Holes railhead upgrade, “extending the rail loading wall to increase the shovel loading and storage capacity and installing track working modifications to provide more flexibility to operations” at the site in Derbyshire. It said that the investments are “part of a rolling four-year development programme, with plans in place to spend similar amounts each year.” This will include further upgrades to the Sheffield and Selby railheads in 2021. The company said that the aim is “to increase safety standards and reliability while providing opportunities to grow and enhance service levels.”

David Hart, Cemex’s Supply Chain Director for UK & France, said, “As a result of the investment into our rail network this year we have been able to grow volumes and make our service more reliable, which in turn has halved our unplanned outage costs and incidents. These developments will also ensure our railheads lead the industry for safety standards and are more robust. Rail is an integral part of Cemex UK’s supply chain network and we are committed to increasing our service further, capitalising on the time, capacity and efficiency benefits this form of transport offers.”


UK: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has launched three Lafarge branded packed cement and concrete products: High Performance Concrete; Instant Concrete; and Premium Cement. The company says that the products are “a response to rising demand from merchants and their customers alike to offer more specialised packed cement solutions,” and are suited to various domestic applications.

Product manager Lee Dunderdale said, “Through our on-going engagement with builders and builders’ merchants in the UK, we’ve had growing calls to offer more specialised solutions which offer the level of superior quality our brand has become known for. As such, we’ve invested heavily in creating these additional three products, which have been purposely manufactured to provide our customers with an incredibly easy, quick and exceptional quality cement solution for a range of typical applications. We believe that these new additions - alongside our well-established packed cement range - will see us continue in our position as the one-stop-shop provider for cement product excellence here in the UK. “We’d encourage all merchants and their customers to make use of these high-quality products, which will no doubt enable even greater ease of use and convenience for busy builders and DIYers.”


UK: QMJ Group has announced 9 – 10 March 2020 as the dates for Hillhead Digital, a “multi-stream conference with an innovative exhibition platform that will allow the industry to connect and engage like never before.” Under the heading “New Horizons – Building the Recovery,” the event will feature 40 seminars and panel sessions, providing insights into “themes that will shape and transform the extractives and construction industry over the next decade,” namely digitisation, decarbonisation and infrastructure, as well as 500 virtual booths. Delegates will also be able to arrange live chats and meetings with other attendees.

QMJ Group managing director Richard Bradbury said, “With exhibitors unable to showcase their products and services at physical exhibitions over the last year, Hillhead Digital will provide a safe and dynamic platform for the community to reconnect and share all of the positive developments that will help shape the construction recovery. Our digital-format event will extend Hillhead’s international reach and increase its coverage of the technology sector and younger demographic groups. It will celebrate the enormous contribution the sector makes to the UK and provide an exciting prelude to the physical event we look forward to delivering on 22 – 24 June 2021.”