Global Cement News

Egypt: Ayat Zanaty has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Holcim subsidiary Lafarge Egypt. Zanaty will be the first woman in the position, advancing Lafarge Egypt’s NextGen2030 strategy.

Zanaty has worked for Lafarge Egypt since 2008, most recently as Senior Manager – Financial Planning Analysis. She holds a bachelor’s of business administration degree in Finance and Marketing from The American University in Cairo.

US: James Hardie has appointed Samara Toole as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Toole will lead marketing strategy and execution across the company’s James Hardie, TimberTech and AZEK Exteriors brands. She brings over 20 years’ consumer product industry experience, including as CMO of outdoor living products company The AZEK Company and home furnishings company California Closets and as Senior Vice President Marketing at interior design company Serena & Lily.

Business Wire News has reported that James Hardie CEO Aaron Erter said "Under Sam's leadership, we will continue to elevate our marketing capabilities, deepen customer engagement and successfully expand our market presence across North America."

Toole said "My focus is on showcasing the beauty, performance and sustainability of our products to drive growth across the entire value chain."

Kazakhstan: Construction has begun on a US$222m cement plant in the Alginsky district of the Aktobe region, developed in partnership with West China Cement. The facility will have a production capacity of 2Mt/yr and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Around 1000 workers are reportedly engaged in site preparation, including laying utility lines and building a dormitory for personnel. Once operational, the plant will create approximately 500 permanent jobs, according to Kazakhstan Newsline.

Regional governor Askhat Shakharov, during a visit to the site, said that the project will play a key role in boosting the region’s industrial capacity and strengthening cooperation with China. “The implementation of this project will help reduce dependence on cement imports and supply the domestic market with building materials. The main thing is to conduct the construction according to the schedule and in compliance with all technological requirements,” he said.

India: JSW Cement, part of JSW Group, has commissioned a 1Mt/yr cement grinding unit at Sambalpur, Odisha, through its subsidiary Shiva Cement. The addition raises JSW’s total installed capacity to 21.6 Mt/yr. According to the company, the new facility will help meet rising cement demand in eastern India. The project was developed and financed by Shiva Cement under a commercial arrangement with Bhushan Power and Steel, and will produce cement exclusively for Shiva Cement’s use and consumption.

JSW Cement CEO Nilesh Narwekar said “The eastern region of the country is poised for exponential growth in the coming years. This new state-of-the-art facility in Sambalpur marks a significant milestone in our journey to expand and consolidate our position in this market,” he said.

JSW Cement currently operates seven manufacturing plants across India, including one integrated unit, one clinker plant and five grinding units.

France: Cement producer Eqiom has inaugurated a €2.5m pilot station for the continuous injection of alternative fuels at its Rochefort-sur-Nenon plant. The new facility enables the injection of wood fines - treated wood residues sourced from local sawmills - directly into the kiln at a rate of 5000t/yr.

The facility has reduced its coal use from 30,000t/yr to 8000t/yr. Currently, more than 70% of the plant’s kiln fuel comes from alternative sources, with the site now targeting 80%. Since the 1990s, the plant has successively used liquid chemical waste, animal meal and solid recovered fuels (SRF), which together accounted for 50,000t in 2024. Eqiom is also developing new cement types with lower clinker content by incorporating more pozzolans, as part of its broader decarbonisation efforts.

Pierre Bernard, Eqiom’s head of cement manufacturing, noted that national cement production fell from 20Mt/yr in 2022 to 15Mt/yr in 2024, equivalent to 1960 levels, due to a decline in construction activity.