Russia: JSC Sibirsky Cement Holding Company (Sibcem), has reported that it produced 0.52Mt of cement in the three months to March 2026, 37.5% less than in the same period of 2025, when it made 0.83Mt/yr.

Production at the Topkinsky Cement plant fell by 47.4% to 0.19Mt, while Iskitimcement saw production fall by 23% to 0.16Mt. Krasnoyarsky Cement saw a fall of 33.3% to 84,200t, Angarsky Cement saw production halve to 55,800t and Timlyuisky Cement made just 38,300t, a 38% fall.

"As the rate of construction slows down significantly, demand for cement continues to decline,” said JSC Sibcem Holding Company Deputy CEO Alexander Legotin. “Analysts from our company estimate the volume of the Siberian cement market (as a whole) is down by 29.8% from the 2025 result." He said that only the Transbaikal Territory had shown growth in the January-March 2026 quarter, with a rise of 32.9% due to large investment projects. "The negative trends will remain until the end of the year and the Siberian market will decline by at least 15%," Legotin concluded.

India: In a major success for railway reforms, Indian Railways has recorded a 170% cement movement in the final four months of the 2026 Fiscal Year (FY2026) compared to the same period of FY025. The increase comes after Indian Railways introduced innovative bulk cement tanker containers and strategically-located rail terminals for improved logistics around the country.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the new system has made loading and unloading easier while also reducing material loss. Cement manufactured in one location can now move directly to consumption centres in specialised tank containers, reducing multiple handling processes and improving plant-to-market efficiency. As the containers are of a standard shape and compatible with ready-mix concrete equipment, cement reaches construction sites in ready-to-use form. This has reduced two stages of handling, leading to lower logistics costs and faster turnaround.

The minister reported that the improved cost efficiency had been particularly significant for housing demand, as it supports the goal of making housing more affordable for low and middle income families by easing pressure on construction costs across the value chain.

Such has been the success of the scheme that Indian Railways is now working on a similar reform for fly ash transportation. Reviewing the sector with senior officials, Vaishnaw urged officials to tap the vast potential in the fly ash transportation market, noting that nearly 300Mt/yr of fly ash is produced in the country, but only about 13Mt/yr is used.

Colombia: Grupo Argos said that its subsidiary Cementos Argos increased cement sales volumes by 4% year-on-year to 2.1Mt in the first quarter of 2026. Cementos Argos reported sales of US$318m and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$71m, up by 5% year-on-year. The company said that the beginning of 2026 was marked by a ‘solid performance’ in its construction materials business, and that it continues to make progress in separating Argos Materials, focused on the US market, from Argos Latam. Among its priorities for 2026, the company maintains the goal of reducing its net debt by approximately US$1bn.

Grupo Argos reported consolidated sales of US$715m, down by 7%, while EBITDA fell by 12% to US$189m and net profit declined by 21% to US$51m. It said that its cement and real estate businesses contributed a combined increase of US$18bn in EBITDA.

President of Grupo Argos Juan Esteban Calle said “The first-quarter operating results confirm the quality of our businesses and the strength of a transformation that has left Grupo Argos with a simpler structure, a focused portfolio and assets in sectors essential for development. Our task is to accelerate execution, deepen efficiency, reduce debt, strengthen business profitability and make the portfolio's value more visible to our shareholders.”

US: Eco Material Technologies, a CRH company, officially opened its new pilot processing centre and the expansion of its testing laboratory at its Materials Testing and Research Facility (MTRF) in Taylorsville, Georgia, on 14 May 2026. The supplementary cementitious material (SCM) producer and supplier said that the 1500m² facility, which includes a ball mill, classifier, rotary dryer and ES ECOsystem carbon offloading system, enables end-to-end evaluation - from beneficiation through performance testing - allowing it to rapidly and accurately assess composition and reactivity to strengthen development and durability.

“This new pilot processing centre and the expansion of our research capabilities strengthen our ability to move from innovation to implementation at scale,” said Grant Quasha, president of Eco Material Technologies. “By advancing how we process and refine diverse material streams alongside pilot production and testing of our advanced technologies, we can convert underutilised resources into reliable, high-performing cementitious products and bring those solutions to market faster. Our MTRF facility plays a central role in ensuring every material we deliver performs in the field. Combined with the additional advanced laboratory resources and expertise available at both Ash Grove and CRH, this facility is ideally positioned to lead innovation in cementitious materials and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of construction.”