Mexico: Cemex reported earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$794m in the first quarter of 2026, up by 34% year-on-year, while net sales increased by 3% on a like-for-like basis, to US$4bn. It reported a ‘strong performance’ for the period, supported by a cement volume recovery in Mexico and a disciplined pricing strategy. The company said that EBIT rose by 40% year-on-year, supported by operational efficiencies, pricing strategy and improved cost structure, while net income would have nearly doubled in the quarter, excluding a prior-year one-off gain from the sale of its operations in the Dominican Republic.

It said that the US showed ‘resilience’ despite adverse weather, with growth in ready-mix and aggregates volumes and continued benefits from Project Cutting Edge. EMEA reported double-digit EBITDA growth driven by cost discipline and pricing, while South, Central America and the Caribbean achieved double-digit EBITDA growth supported by higher volumes and ongoing transformation benefits.

CEO Jaime Muguiro said “I am very pleased with our first-quarter results, which reflect the ongoing benefits of our transformation and a structurally stronger Cemex with a more resilient earnings profile. Despite the uncertain global backdrop, our self-help measures under Project Cutting Edge that we have put into place coupled with strong first quarter results, give me confidence on our full‑year high-single-digit EBITDA growth guidance.”

US: ARIA Cybersecurity has signed an agreement to deploy its AZT Protect system at a cement plant operated by one of the largest US cement producers, according to the company’s release. It said that the producer “became concerned that attacks would get through IT network defences and take down critical production systems.” The company said that the system has been laboratory tested and will secure production systems by preventing unauthorised processes and protecting critical applications, while allowing deployment without the need for downtime. The technology reportedly meets CISA and IEC requirements for endpoint protection and can be installed across a plant in one day.

The unnamed director of operations at the plant said “Cement production is a margin-focused business - any improvement in operating costs is highly desirable. We validated ARIA's claims after a thorough testing and pilot process. AZT passed them all.”

Gary Southwell, president of ARIA Cybersecurity, said “AZT Protect provides a lock-down approach to protecting critical infrastructure applications from unintended updates as well as stopping all forms of malware, ransomware and nation-state backed attacks, including the recent Iranian-backed attacks targeting US industry."

Once the deployment is complete, ARIA plans to expand to the ‘100s of other sites’ in the producer’s sister organisation.

Switzerland: Holcim reported sales of €3.83bn in the first quarter of 2026, up by 4% on an organic basis, while recurring EBIT rose by 8% to €469m. It closed five acquisitions during the quarter, including a majority stake in Cementos Pacasmayo, and signed an agreement to acquire assets from Cemex in Colombia. It also divested operations in Lebanon, comprising activities in Cyprus.

The company said that growth was also supported by demand for low-CO₂ products, with ECOPlanet cement accounting for 39% of cement sales, up from 35% in the previous corresponding quarter, and ECOPact concrete reaching 31% of ready-mix sales. Recycled construction materials volumes increased by 24%. The company confirmed its 2026 outlook, targeting sales growth of 3-5% and recurring EBIT growth of 8-10%.

Austria: Baumit has commissioned a new raw meal mill at its Wopfing plant, following an investment of €22.6m. The company said that the upgrade reduces electricity demand by around 2500MWh/yr, improving energy efficiency and operational reliability in the cement production process.

Managing directors Manfred Tisch and Georg Bursik said “We are modernising a key step in the cement production process so that we can produce more reliably, with less maintenance, and with significantly lower susceptibility to downtime in the long term. At the same time, the new raw meal mill noticeably improves the energy balance – without compromising quality or process stability.”