Indonesia: The Ministry of Industry’s Standardisation and Industrial Services Policy agency has told Indonesian cement producers that it will enact policy frameworks in line with the industry’s five-pillar cement decarbonisation strategy, LKBN News has reported. The strategy consists of: process optimisation; alternative fuels and raw materials substitution; technology upgrades; electrification/renewables and carbon capture.
US: Amrize has expanded its ‘Made in America’ cement label to four additional plants, bringing the total to nine plants across the US. The label confirms that cement is produced entirely in the US, from raw materials to processing and production, meeting national performance standards and supporting local jobs. The newly added plants are located at the company sites in Ada, Oklahoma; Alpena, Michigan; Joppa, Illinois; and Paulding, Ohio. The label first rolled out at five sites in November 2025, including at its flagship Ste. Genevieve plant in Missouri. Amrize said that it is increasing production at its major cement plants as part of a US$900m investment programme, which will expand its ‘Made in America’ offering.
Patrick Cleary, senior vice president of US cement and supply chain, said “As America’s builders prioritise domestic materials, our ‘Made in America’ label offers our customers the confidence of US performance standards along with reliable supply at scale, while supporting local jobs and communities.”
US: Türkiye-based producer Medcem plans to begin operations at its brownfield clinker grinding facility in western Florida by September 2026, following construction that began in February 2025, according to the company’s business development and investments director Enver Çelikbaş. The facility has two mills and will initially operate one line, with full capacity reaching 450,000 - 500,000t/yr when both lines are operational. Commissioning and testing are scheduled for August 2026 ahead of commercial production, according to Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. Medcem will supply clinker from Türkiye to support the project, which follows a long-term lease agreement signed in May 2024. The site has been idle since 2008.
The company is planning to increase clinker capacity in Türkiye by 500,000-600,000t/yr and is evaluating further investment opportunities in the US. Enver Çelikbaş said “The US is our biggest export market, and US cement imports have increased from 15Mt to 22Mt over the last seven years, and we expect this trend to continue. That is why we want more investment in the US, and we are already engaged in discussions - solely and together with some potential partners - for a few more locations and also actively searching for both greenfield and brownfield investments there."
Çelikbaş said that beyond standard cement production, Medcem plans to use the mill's flexibility to grind ground granulated blast furnace slag in the near future, though no supplementary cementitious materials will be used from day one. Production volumes are expected to ramp up gradually through 2027, when both grinding lines become fully operational, with further increases targeted for 2028. Medcem is also considering further investment in Manatee, Florida by utilising the additional leased area, he said.
Iraq: The General Company for Cement reported production of 676,000t of cement in February 2026, attributing the increase to stable and continuous operations across its plants, according to local press.
Director general Awad Kazem Abd al-Amir said that more than 664,000t of cement were sold in February 2026, which met domestic demand and reportedly strengthened the position of locally-produced cement. He said that several plants recorded year-on-year growth, led by the Kubaisa cement plant at 37%, followed by the Qaim plant at 17% and the Sinjar plant at 14%. Kubaisa produced more than 1.7Mt of cement in 2025 and is approaching its designed capacity of 1.8Mt/yr.
The domestic cement market is estimated at around 25Mt/yr, supported by housing, oilfield infrastructure projects and ongoing reconstruction efforts. The company said that efforts are ongoing to improve plant performance and expand capacity to support self-sufficiency.
