India: The Goods and Services Tax Council will review the current imposition of a 28% goods and services tax on cement on 11 July 2023. The Telegraph newspaper has reported that the council is expected to recommend a reduction in the tax rate to the 18% band. Parliament’s Group of Ministers on Rate Rationalisation will then consider the recommendation.

Laos: Oudomxay Jiangge Cement held a ceremony to mark the start of cement sales from its 2Mt/yr Oudomxay cement plant in Namor District on 14 June 2023.

Asia News Network has reported that China-based Guizhou Jiangge Cement acquired outright ownership of Oudomxay Jiangge Cement in mid-2017.

Germany: Aumund Group will be run by the Aumund Foundation, following the death of its owner Franz-Walter Aumund in February 2023. The Aumund Foundation, created in 2019, was originally set up to promote the group’s philanthropic concerns, particularly on education, vocational training and research.

Alex van Denderen, the chief financial officer of Aumund Group and Aumund Holding, said “The Aumund Group is led by managing directors who have grown with the company and whose primary focus is on proximity to customers. It pursues the values of quality and reliability which have increasingly become anchored in the Aumund brand over its hundred year history. The Aumund Foundation supports the principle of creating something lasting for others, and is committed to achieving a sustainable future for the next generation.”

The group supplies products and services for conveying, storage, loading and unloading of bulk materials, site service, maintenance, and freight forwarding. It covers process chains in the cement, lime, gypsum, mining, minerals, metallurgy, foundry, power, chemicals, fertiliser and foodstuffs industries, as well as in ports and terminals and alternative fuels. Its subsidiaries include Aumund Fördertechnik, Schade Lagertechnik, Samson Materials Handling, Tilemann Ketten & Komponenten, Aumund Group Field Service and Aumund Logistic.

Cambodia: Dongfang Junma Cement is building a US$95m cement plant at Pchaev, in Battambang Province's Rattanak Mondul District. Agence Kampuchea Presse has reported that Dongfang Junma Cement expects to employ 980 people at the plant.