India: Beumer Group has officially inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Jhajjar, Haryana, following an investment of US$22m aimed at strengthening its global production capabilities and long-term presence in the region. The new plant occupies a land parcel of 42,508m², with a built-up manufacturing area of 22,285m². Construction was completed in around 15 months, from the laying of the foundation stone in June 2024 to the start of operations in December 2025.

Beumer said the facility will enhance its ability to serve customers both in India and internationally, supporting its strategy of expanding manufacturing capacity closer to key growth markets while reinforcing its regional supply chain.

Serbia: The government has adopted a six-month measure to limit imports of Portland cement and certain steel products in an effort to stabilise ‘strategically important’ industries. The regulation will be in force from 1 January to 30 June 2026, and introduces a tariff quota system to support domestic producers and balance market conditions. Under the new framework, imports of these goods will be allowed duty-free up to a certain quota. Once the quota is filled, any additional imports will be subject to a 50% customs duty. For cement, the total quota volume has been set at approximately 250,350t – the largest share of all five product categories.

Quota allocations are based on historical import shares from the past five years and are divided by country or customs territory, with the largest shares going to the EU, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and other regional partners. Quotas are further split into quarterly limits, with unused quota from the first quarter allowed to roll over into the next.

The Customs Administration will manage quota distribution on a first-come, first-served basis and will report monthly to the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade. The policy will be reviewed at the end of June 2026.

UAE: Riga has announced the completion of Cement Mill No.1 as part of a two-mill upgrade project for a client in Ras Al-Khaimah via a post on social media. The project scope included the dismantling of the old separator, baghouse, grid separator and all associated connection ducts, handling systems and discharge chutes. Installation and upgrade works included manufacture and installation of new base frames and platforms at multiple levels, as well as the new baghouse, dynamic separator, cyclone, pre-collector, mill vent fan and baghouse fan. Work on the second cement mill is currently ongoing.

Portugal: Cimpor has now deployed private 5G networks at its Alhandra, Loulé and Souselas cement plants through a partnership with Vodafone Portugal and Ericsson. The move equips each site with reliable, low-latency connectivity designed to support connected systems such as IoT sensors and autonomous vehicles for improved efficiency and safety. The producer previously signed the 10-year extendable contract with Vodafone in October 2024.

The technology supports applications such as drone inspections, smart and VR glasses for remote assistance and training, sensors for predictive maintenance, video cameras for safety monitoring, real-time data management via worker tablets and AI functionalities. Cimpor expects to save up to US$1m/yr per plant by reducing unplanned failures and production interruptions. It said it has observed an approximate efficiency increase of around 1%, equivalent to US$10-15m in annual economic benefits.