Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement has launched a public offer to buy shares representing up to 11.7% in Pioneer Cement. The action is intended to be part of a process that gives it control of the target company. Maple Leaf Cement currently has a combined shareholding of 18.53% in Pioneer Cement, via its direct shares, those of a subsidiary and through one of its directors. It is currently in the process of acquiring 69.75% of the shares in Pioneer Cement from a group of major shareholders, most notably including Vision Holdings Middle East. Once completed, the combined local market share of the two cement companies is expected to be 15.5%. It should become the third largest cement producer in the country.

Papua New Guinea: Pacific Lime and Cement (PLC) has agreed a strategic partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide advisory support for PLC’s Phase 2 Central Cement Project in Central Province, Papua New Guinea. The project will be PNG’s first vertically integrated clinker and cement production facility, aimed at substituting imports and meeting domestic demand. IFC’s participation brings technical expertise and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards to the project, aligning it with international best practices and helping to de-risk the path toward full financing and construction. As part of the advisory scope, IFC will assess the project’s existing Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and recommend improvements to help PLC move toward compliance with IFC Performance Standards, a requirement for international finance.

Australia: Hallett Group has successfully tested a trial of cement despatch at its Port Adelaide Terminal. During a trial, trucks drove through the unit’s storage dome and tested cement despatch into internal cement silos. The cement terminal is intended to distribute cement from Hallett Group's Port Augusta slag cement grinding plant in the north of South Australia state.

US: Fortera says that its ReAct low-carbon cement product is the first to meet all six ASTM C1157 performance categories simultaneously. Previously, it says, this level of versatility typically required four separate Portland cement formulations. It added that, with one formulation covering all six categories, ReAct reduces procurement complexity and streamlines mix design, enabling contractors to use a single cement instead of multiple cementitious products for different parts of the same project. Independent testing by Construction Testing Services validated the product’s performance across the standard's eight test requirements.

Craig Hargis, Vice President of Products at Fortera, said “This certification confirms that ReAct performs to the industry's established standards.” He added, “For years, lower-carbon options have been seen as a compromise on either performance or cost. ReAct shows that contractors do not have to choose. It meets the strength and durability requirements they expect, avoids a green premium, and fits into the specifications and infrastructure already in use.”

ASTM C1157 is a performance-based standard that evaluates cement on measurable outcomes rather than on its chemical composition. The specification covers factors such as compressive strength, air content, set time, fineness, density, heat of hydration, mortar expansion, and sulphate expansion. ReAct has met the requirements for all six performance categories under the standard: general use, high early strength, moderate sulphate resistance, high sulphate resistance, moderate heat of hydration, and low heat of hydration.

Fortera operates a 15,000t/yr plant in Redding, California. The company uses a technology that captures CO₂ emissions from traditional cement production and converts them into a mineral form for low-carbon cement.