Global Cement News

Australia: The Cement Industry Federation has appointed Denise Sparks as its CEO with effect from 17 November 2025. She has held senior roles in the Australian and Queensland governments. The CIF says she brings experience in strategic stakeholder engagement and industry advocacy to the role. The CIF is the industry association for manufacturers of clinker, cement and cement products in Australia.

Germany: Hosokawa Alpine has appointed Michael Kuhnen as its CEO. Kathrin Dörle has also been appointed as chief financial officer. They succeed Antonio Fernández and Jürgen Wilde respectively. Both appointments will start in 2026.

Kuhnen has spent 19 years in various management positions at Hosokawa Alpine and is returning after one and a half years outside the group. Dörle has worked for the company for over 20 years. Her appointment marks the first time a woman has joined the executive board.

Hosokawa Alpine manufactures machines and systems used in processing powders, granulates and bulk materials, and ones used in film extrusion operations for the manufacture and finishing of blown film. It headquarters is based in Augsburg, Germany and it operates several domestic and international subsidiaries. Since 1987, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Japan-based Hosokawa Micron Corporation.

Netherlands: N+P Group has appointed Stijn Jennissen as CEO. He has worked for N+P Group since 2009 when he started as a trainee. He became Chief Commercial Officer in 2017 and joined the board of director in 2019. Jennissen holds a business degree from the Business School Notenboom.

N+P Group specialises in the production and supply of waste derived alternative materials for various industries. It was founded in 1992 by Karel and Karin Jennissen.

Germany: Gebr. Pfeiffer will supply an MVR vertical roller mill to Thomas Zement’s Karsdorf plant in Saxony-Anhalt, replacing the existing Horomill to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The order also includes the mill building, material dosing and transport systems to defined transfer points. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, with commissioning scheduled for mid-2027.

South Korea: The Korea Cement Association, whose members include Sampyo Cement, Ssangyong C&E, Hanil Cement, Asia Cement, Halla Cement and Sungshin Cement, reported that domestic cement demand in 2025 is expected to reach 36.5Mt, down by 16.5% year-on-year, marking the lowest level since 1991, at 37.1Mt. Next year’s forecast indicates continued stagnation, with demand projected to decline a further 1% to around 36Mt.

According to the association, the country’s cement production peaked at 61.8Mt in 1997 before plunging to 44.6Mt during the 1998 financial crisis. Although production recovered to 56.71Mt by 2017, demand has since fallen by nearly 20Mt in just eight years.

An association official said, “While the sharp decline in domestic demand is quite shocking in numerical terms, the early 1990s were a period when the industry’s production capacity was 42.1Mt/yr, and cement domestic demand was rapidly increasing due to new town construction projects being developed in the outskirts of the Seoul metropolitan area as part of national policy. Currently, production capacity has increased to 61Mt/yr, but domestic demand is plummeting, so considering the utilisation rate, there is an enormous difference beyond simple numerical comparison.”

Cement exports rose by 52% to 4.5Mt in 2025, while for 2026, domestic demand is projected at 36Mt and exports at 3.5Mt.