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According to the Indonesian Forum for Environment, the increasing demand for cement driven by large-scale infrastructure projects is affecting limestone sites across Indonesia.

The group noted that limestone sites provide raw materials for products other than cement such as cosmetics and fertilisers, while they also provide habitats and ecosystem support for several flora and fauna species.

On 15 March 2016, Republic Cement & Building Materials, previously known as Lafarge Republic, intends to delist the company's shares from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

Trading of its shares was suspended on 15 September 2015.

The Swiss company Sika, a chemicals specialist, has recently opened a new mortars manufacturing complex, which has a capacity for 20,000tonnes/year, and is located in Kryoneri, Greece.

Sika already operates a concrete admixture plant in Thessaloniki, while the new plant is aimed at expanding its mortar business within the local market.

Additionally, the new plant will be equipped with a modern laboratory and a new concrete admixtures logistics hub, which will cater the southern part of the country.

Cemex has provided 3,500m³ of concrete for the construction of 74 social housing units in the Parisian suburb of Bagnolet.

Of this amount, the company supplied 550m³ of Insularis concrete for the buildings' façade panels and balconies, with this product having 4.5 times as much heat insulation capacity as traditional concrete.

Insularis also acts as a noise barrier and is RT 2012-compliant, allowing a reduction in the buildings' energy consumption for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting

Colas Moyen Orient has acquired aggregates and asphalt supplier Tarmac Middle East from UK and South Africa-based Anglo American.

As announced on 12 January 2016, Anglo American's interests in the operating joint venture operations have been sold in a confidential deal.

The sale of an additional non-operating joint venture operation in Oman to Colas Moyen was pending satisfaction of particular outstanding conditions.

Colas Moyen is a unit of Colas, a road and transport infrastructure construction c

Lafarge France's Thermedia concrete has been used in over 200 projects, with a total volume of over 50,000m³.

Thermedia is an insulating structural concrete for the construction of interior isolated facades, and is recognised for its low heat conduction and conformity to RT 2012 standards.

The range is composed of ready-mixed concrete with a density of 1,400kg/m³.

In 2016, Thailand-based concrete manufacturer Chonburi Concrete Product (CCP) plans to earn THB 2.60 billion (€66.44 million/US$72.15 million) in revenue, an 8% increase compared to its 2015 revenue target of THB 2.4 billion.

The company will grow through its backlog of projects valued at THB 2.4 billion that are set to be completed within 18 months. It currently has additional projects worth THB 1 billion in the stage of bidding.

The company will input THB 150 million into investments that will boos

In the first six months ended 31 December, 2015, Pakistan's cement market showed a yearly hike of 6.38% in cement shipments to 18.21 million tonnes from 17.12 million tonnes, according to All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association.

This was mainly due to local consumption which rose by 16.34% from 13.06 million tonnes to 15.2 million tonnes of cement. The figure is divided into the South and North sectors with an increase of 21.63% and 15.32% in cement dispatches recorded, respectively. The South ceme

Cement producers in the Philippines registered an 18.6% year-on-year increase in their collective sales volume to 6.37 million tonnes in July-September 2015, while their sales volume for January-September 2015 rose 13.% to 18.28 million tonnes, disclosed the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines.

The cement industry is projected to report a double-digit growth rate in its sales volume in 2016 compared to the average 8% posted between 2010 and 2014, with sales in 2016 to be driven by stable

The Portuguese cement company Cimpor, part of the Camargo Correa group, is adopting a series of strategies to reduce costs in Brazil.

The company, managed by InterCement Holding, is selling buildings; land and concrete production centres; suspending operations in factories; stopping older cement furnaces, and substituting materials.

Cimpor has stopped milling in its plants in the Suape region of Pernambuco state and in Jacarei, São Paulo state.

These actions are an attempt to compensate for a 15.8%

India-based Reliance Infrastructure is currently in an advanced stage of talks to have its cement operations sold in a deal worth around INR 50 billion (€684.36 million/US$747.50 million). Reliance Cement has an annual capacity of 5.5 million tonnes.

It has plants in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Birla is said to be among the top three potential buyers. According to people familiar with the development, private equity firms Baring and Blackstone are the other top contenders.

UltraTech Cement of India is believed to be in talks with Kenya-listed ARM Cement for the controlling stake in the latter.

The Indian cement manufacturer could acquire convertible preference shares of up to US$125 million (€114.44 million) in ARM Cement.

Earlier, ARM Cement announced the impending transaction, but did not disclose the identity of the potential investor.

The transaction is likely to be completed by March 2016.

The Ivorian subsidiary of Moroccan group Cimenteries d'Afrique (CIMAF) aims to set up a new production unit in San Pedro, Côte d'Ivoire, which will require a XOF 35 billion (€53.36 million US$58.28 million) investment.

The CIMAF subsidiary thus aims to strengthen its activities in the country so as to beef up its positions on the local market, before aiming to establish itself on the regional market.

For the fourth-quarter ended 31 December 2015, Qassim Cement recorded a 4.69% increase in net profit to US$37.40 million (€34.24 million) from US$35.7 million in the year-ago quarter.

Gross profit for the quarter in review totalled US$42.3 million, up 0.83% compared to the US$41.8 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.

The increase was attributed to lower general and administrative expenses; higher sales volume, and value and higher other income.

Meanwhile, net profit for 2015 was up 4.05% year

It is reported that Ireland-based building materials company CRH will join the race to acquire Lafarge's cement business in India with annual capacity of 11 million tonnes with 7.8 million tonnes of the capacity is located in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

JSW Cement, Birla Corporation as well as Blackstone might also submit bids for Lafarge's assets in India.

Lafarge has been told by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to sell its 5.15 million tonnes of cement capacity in eastern Indi

Unevol is to be Sandvik Construction’s first distributor for drill rigs, rock tools and crushing and screening equipment throughout Cuba.

The company, an established name throughout Cuba, with offices, workshops and service engineers throughout the area, will supply a comprehensive range of Sandvik equipment, and will also be providing full aftermarket care, spare parts and dedicated customer service.

Thierry Loison, the regional director of Cemex Bétons Nord-Ouest, is to replace Thierry Flandre as president of the Ready-made Concrete College in Normandy, which is part of the French National Union of Construction Materials and Quarry Industries (Unicem). His term will last three years.

Pre-cast concrete products maker Sarawak Consolidated Industries (SCIB) will build a new factory by spending MYR 6 million (€1.24 million/US$1.36 million). The new factory will make concrete products for the Pan Borneo Highway project.

The company has secured deals valued at MYR 10 million to supply the products so far. Supply of the products started since October 2015.

Adhi Karya, a state-owned engineering and construction company based in Indonesia, has set a capital spending of IDR 1.10 trillion (€72.67 million/US$79.4 million) for its operations in 2016, with the allocation going to various investment projects (IDR 750 billion) and fixed asset investments (IDR 404.5 billion).

In the meantime, the company aims to achieve a net profit of IDR 750 billion in 2016, while its revenue target is set at IDR 20 trillion that will come from LRT projects (21.6%); pre-cast concr

By the end of 2016, Egypt-based Suez Cement intends to complete the conversion of coal usage for cement production. According to its chairman, Omar Mehanna, the cement producer targets to produce 11 million tonnes using the alternative energy source. In 2015, the conversion to coal usage at two plants out of five had been concluded by the Italcementi company, which is is investing about US$110 million (€100.71 million) for the conversion.