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Cemex’s subsidiary, Cemex Latam Holdings (CLH), will begin the construction of a cement plant in Colombia. The total investment is expected to reach approximately US$340 million and to increase CLH’s cement production capacity in Colombia from 4.5 million to close to 5.5 million tons per year.
The first phase of this project includes the construction of a new grinding mill that is expected to start cement production during the second quarter of 2015. The rest of the plant will be completed during the seco

The British Aggregates Association (BAA) has asked the UK Department for Transport to postpone an ‘idiotic’ EU Directive before lives are lost.
The Large Goods Vehicle Driver Certificate of Competence, DCPC, becomes a legal requirement in the UK on 10 September 2014 despite eight other EU countries choosing to delay it until September 2016. Truck drivers who do not have the certificate face losing their jobs even although they hold a full large goods vehicle licence (LGV).
The BAA has written to Patric

Framed by the arid Huasteca Canyon, located close to Monterrey, Mexico, and baptised as the Gate of Creation by its designer, Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the Roberto Garza Sada Art, Architecture, and Design Center (CRGS) has become an architecture icon within a year of its opening, says Cemex.

With a total built area of 13,115m² and located at the main campus of the Universidad de Monterrey, the CRGS focuses on keeping its inhabitants at the edge: young creators that are capable of continuously renewi

McLanahan Corporation, holding safety as a core value to the businesshas achieved one million man hours without a lost work time accident, which is measured as an incident where an employee is required to miss a day of work due to an injury other than the day of injury.
“It is considered a successful day at McLanahan when our employees return home at the end of each of their shifts,” says Joe Adams, director of safety.
“I speak for the entire company when I say I am extremely proud of the effort each emp

Sandvik Construction has appointed Kaletek Makina Diş Ticaret Ve Sanayi Limited Şirketi as its new distributor for Sandvik’s range of rock tools in Turkey. Kaletek will not only be supplying the comprehensive range, but will also be providing support for the rock tool range through full aftermarket care, spare parts and dedicated customer service.

Kaletek is an established name in the ground foundation and water drilling industry in Turkey, with offices, workshops and service engineers located throughout

China is reported to have issued an emergency decree ordering officials to halt the development of new cement and plate glass capacity, as it struggles to overcome entrenched local government resistance to halting wasteful investment in glutted industries.

Reuters reports that the statement, which was carried on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) ordered industrial regulatory departments around the country not to approve any new projects in the steel or plate glass sectors "for

Danish company FLSmidth says that for the half-year from 1 January-30 June, 2014, it has seen a significant improvement in margins.

Although the order intake declined due to lack of large orders, unannounced orders were stable; there was a positive operating cash flow, and net working capital and revenue developed broadly as expected.

In its interim report the company says the financial results in Q2 014 showed the order intake decreased 17% to DKK 4,643 million (approximately €623 million)/(Q2 2013

CVC is preparing a joint bid with a Singaporean state fund for assets including Britain's biggest cement-maker, Sky News reports.

The private equity company CVC Capital Partners is reported to be joining forces with some of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds to bid for £4 billion (€5 billion) of cement assets that would make it a major player in the building materials sector.

Sky News reports that CVC is in discussions with Singapore's Government Investment Corporation (GIC) about a combined o

Moroccan cement producer Ciments du Maroc is launching the Lawlabiyat Assafi village campaign in collaboration with the Safi International Boat Club, Palm Grove Observatory of Marrakesh and associations Al Karam, Achouala and Al Manar.

The campaign is part of the clean beaches initiative at the Safi municipal beach.

Turkish cement producer Oyak Cimento Grubu increased its turnover by 24% in the first half of 2014 up to TRY 745 million (€259.98 million/US$348.49 million).

EBITDA soared by 57% up to TRY 255 million while net profit jumped by 115% up to TRY 220 million.

According to Dwi Soetjipto, managing director of Semen Indonesia, the state-owned cement company is aiming for its output capacity to reach 72.9 million tonnes in 2030, a two-fold increase from the present capacity at 31.8 million tonnes.

The target will be achieved via acquisitions as well as setting up of new plants.

Meanwhile, Semen Gresik, a unit of Semen Indonesia, has inaugurated its new headquarters in Tuban.

The inauguration of the new office was in conjunction with the 57th anniversary of

According to Jussi Mattila, director of the Finnish Concrete Industry, the outlook in the sector is bleak.

There are few orders as neither industrial companies nor the trade sector are investing, and housebuilding has decreased.

Mattila is certain the sector will have to reduce its workforce. The concrete industry employs about 4,500 people in Finland with specialised companies said to have managed best.

Kenyan company Bamburi Cement made a pre-tax profit of KES 2.30 billion (€19.60 million/US$26.19 million) in the six months to June 2014, down 28% year-on-year.

While revenue was up 9.5% to KES 17.3 billion with increased volumes, higher power costs, increased clinker imports and a new Kenyan mining levy have pushed down margins.

Group finance director Eric Kironde is reported as saying that economic growth and urbanisation in the East African Community (EAC) will continue to drive demand for cement a

Nigeria-based Ashaka Cement, a subsidiary of Lafarge of France, has registered a rise in its pre-tax profit in the January to June 2014 period to NGN 4.39 billion (€ 20.12 million/US$26.97 million), as compared to NGN 1.6 billion in the same period in 2013, up by 166.16%.

The cement company has posted a jump in its profit after tax in the six months under review from NGN 1.15 billion in the same period in 2013, to NGN 3.51 billion, a 201.41% increase.

Athi River Mining Cement (ARM) of Kenya has received approval from the government to establish a cement plant costing KES 25 billion (€212.06 million/US$284.25 million) in Kitui town, and the project is expected to create 2,000 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.

The plant will be located in Mbui village and it is 3km away from the Ngaae Hill that has limestone deposit that covers over 1,400 hectares.

An agreement to build a cement plant in Democratic Republic of the Congo has been signed between PPC Barnet and China's Sinoma International Engineering (Sinoma).

A total of US$300 million (€223.8 million) will be invested in building the plant, which was scheduled for completion by the end of 2016.

The plant will have a daily production capacity of 3,000tonnes.

Indonesian cement maker Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa (Indocement), has set aside between IDR 4 trillion (€253.8 million/ US$340.2 million) and IDR 5 trillion for capital expenditures (capex).

In January-June 2014, the company has spent just 20% of its total anticipated capex.

According to Tju Lie Sukanto, finance director of Indocement, the company has disbursed IDR 800 billion-IDR 900 billion during the period for the expansion of its P14 plant's capacity in West Java's Citeureup.

The revenue of Moscow region-based enterprises producing non-metallic building materials is estimated at RUB 12 billion (€247.53 million US$331.98 million) to RUB 15 billion/year.

One of the largest producers of crushed stone and screened sand is Oreshki Plant of Non-metallic Building Materials. In total, there are 93 companies producing rock products in the Moscow region.

Italmobiliare, the Italian investment holding that controls building materials company Italcementi, posted a 3.9% year-on-year drop in its consolidated revenues to €2.2 billion in the first half of 2014.

Its EBITDA grew 10.3% to €325.9 million while its pre-tax profit reached €14.1 million from a €23.2 million pre-tax loss. Its net worth equalled €74 million from €146.6 million at the end of 2013.

Gamma, which holds a 49% stake in the capital of Holcim Mauritius, is reported as planning to exercise its rights to first refusal for the acquisition of the Swiss cement group's remaining 51% interest.

Holcim is selling its activities in Mauritius as part of its proposed merger with Lafarge.

The Competition Commission of Mauritius (CCM) is currently studying the proposed merger between Lafarge and Holcim.

Other players, including international investors, are reported to be interested in Holcim's