South Korea: A worker in his 60s died after becoming trapped in the screw shaft of a mixer at a ready-mix concrete batching plant in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang, on 28 July 2026. Police are investigating possible charges under the Occupations Safety and Health Act and the Serious Incidents Punishments Act.
Argentina: Holcim Argentina subsidiary Quimexur has commissioned a new US$1.2m, 7Ml/yr additives plant at its Mi Granja building products complex in Córdoba. The plant will produce the company’s ADI brand additives and supply them on a 50:50 split between Holcim Argentina's concrete business and the wider Argentinian market, via Holcim Argentina's retail subsidiary Disensa and 140 existing concrete plant customers.
US: Amrize has entered into an agreement to acquire Texas-based Rapid Redi-Mix. The producer operates a network of ready-mix concrete plants and fleet of concrete mixer trucks in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Amrize says that the assets will integrate and benefit from synergies with Amrize's existing local operations, including the newly-expanded Midlothian cement plant and newly-acquired aggregates subsidiary PB Materials.
Europe: The European Commission (EC) has sent statements of objections to 10 concrete additives and admixtures producers and three industry associations suspected of historical price fixing in 2021 and 2022. The addressed producers are Mexico-based Cemex, France-based Chryso and TAM Groupe, Germany-based Ha-be, Liesen, Master Builders Solutions and MC Bauchemie, Italy-based c and Switzerland-based Remei and Sika. The trade associations are Deutsche Bauchemie, the French National Association of Producers of Concrete and Mortar Admixtures (SYNAD) and the Spanish Association for Concrete and Mortar Admixtures (ANFAH).
On 20 July 2026, the EC announced a preliminary finding of coordinated price rises after producers’ costs rose due to the outbreaks of Covid-19 and war in Ukraine. Producers and associations are suspected of jointly preparing press releases to justify their price rises in three separate instances. The commission inspected construction chemicals companies across multiple EU member states on 17 October 2023.
At the time of the alleged collusion, Deutsche Bauchemie was a member of the European Federation for Construction Chemicals (EFCC), while ANFAH and SYNAD participated in the European Federation of Concrete Admixtures Associations (EFCA). In May 2026, the EFCA and EFCC merged to form European Construction Chemicals, in order to ‘speak with one common voice’ and ‘deliver clarity vis-à-vis our stakeholders and policymakers’ for European the construction chemicals industry.
On 4 May 2026, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) opened an investigation into alleged collusion between Kerakoll, its parent company Fin-Firel, Mapei and Sika Italia, to target retailers through their prices and conditions of sale in 2021. Global Concrete News has yet to locate the accused companies’ replies.
So far, Cemex has stated its disagreement with the EC’s allegations and its intention to formally respond. It and fellow producers and associations may now exercise their right to defence, after which time the commission will adopt its decision, which may include fines of up to 10% of annual turnover for any guilty company.
