International Cement Review articles tagged under : Market Reports
Nepal: the road to exports
While cement demand in Nepal is forecast to show significant expansion in the future, the rapid build-up of production capacity is outstripping future domestic consumption growth. Therefore, Nepali cement producers are expected to increasingly address the challenge of exporting their products further afield. By Dhruba Thapa, Cement Manufacturers’ Association, Nepal. The Nepali governmen...
Iran: supporting growth
Following rapid growth Iran’s cement capacity is forecast to reach 100Mta by 2021 and 120Mta by the end of the country’s 20-Year Vision Plan in 2025. Key infrastructure and housing projects as well as new export mark...
Mediterranean fuel challenges
Mediterranean cement producers have become an established demand hub for coal and petcoke in recent years, capitalising on price opportunities and seeking diversity in fuel sourcing. But the sector now faces a series...
Southeast Asia: tough times – consolidation ahead?
As Western giants are exiting the southeast Asian cement market, a new wave of consolidation, this time by local companies, is taking place. By Manas Tamotia, LEK Consulting, Singapore China’s Sinoma Internati...
The petcoke challenge
As it consolidates its position as an established and reliable energy source, the petcoke industry is predicted to face several challenges. The decarbonisation of the European and other economies, new marine legislat...
Aggregates in growth mode
The scale and dynamics of the aggregates industry are often poorly understood. Now, thanks to the Global Aggregates Information Network (GAIN™), better macro-data is available, which points to a maturing global indus...
Kenya’s cement conundrum
While recent times have seen the Kenya cement industry expand and new players arrive, the sector now faces a conundrum. While economic and construction forecasts indicate sound cement demand going forward, cement ove...
Time for a Brazilian adventure?
Following the entry of Titan Cement into Brazil in 2016, fellow multinational cement producers Vicat and Buzzi Unicem have recently stepped into the local cement market despite the country’s falling cement demand las...
India’s return to stability
While India’s cement consumption saw a strong double-digit advance in 2018, such rates are unlikely to be sustainable and expectations are that consumption growth will moderate to more stable levels in 2019. Gradual ...
Who’s who in North American cement imports?
To understand the dynamics of the current cement import situation in North America it is important to look behind the statistics. Why is there a wave of new terminals with so many of the existing terminals still moth...
Like the Big Muddy
The US Central Plains area is a key US cement market with demand following a slow but steady course, much like the Mississippi River that flows through it. However, recent years have seen dramatic shifts in the owner...
Kazakhstan: staking a claim
While Kazakstan’s cement demand fell in 2018, the future holds the promise of an expanding domestic market and increasing export sales. Therefore, domestic cement producers are expanding capacity while new entrants s...
Russia: time for change
While Russia’s economy has stabilised following several years of recession, domestic cement demand is expected to only return to growth in 2020. Meanwhile, trading volumes have also softened as cement imports and exp...
Raising expectations
A tightening supply-demand balance, rising prices and record industry profits have raised expectations of an improved scenario for China’s cement producers in 2019. A number of challenges remain on the supply-side, i...
China’s balancing act
2018 marked the 40th anniversary of China’s “Reform and Opening Up”, the name given to the hugely successful economic reforms instigated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, which initiated the country’s transformation from a l...
South Korea: new strategies
As South Korea’s economy dips and government policies negatively influence infrastructure plans, the country’s cement industry remains at overcapacity amid stagnant levels of demand. Moving forward, producers must fi...