International Cement Review articles tagged under : Market Reports
European construction: set for continued growth?
Following a buoyant 2017 and continued growth in 2018, the European construction market is expected to show modest growth this year. As a result, cement prices are expected to firm, easing the pressure on EBITDA margins of building material companies across the region. By Jean-Christophe Lefèvre-Moulenq, CM-CIC Market Solutions (ESN), France. In 2019, demand is forecast to increase by 1...
Turbulent times for Africa?
For the cement sector, turmoil has probably come to a head in many parts of Africa. Cement demand has slowed or fallen back into the red in many African countries, while overcapacity and low utilisation rates are cha...
Emerging Senegal
Senegal, home to one of west Africa’s largest cement industries, is a nation on the rise. Long-term political stability has resulted in sustained economic growth. Looking ahead, President Macky Sall’s government is p...
DR’s roadmap to the future
Supported by sustained economic development, the construction sector of the Dominican Republic has provided a solid base for growth for the country’s cement industry. With an 8Mta production capacity, domestic cement...
Sailing through high seas
Pakistan’s cement producers are sailing through high tides as domestic demand succumbs to macroeconomic pressures, manufacturing costs rise and utilisation levels look set to weaken with the addition of new capacitie...
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 a...
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...