International Cement Review articles tagged under : Market Reports
China: outward bound
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now an integral part of the country’s overseas expansion policy. Since its inception in 2013, the BRI has been one of the essential vehicles driving the global spread of Chinese technology and providing a platform for corporate cement and construction giants to enter new markets. ICR takes a look at the initiative’s progress to date and the impact on C...
US growth settles down
While the US economic cycle is expected to reach maturity in 2020-21, its construction market is forecast to remain relatively robust. As a result, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) forecasts modest growth for th...
Uzbekistan: time to celebrate?
Following a dramatic rise in construction activity, the Uzbek cement industry has seen local sales surge. To meet this increasing demand, existing producers are expanding their production facilities and the booming m...
China’s cautious confidence
With most provinces reporting a growth in cement output, Chinese cement companies enjoyed a bountiful year in 2019, supported by stronger peak-season demand and stable, high prices. For 2020 industry sentiment is one...
GCC: a return of fortunes?
The performance of the GCC cement sector improved significantly in 2019 when compared with the previous year as higher domestic consumption combined with increased export demand. For 2020, the outlook remains equally...
North Africa in focus
North Africa is experiencing a turbulent political and economic period. Meanwhile the region seeks to increase the pace of development with cement consumption reaching 100Mt in 2018. Domestically, surplus capacity ha...
State of the industry
World cement markets contracted in 2017-18 but picked up last year, according to The Global Cement Report™, 13th Edition. New capacity is seen pushing worldwide utilisation rates down, while cement and clinker trade ...
Argentina remains optimistic
Argentina is facing more economic woes as inflation, interest rates, unemployment and the poverty rate continue to climb. But given the pressing need for both housing and infrastructure, its cement producers continu...
The port cost factor
Spanish state-owned company Puertos del Estado, which heads 28 port authorities and 46 commercial ports in the country, published a study in July 2019 comparing port costs in Spain and other Mediterranean countries f...
Closing in on Canada’s carbon
Canada has a well-established cement market and is home to several leading multinationals who dominate the sector. The main concerns of the industry are becoming more focussed on stricter environmental compliance wit...
Saudi Arabia set for recovery?
While the latest data of the Saudi cement market has provided some reassurance in terms of the sector’s recovery, the reality on the ground urges more caution going forward as spending on megaprojects is only gradual...
Egypt: looking to the future
While the Egyptian cement market has contracted in the past three years and cement industry investment projects have led to overcapacity, forecasts indicate that demand growth is expected to resume in 2020. Meanwhile...
India’s demand growth shifts gear
The April-June 2019 quarter saw India’s cement growth slow, putting the brakes on a long spell of double-digit advances. Higher cement prices and lower input costs have helped support producer profit margins, but wit...
Turkey: rebalancing for growth
Following the recent decline in Turkey’s economic growth the domestic cement industry set about to improve its production efficiency and foster sustainable development in a sector that continues to expand as it looks...
Germany: efficiency upgrades
Germany’s cement sector has become a world leader in alternative fuels and in recent years has seen some consolidation. While ball mill technology is still the dominant grinding technology, there is significant inves...
Poland: leading Europe’s growth
Poland was one of the countries that did not experience an economic downturn during the global crisis of 2007 and central Europe’s largest economy has been on the rise ever since, supported by an expanding constructi...