BusinessCem successfully concluded its 12th International Central Asia Conference and Exhibition over 27-29 October 2014 in Almaty, the major commercial and cultural centre of Kazakhstan.
With Almaty rapidly turning into a business hub of regional importance, attracting investors from central Asia and the former Soviet countries, Kazakhstan’s largest city provided an ideal backdrop for three days of discussions dedicated to cement industry developments in Russia and the CIS region.
During his address to delegates, Maral Tompiev, president of Kazakhstan’s Association of Industry, explained the timely significance of this year’s BusinessCem meeting. On 29 May 2014, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC) agreement was signed in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana which is set to create a shared market and help integrate economic policy, starting next year.
There has also been plenty of activity within Kazakhstan’s cement market, where cement consumption has increased by 14.4 per cent from 2012 to around 8.2Mt in 2013. Production, meanwhile, has been growing at a fast pace of 12-15 per cent annually. With the introduction of new capacities, Kazakhstan will soon be producing 19.5Mt of cement, of which 4.5Mt will be destined for export.
As well as providing detailed market commentary, BusinessCem’s comprehensive speaker programme illustrated the latest production techniques available to the cement industry. Technical proceedings were further complemented by a specialist exhibition.
Many Russian and some of the world’s leading cement companies participated in the forum, including Hazemag & EPR GmbH, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, Fives FCB, FLSmidth Ventomatic, FLSmidth Rus, Möllers, Hoganas Bjuf, among many others.
