The 20th Cemtech Europe Conference and Exhibition, held at the Marriott Hotel, Warsaw, Poland in September, featured a full programme of technical papers, supplemented by workshops and a plant tour, with a strong focus on alternative fuels and energy efficiency. The industry’s best analysts delivered topical market reports, while delegates enjoyed a varied hospitality programme during this premier industry event.
Poland is one of the few European markets to have rebounded strongly since the financial crisis, and with major infrastructure projects underway and the Euro 2012 Football Championship on the horizon, the short- and medium-term outlook is very positive. In this context, the capital city of Warsaw provided the ideal setting to host this year’s 20th Cemtech Europe Conference and Exhibition which succeeded in attracting 230 international delegates representing over 30 countries.
Opening the proceedings, Thomas Armstrong, managing editor of ICR and organiser of Cemtech Conferences, highlighted the upbeat performance of the Polish cement sector within the context of more troubled European markets. “These are interesting times, and combined with rising production costs and tightening regulatory controls, operating profitability in Western Europe is an increasing challenge... However, Poland is one of the few European countries to have shrugged off the impact of the global financial crisis, with demand reaching 15.5Mt in 2010, and expected to rise further this year.”
