Strong demand for cement has forced Finnish cement manufacturer  Finnsementti to import clinker from China. According to the company, it has to import so that customers are not let down even though transport costs are high. 
 
According to the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries, deliveries of concrete elements increased by one third in Finland in the first half of 2007 from the corresponding period in 2006, and also deliveries of ready-mixed concrete increased by 23%.  
 
Finnsementti has two production facilities in Finland. The company believes that Finland’s capacity will be enough in the long run. In the past, it was possible to import from near-by, from Sweden and Estonia, but this is no longer possible as construction is booming in these countries. Also low-cost imports from Russia have ended. The price of concrete is already twice as high in St Petersburg, in Russia, as in Finland.