Swiss cement deliveries see 2012 setback

Domestic cement sales in Switzerland saw a 6.2 per cent decline in 2012, latest data from the domestic cement association, Cemsuisse shows.

For full year 2012, domestic sales reached 4.395Mt compared to 4.687Mt in 2011. The country was affected by a long period of adverse weather conditions during the spring which led to first quarter deliveries being down by 22 per cent.

In the fourth quarter sales were 1.092Mt, down 1.18 per cent from the 1.105Mt recorded in 4Q11.

The proportion of deliveries to ready-mix concrete plants at 76.3 per cent was lower than the previous year (77.5 per cent).

In terms of its outlook for 2013, due to the fall in the number of building permits, a 3-5 per cent decrease of cement dispatches is expected this year. As in the past, the strong housing sector is expected to be responsible for a substantial part of future demand.