Pakistani cement industry weak due to lack of innovation

Pakistan is lagging behind in introducing different types of cement for use in different projects. Most construction requirements are met by ordinary Portland cement (OPC). This puts the industry at a disadvantage in the international market, says Pakistan’s Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (Tusdec).

“The construction sector is expanding and there is dire need to introduce new cement qualities in Pakistan for better efficiency and cost reduction,” said Nabeel Asghar, Tusdec’s head of project and operations.

Tusdec has started testing samples to introduce blended and fly-ash cements into the market. Although blended cement is manufactured by a single cement producer, contractors of large-scale projects such as dams, bridges and highways, generally mix other materials in OPC.

“For instance if we talk about the overall housing industry, contractors widely use OPC for constructing walls, and for renovating them,” Mr Asghar said, adding that the use of masonry cement for this purpose is not widely-known in the country.

He attributes the lag to a slow uptake of the latest technological advances as well as a lack of human resource skills.