Cement News tagged under: Construction

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CPA: UK construction industry beats post-Brexit expectations

19 April 2017, Published under Cement News

Activity in the UK construction industry is rising at a faster pace following the EU referendum than initially expected, according to the latest forecasts by the Construction Products Association (CPA). Construction output is expected to rise each year between 2017-19, by 1.3 per cent in 2017, 1.2 per cent in 2018 and 2.3 per cent in 2019. The CPA highlights that while the figures may fuel hope of a resilient UK construction industry amid Brexit-related anxieties and rising costs, the grow...

A fragile but positive outlook

05 December 2016, Published under Cement News

While South America’s cement markets may have been considerably affected by the economic downturn, the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are hopeful of a better future. Domestic cement producers are looking for an upturn in cement demand, particularly following recent increases in their production capacities. By Rob Roy, ROI Economic Consulting, USA. In Honduras Argos operates the 1.3Mta Piedras Azules integrated...

Saudi Arabia: changing times?

14 November 2016, Published under Cement News

The 2017 outlook for the Saudi Arabian cement sector remains neutral unless the government continues its spending spree. But as the subdued oil price environment calls for a more-diversified economy and spending cuts to rein in costs, cement demand in the kingdom could be in for a gloomy ride in the medium term. By Santhosh Balakrishnan, Riyad Capital, Saudi Arabia. As oil prices remain subdued, Saudi Arabia may need to rein in its construction ambitions  The Kingdom of Saudi Ar...

Germany: a positive outlook?

31 October 2016, Published under Cement News

As the German economy continues to expand, investment in construction is rising. However, the recovery of the key market appears to be slowing and cement demand in 2015 slipped when compared to the previous year’s volumes. But with imports declining and exports recovering, the outlook for domestic cement producers is improving. Will Germany's cement producers be able to look forward to a continued recovery in the domestic construction market? The German economy expanded 1.7 per ...

UK: construction activity falls in August

18 October 2016, Published under Cement News

The UK's Office of National Statistics has released its construction figures for August that saw a fall of 1.5 per cent in construction activity. Decreases were seen in all new work as well as the repair and maintenance segments of 1.4 and 1.5 per cent, respectively. Infrastructure suffered the biggest downturn of 5.1 per cent. In comparison, July saw a 6.1 per cent rise in infrastructure. Meanwhile, total new housing declined 1.3 per cent in comparison with the previous month, whi...

Kazakhstan: a nation’s vision

17 October 2016, Published under Cement News

While the need for infrastructure and housing is considerable in Kazakhstan, lower oil receipts, a depreciating tenge and sluggish global growth conspire against elevated levels of public spending. However, the government has pinned its hopes on foreign investment to meet construction demand as well as expand the cement production base, which in turn will reduce expensive imports. While cement demand growth rates of the past are not expected going forward, Kazakhstan still has a co...

Egypt sets out on a new course

05 September 2016, Published under Cement News

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has managed to return a certain degree of stability to Egypt, with the economy expected to show a gradual recovery. A broad infrastructure programme and robust housing demand is providing the foundation for a strong growth in construction, while the government is calling for the cement industry to increase its capacity. The urgent need to expand Egypt's inrastructure and deal with the considerable housing shortage are expected to drive cement demand f...

Ecuador: a challenging recovery

03 August 2016, Published under Cement News

With severe earthquakes, massive debts and low crude oil prices, Ecuador’s way ahead appears uncertain. The country’s future is dependent on the outcome of the 2017 elections and a recovery in oil prices to get the economy moving again in the right direction under positive leadership. By Rob Roy, ROI Consulting, USA. Ecuador faces an uncertain future, but next year's presidential elections may provide the potential for change Ecuadorian cement consumption is expected to decline ...

Germany: construction machinery manufacturers await upsurge

03 August 2016, Published under Cement News

German construction equipment manufacturers remain optimistic but cautious at the middle of the year, claims VDMA Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Industry Association (VDMA) “Apart from individual orders in April, the sector is still waiting for a demand push. We cannot talk of an upswing here,” Johann Sailer, chairman of the VDMA. “We are again in the midst of our daily business – which holds a number of challenges and uncertainties.” Last year’s overall secto...

Turkey eyes export markets

20 July 2016, Published under Cement News

The Turkish cement market appears to be on a course of recovery as the latest data indicates robust growth in the first quarter of 2016. However, to reach healthy capacity utilisation levels, particularly in view of any new capacity to come online, the country’s cement producers will continue to rely on solid export sales, which have seen a fall in recent times. By Turkish Cement Manufacturers’ Association (TÇMB), Turkey. To achieve robust capacity utilisation rates in times ahead, Tu...