Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The Czech Republic is a landlocked Central European nation bordered by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. The country encompasses 78,866km² of land and had an estimated population of 10.5 million in 2015. With its advanced economy and high standard of living, the Czech Republic has a healthy but slow-growing construction sector. To coincide with the 10th Global CemFuels Conference and Exhibition taking place in Prague, Czech Republic in February 2016, Global Cement Magazine has compiled a report on the country’s cement industry, including the latest developments and trends.

Fuel consumption is a key topic in the cement industry given the numerous issues involved, including costs, availability and environmental concerns. Every cement plant must have a well-planned fuel programme to ensure reliable cement production or else risk revenue loss. Here, Sussan Pasuki, Senior Alternative Fuels Manager for HeidelbergCement, outlines HeidelbergCement’s alternative fuels strategy in view of the results of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris and its upcoming acquisition of Italcementi.

The countries of Central Asia, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are all former Soviet Union countries with a combined population of 76.3 million in 2015. With the exception of Azerbaijan, they are colloquially known as the 'stans.' All are emerging market economies, although their growth in recent years has been disparate (Figure 1). Here, Global Cement reports on their cement industries, including key players, market developments and recent major events.

The past two years have been a busy time for global cement mergers and acquisitions (M&A), especially in developed markets, with merger activity at levels not seen since before the global financial crisis, as evident from Figure 1. Here RBS' Rupert Taylor looks at the current state of play in the sector and what we might expect in 2016...

Brazil spans 8,515,767km² of land divided into 26 states, is the largest country in South America and the fifth-largest country in the world. With a population of 204 million in 2015, it is the sixth most populous country world-wide. As one of the biggest global emerging and developing markets, Brazil is home to a large and busy cement sector with local and international players alike. Here, Global Cement Magazine presents an overview of Brazil's cement industry, with particular focus on recent trends and economic developments.