- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
Hopefully you won't have noticed, but Global Cement is a magazine (and newsletter, website, global cement directory and series of conferences) produced in the UK. I say that I hope that you won't have noticed, because we do try not to concentrate too much on what is happening in the UK, even if we do receive a lot of information about 'local' events. Hopefully, we have as much on happenings in other interesting parts of the world - we try to, at least.
However, please forgive me if I start off my column this month by mentioning two trends in the UK that could soon be manifested elsewhere around the world: Extreme anticartelisation and a forthcoming electrical energy crunch.
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
The publication of the new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a landmark moment. The report states that the UN-backed body of international scientists is 95% certain that half of the global warming seen in the years covered by the report is man-made. The other 50% of the warming effect is presumably perfectly natural and is therefore acceptable. This natural warming is to be bourne with gritted teeth and a sigh of weary acceptance. If sea level does eventually rise by a metre, then I shall curse the man-made half of the rise, but I will try to enjoy the other half of the sea level rise, like I might enjoy a lovely natural organic hummus wholemeal baguette.
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
It never ceases to amaze me that you can buy a tonne of cement so cheaply. The standard worldwide price of 42.5 cement is only US$60-80/t. In a few countries it might nudge $100/t and in some out-of-the-way spots, generally land-locked and a long way from competition from importers, it will peak at past US$200/t. However, for most producers, the most they will receive for their efforts in producing this miracle material is a measly hundred bucks - max. Take away the costs of production (especially the ever-increasing costs of raw materials, electrical energy, fuel, transport, labour, maintenance and finance*) and a cement producer is lucky to manage a 10% margin. If there is competition in a particular market then margins will drop below 5% - perhaps even below 0% (and that is when the trouble starts).
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
While I was out for a walk recently, I met two Asiatic ladies also taking in the fresh air - one was from Singapore and one from Malaysia. We soon found ourselves talking about the air pollution that is drifting from forest fires in Indonesia and is creating a choking haze in Singapore. They mentioned the terrible air pollution in Beijing and the fact that 6000 dead pigs had been found floating down the Huang Po, the river that flows through Shanghai. One of the ladies then told me the following joke: "Two Chinese, one from Beijing and one from Shanghai, are discussing the relative merits of their glorious cities. The Beijing resident, boasting, said "We are so lucky in Beijing; we can open the window and get free cigarette smoke!" The resident from Shanghai just snorts and says, "That's nothing. In Shanghai we turn on the taps and out comes pork soup."
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
You may imagine us here at Global Cement Towers always beavering away on the next issue, collating information from around the world, updating the website, LinkedIn and Twitter and forever working on the next cement-related event and for most of the time it is indeed just like that. However, 'all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy' and so we are sometimes forced to go away on holiday to recharge our batteries, to be able to come back to work and to toil even harder.
