Displaying items by tag: Polish Cement Association

Poland: The Polish Cement Association reported a 12% fall in cement production in 2023, with output reaching 16.6Mt, according to data from the Central Statistical Office. The decline reflects challenges faced by the construction sector amidst a slowing economy, despite a slight GDP growth of over 0.2%.

Zbigniew Pilch, chief marketing officer of the association, said "2023 was a difficult year for the construction sector as the economy slowed down while GDP grew by a little over 0.2%." The initial data for 2024 suggests a potential rebound in the Polish cement industry, however, with Pilch adding "In February 2024, cement production totalled 1.2Mt, which represents a 33% year-on-year increase.”

Poland: The Polish Cement Association (SPC) has forecast a 2% year-on-year drop in cement sales to 18.5Mt in 2021. President Krzysztof Kieres attributed the fall to growing imports and reduced construction due to a cold start to the year. He predicts that sales will rise again, by 4% to 19.3Mt, in 2022.

The SPC has warned that the industry faces large costs in meeting the European Green Deal’s required 40% CO₂ emissions reduction by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In particular, the local industry noted that the rising European Union (EU) CO₂ price has caused a direct increase in electricity prices. It has called on the government and the EU to compensate it for this rise.

Imports of cement also present a key challenge. In 2020, imports of Belarusian cement increased by 80% to 440,000t and imports of Ukrainian cement increased by 50% to 32,000t. The association expressed strong support for the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as a means of protecting the industry against imports both from neighbouring countries outside the EU and via polluting shipping from cement exporters further afield such as Turkey.

Poland: The Cement Producers Association (CPA) has celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding with the release of a report entitled ‘The Influence of the Cement Industry on the Polish Economy.’ The report states that the industry’s 13 cement and grinding plants, which employ 3500 people across the country, have received Euro2.23bn in investments since 1990.

CPA chair Krzysztof Kieres said, “We have started actions aimed at achieving emission neutrality at our 60th anniversary in 2050. These ambitious climate goals, the economic situation and legislative changes constitute new challenges for the cement industry, and it needs to look for partners with similar goals - to care for the development of the construction industry and the entire Polish economy.”

Poland: Krzysztof Kieres, the general director of Dyckerhoff Polska, has been elected as the new chairman of the Polish Cement Association. The term of office lasts four years and he succeeds Ernest Jelito, the president of Górażdże Cement, in the role.

Kieres, aged 64 years, is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology at the University of Lodz. He holds experience with various construction companies, including Germany’s Bilfinger. He has worked for Dyckerhoff, part of Italy’s Buzzi Unicem, for 20 years as a financial director and the general director.

The association has also elected Dariusz Gawlak, the president of the board of the Warta Cement, as its vice chairman. Other new members of the board include: Włodzimierz Chołu, Cemex Polska; Xavier Guesnu, Lafarge Cement; Janusz Miłucha, Grupa Ożarów; and Andrzej Reclik, Górażdże Cement. The association has also accepted Andrzej Ptak as an honoury member.

Poland: Ernest Jelito, the president of Górażdże Cement, has been elected as the chairman of the Polish Cement Association. He succeeds Andrzej Ptak, president of the Ożarów SA Group, who will leave the post following his retirement at the start of 2019.

Jelito was born in 1958. He is a graduate of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He originally started to work for Górażdże Group in 1982. From 2001 to 2005 he was the general director of the Górażdże Group. Then for the next 11 years he was the technical director of HeidelbergCement. Since 2015 has been the president of the board of Górażdże Group and its general director.

Poland: Dyckerhoff Polska has been award the ‘Certain Cement’ quality certificate by the Polish Cement Association. The award has been given to cement producers since 2010. It recognises high standards and technical specifications across the cement production process and distribution. Winners can use the ‘Certain Cement’ on their packaging. Previous winners include Cemex Polska, Górażdże Cement, Grupa Ożarów, Lafarge Cement, Cementownia Warta, Cementownia Odra and Cementownia Kraków - Nowa Huta.

Poland: Cement sales rose by 7% year-on-year to around 18Mt in 2017, according to the Polish Cement Association. The country has a cement production capacity of 24Mt/yr and the capacity utilisation rate is approximately 75%. The Institute of Economic Forecasting and Analysis forecasts that sales will grow by 8% in 2018 to 17.9Mt.

Poland: Cementownia Warta and Cementownia Odra have joined the Pewny Cement certification scheme run by the Polish Cement Association. The kite mark is intended to convey high specification standards in production, packaging and distribution for customers outside of the construction industry. Warta and Odra join LafargeHolcim, Górażdże Cement, Cement Ożarów and Cemex on the scheme.

Poland: The Polish Cement Association (Stowarzyszenie Producentów Cementu) forecasts that local cement sales will rise by 2.5% to 16.1Mt in 2017 and to 17Mt in 2018 due to growing investment in residential housing and infrastructure. The association also warned that the future of the European Union's Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) could have major implications for the local industry. It supported the European Parliament’s amendments to the scheme in March 2017 and reinforced the high level of thermal substitution rates used in the local industry.

Poland: Cement production increased by 2.9% year-on-year to 1.62Mt in May 2015, according to Poland's Cement Producer Association. In the 12 months that ended on 31 May 2015, cement production grew by 1.5% year-on-year to 5.64Mt.