Displaying items by tag: Sales

Pakistan: Cement sales in September 2025 are projected to reach 3.9Mt, reflecting a 1% year-on-year decline but a 2% increase compared to August 2025, according to Pakistan Business News. Local cement shipments are expected to grow by 3% year-on-year to 3.08Mt, despite a 1% month-on-month fall. Analysts attributed the decline to ongoing flood impacts, though sales rebounded in the third week of September 2025.

Cement exports are forecast to fall by 15% year-on-year but rise by 11% month-on-month, with flood-related disruptions continuing to weigh on annual comparisons. For the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, total cement sales are projected to rise by 12% year-on-year, supported by a 10% increase in domestic sales and a 21% rise in exports. Capacity utilisation in September 2025 is estimated at 55%, the same as the same month in 2024 but slightly below the 56% recorded in 2023. Analysts continue to forecast 8% year-on-year growth in local shipments, underpinned by increased construction activity and a more relaxed monetary policy.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement despatched 481,000t of clinker from Nigeria to its subsidiaries in Cameroon and Ghana in the first half of 2025, according to its latest activity report. While country-specific volumes were not disclosed, the company said that the supply ensured production continuity in these key markets and helped mitigate volatility in international clinker prices.

The group’s 1.5Mt/yr clinker grinding plant in Douala, Cameroon, sold 687,000t of cement in the first half of 2025, down by 3% from 710,000t in the same period of 2024. Dangote Cement attributed the decline to a temporary slowdown in demand.

Despite this, the outlook remains positive, supported by major infrastructure projects such as the Douala–Yaoundé highway and nationwide road rehabilitation. “These initiatives should maintain sustained cement demand in the medium term, despite uncertainties linked to the general elections scheduled for October 2025,” the report stated.

In Congo, however, sales stagnated at 446,000t in the first half of 2025 due to logistical challenges that limited exports, despite the resumption of public projects.

Looking ahead, Dangote Cement is moving forward with its long-delayed expansion in Cameroon. Bertrand Mbouck, General Manager of Dangote Cement Cameroon, confirmed that construction of a second plant had officially commenced after receiving government approval. The project, first announced in 2015 by Group CEO Aliko Dangote, was originally given a 20-month duration.

Brazil: Cement sales in August 2025 fell to 6Mt, a 2.5% decline compared to 6.15Mt in August 2024 and down 2.5% from July 2025, when sales stood at 6.16Mt, according to preliminary figures from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Total sales, including exports, reached 6.01Mt, also down by 2.5% year-on-year. Cumulatively, sales between January and August 2025 rose by 3% to 44.2Mt, compared to 43.0Mt in the same period of 2024.

By region, the Southeast remained the largest market, selling 2.75Mt of cement in August 2025 (down by 2% year-on-year), followed by the Northeast with 1.26Mt (down by 0.6%), the South with 940,000t (down by 7%), the Centre-West with 745,000t (down by 0.7%), and the North with 298,000t (down by 4%).

The slowdown comes despite record levels of formal employment and higher wages, as consumer debt remains high at 49%, close to the all-time peak of 49.9% in July 2022. Consumer confidence declined in August 2025 amid concerns about the economic outlook.

High interest rates, standing at 15%, continue to weigh on housing demand and the construction sector’s confidence index fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while industry confidence also declined to its weakest point since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tight monetary policy, uncertainty and new US tariffs on Brazilian products have further clouded the outlook.

Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC, said “The federal government's goal for the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program to build two million homes between 2023 and 2026 will enable the consumption of 10Mt of cement during that period. Structural masonry and concrete wall construction systems have been advancing throughout the country due to their cost-effectiveness, agility, competitiveness, and the Brazilian cement industry's efforts to engage and train professionals in construction companies.”

Indonesia: Domestic cement sales dropped by 3% year-on-year to 27.7Mt in the first half of 2025, down from 28.5Mt in the same period of 2024, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). Cement production also fell by 6% to 28.8Mt from 30.5Mt a year earlier.

ASI chair Lilik Unggul Raharjo said demand had contracted across most regions, except in Sumatra and Maluku-Papua, which posted growth of 4.9% and 5% respectively. He attributed the sales decline to weak household purchasing power and reduced government spending on infrastructure projects. The market remains oversupplied, resulting in a capacity utilisation rate of 56%. However, corporate secretary at PT Indocement Dani Handajani said that the company expects volumes to increase in the second half of 2025.

Bolivia: Cement production was 325,068t in June 2025, down by 4% month-on-month from 338,536t in May 2025 and by 2% year-on-year from 331,854t in June 2024, according to the Institute of National Statistics (INE). La Paz led output with 98,290t, followed by Santa Cruz with 90,385t. In the first half of 2025, cement production reached 1.9Mt.

Cement sales fell to 306,714t in June 2025, a 20% fall from 381,160t in May 2025 and down by 4% from 319,041t in June 2024. In the first half of 2025, sales declined by 1% year-on-year to 1.88Mt from 1.91Mt in the first half of 2024.

South Africa: Afrimat has recorded signs of recovery in the second quarter of its 2026 financial year, supported by the integration of Lafarge South Africa and cost savings from migrating Holcim systems onto its platform. The company said that July 2025 marked its highest monthly cement sales since acquiring the business, with both bulk and bagged sales rising.

Afrimat said “Our diversified model ensures the correct deployment of resources across operations. After each acquisition, we allowed time to stabilise distressed assets... we are now beginning to see a steady turnaround.”

The company said it has invested ‘heavily’ at the Lichtenburg cement plant to address historic underinvestment, though kiln reliability remains a constraint. It said “By reducing reliance on costly and environmentally taxing components and incorporating extenders such as fly ash and slag, both abundantly available to Afrimat, we can supply compliant, cost-effective and lower-carbon cement products to the market.”

Thailand: Domestic cement sales are expected to decline by 5.5% year-on-year to 34.7Mt in 2025 due to a contraction in private construction, particularly new housing projects, according to local press. In the first quarter of 2025, sales rose by 9.6% to 8.8Mt. Government projects will continue to expand but at a slower pace than in 2024, which is reportedly insufficient to offset weaker private demand. Political uncertainty may delay the 2026 budget and new project bidding, which could impact demand for government construction projects from late 2025 into 2026.

Brazil: Cement sales rose by 3% year-on-year to 6.1Mt in July 2025, according to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Sales for the first seven months of 2025 totalled 38.2Mt, up by 4%, driven by demand from the real estate sector and a strong job market.

SNIC reported that 3.25Mt of waste were co-processed in the year to date, avoiding 3.4Mt of CO₂ emissions. It said that the cement industry could be ‘indirectly affected’ by US President Trump’s tariffs. The sector also faces challenges from exchange rate fluctuations, which could increase the cost of cement production.

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales by the country’s 17 producers rose by 21% year-on-year to 13.1Mt in the second quarter of 2025, according to Al Yamama Cement. Local demand grew by 23% and accounted for 97% of total despatches, while exports fell by 16% to account for 3% of sales.

Al Yamama Cement led the market with 1.93Mt of local sales, followed by Saudi Cement with 1.36Mt, Qassim Cement with 1.14Mt and Yanbu Cement with 1.00Mt. Saudi Cement topped exports with 376,000t sold, ahead of Najran Cement with 50,000t and Eastern Province Cement at 5000t. Cement expert and CEO at consultancy firm A³&Co Amr Nader said “East Africa and Yemen have seen rising local production, such as capacity expansions in Kenya and the reactivation of plants in Ethiopia, alongside aggressive pricing from Turkiye and Iran.”

Clinker production grew by 13% year-on-year to 14.8Mt, with Saudi Cement producing 2.15Mt. Clinker inventories rose by 3% from 2024 to 134Mt by the end of June 2025, led by Southern Province Cement with 20.2Mt. Clinker exports increased by 39% year-on-year to 1.63Mt. Key markets included Bangladesh, Kenya, Benin, Ghana and Yemen.

South Korea: Domestic cement sales dropped by 17% year-on-year to 18.9Mt in the first six months of 2025, their lowest level in this period since 1992, according to the Korea Cement Association. After peaking at 26Mt in 2023, sales fell by 7.16Mt (27.5%) in two years, driven by a prolonged recession in the construction industry and reduced social overhead capital spending.

A Korea Cement Association official said “The sense of crisis in the cement industry is reaching its worst. Although we have already entered crisis management, it will be difficult to achieve results unless highly effective measures to stimulate the construction economy are introduced. We expect domestic cement sales this year to fall significantly below 40Mt.”

Domestic cement companies such as Sampyo Cement, Ssangyong C&E, Hanil Cement, Asia Cement and Sungshin Cement are expected to see their businesses deteriorate further when results are released in mid-August 2025. Strengthened environmental regulations are also adding pressure to the sector.