Displaying items by tag: data

Egypt: Cement production rose to 17.6Mt between January and April 2025, up from 13.4Mt in the same period of 2024, according to data from the Central Bank of Egypt. Cement sales also grew to 14.1Mt, a year-on-year increase of 17%. The Cement Producers Division reports that 19 companies are operating in Egypt, with total investments exceeding US$4.8bn.

Cement exports reportedly reached US$770m in 2023, up by 14%, and US$780m in the first 10 months of 2024, up by 12%. The Export Council for Building Materials said that Egyptian cement was exported to 95 countries, led by African markets.

Vietnam: Domestic cement sales reached about 18Mt in the third quarter of 2025, equal to 79% of second-quarter levels, according to the Construction Industry Development Centre (CIDC). The decline was attributed to prolonged storms and seasonal factors that disrupted operations and transport. Rising electricity, raw material and fuel costs also put pressure on production costs and profit margins.

By contrast, cement and clinker exports rose to nearly 9.5Mt, up on both the previous quarter and the first nine months of 2024. The increase was driven by efforts to expand into new markets in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, offsetting lower demand from the US, Taiwan and the Philippines. The Vietnam Cement Market Report noted that export profit margins remain under pressure due to high logistics costs and falling prices. The US’ 20% import tax on Vietnamese cement and Taiwan’s anti-dumping duties (in place until 2030) are also prompting companies to reassess pricing and market strategies.

According to the Vietnam Association of Building Materials, the final months of 2025 will bring ‘continued challenges’ from rising energy and input costs, but improving weather, faster public investment disbursement and signs of recovery in real estate are expected to boost demand for construction materials.

Kenya: Cement production rose to 920,000t in August 2025, up by 1% month-on-month from 907,000t in July 2025, keeping pace with rising demand. Consumption also reached a record 907,000t, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

The rebound follows the release of US$487m by the Treasury earlier in 2025 to clear unpaid bills to contractors, which allowed hundreds of stalled road and infrastructure projects to resume. The sector had previously contracted by 3% in the quarter ending June 2025 due to budget cuts, high material costs and reduced private lending.

Peru: National cement despatches reached 1.17Mt in September 2025, up by 10% year-on-year and 4% higher over the 12-month period, according to ASOCEM. Cement production totalled 1.05Mt, rising by 6% year-on-year and by 1% over the past 12 months. Clinker production reached 668,000t, up by 1% year-on-year but down by 10% in the 12-month period.

Cement exports fell by 10% year-on-year to 10,400t in September 2025, but rose by 9% across 12 months. Clinker exports increased by 88% to 70,500t, but declined by 2% in the annual period. Cement imports dropped by 41% year-on-year to 12,600t but more than doubled, up 105% over 12 months. Clinker imports surged by 90% to 161,000t, up 49% on the 12-month basis.

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 19.5% year-on-year in September 2025 to 1.49Mt, 243,000t more than in the same month of 2024, according to data from Oficemen. Cumulative growth for the first nine months reached 10%, with total consumption at 12.0Mt, 1.06Mt higher than in September 2024.

Officemen director general Aniceto Zaragoza said “Although consumption trends are very positive, it's important to put the data into context: we are still below the level necessary to adequately cover our country's public works and housing needs. According to the Bank of Spain, the current deficit is 700,000 new homes. To meet this demand, it would be necessary to reach consumption of around 20Mt/yr - the same as in 2011 - which shows that there is still clear room for growth.” Rolling-year data shows total consumption at 15.96Mt, up by 10% year-on-year. Exports fell by 8.5% in the first nine months of 2025 to 3.39Mt, with a sharp 24% drop in September 2025, while imports rose by 31% to 1.40Mt.

Japan: The Renewable Energy Institute (REI) has published The Decarbonisation Pathway for Japan's Cement Industry, a report on strategies to ensure cement industry decarbonisation in line with a global 1.5°C climate change limit. The report found that the calcination of limestone gives rise to 60% of process CO₂ emissions from Japanese cement production. The report reviews possibilities for tackling emissions both from calcination and from other sources. In the former category, it noted scope for clinker factor reduction. Japan Cement Association members recorded an average clinker factor of 0.8 and Scope 1 emissions of 680kg/t of cementitious product in 2024. REI contrasted this with India-based Dalmia Bharat, which had a clinker factor of 0.6 and Scope 1 emissions of 467kg/t.

Switzerland: Measurements specialist ABB has published a new study about industrial downtime. The company, together with Sapio Research, surveyed 3600 senior decision-makers across various industries, including cement. The study showed that 44% of leaders experience equipment-related interruptions at least monthly and 14% at least weekly. Of those experiencing weekly interruptions, just 20% have a proactive modernisation strategy. A majority of respondents estimate the cost of these interruptions at US$10,000 – US$500,000/hr; 7% believe it is higher. 67% have upgraded their motors or drives in the past two years, and 55% plan to do so. Cost remains the top barrier to modernisation for 28% of industrial players.

ABB Motion Services Modernisation Programme Head Oswald Deuchar said "Unplanned downtime is costing industry up to half a million US Dollars per hour – yet one in three businesses hasn't modernised their motor-driven systems in the last two years. That's more than a missed opportunity, it's a silent crisis. Our research shows that those who shift from reactive firefighting to forward-looking life-cycle strategies experience fewer failures and greater resilience. A key challenge, though, remains in justifying the up-front investment.”

Spain: Maritime traffic between the ports managed by the Valencia Port Authority - Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia - and Israel rose by 25% in 2024. The ports of Valencia and Sagunto maintain a direct connection with Ashdod, 40km south of Tel Aviv. Since the start of the conflict in Gaza and until September 2025, Israel has imported more than 165,000t of white cement from the Port of Valencia, compared to virtually none in 2023, according to official data from the Port of Valencia via the El Diario newspaper. Up to 15 ships carrying white cement from Çimsa Cementos’ Buñol plant have reportedly departed from Sagunto for Ashdod. Industry experts said these exports represent around 12% of Buñol’s 700,000t/yr capacity. For comparison, Holcim’s Sagunto plant produces 110,000t/yr of white cement.

Brazil: The cement industry closed the third quarter of 2025 on a positive note, with sales reaching 6.1Mt in September 2025, up by 4.6% year-on-year. From January to September 2025, cumulative sales stood at 50.3Mt, representing 3% year-on-year growth, according to preliminary figures released by the National Union of the Cement Industry (SNIC). The sector’s performance reflected mixed economic signals, with a robust labour market balancing the effects of high interest rates, rising defaults and elevated household debt. The unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in the quarter ending in August 2025, alongside record levels of formal employment and wage growth of 1.4%.

Despite these gains, overall economic activity has shown signs of slowing in the second half of 2025, with industry confidence stabilising in September 2025 after three months of decline. Given this context, SNIC projects a moderate 2% increase in cement consumption for 2025, supported by continued demand from housing and infrastructure projects.

“The cement industry demonstrates resilience by maintaining positive performance based on a sales recovery that began in 2024,” said Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC. “However, the increased uncertainty in the economy creates an environment of caution. Our projections for 2025 reflect this moderation, but the focus on social housing and sustainable infrastructure solutions such as concrete paving will continue to drive consumption and support Brazil’s economic, social and environmental development.”

Switzerland: Cement deliveries rose by 7% in the third quarter of 2025 to 0.98Mt, compared with the same period in 2024, according to data released by Cemsuisse. For the first nine months of the year, total deliveries are expected to reach 2.7Mt, up by 4% year-on-year.

The favourable interest rate environment and recovery in construction activity have reportedly supported demand. “After the slight decline last year, the trend is encouraging,” said Stefan Vannoni, director of Cemsuisse. “Despite some uncertainties in the civil engineering sector, we can currently expect supply volumes to stabilise in 2025.”

Cemsuisse added that the figures highlight the resilience of local cement production, which relies on domestic raw materials and reduces Switzerland’s dependence on foreign suppliers.

Between January and September 2025, 34% of deliveries were made by rail and 66% by road. “The Confederation’s climate policy goals should also be reflected in SBB’s actions: it is therefore urgent to improve planning reliability in rail freight transport,” Vannoni said.