Currently, the global cement market steadily grows by an average of 4-6% a year. According to RUSMET, the world cement output grew from 2.5 billion tonnes in 2006 to 2.7 billion tonnes in 2007 (1040 million tonne or 1.6-fold increase as compared to 2000).
Main cement manufacturing countries include China (44% of global output), EU states (10%), India (6.2%), USA (4%), Japan (2.7%), Russia (2.2%). Cement market will be worth some $250 billion by 2010. The National Investor (TNI) predicts that cement consumption will reach 3 130 million tonnes in 2015 and 3 560 million tonnes in 2020. The global cement market is dominated by the following players: Lafarge (France), Holcim (Switzerland), HeidelbergCement (Germany), Italcementi (Italy), RMC (UK), Siam Cement (Thailand) and Taiheiyo (Japan), which account for a third of the total world output and two-thirds of all cement sales.
According to the Mineral Information Institute (MII), about 75% of all the cement produced is used to make ready-mix concrete, which is applied to make buildings, bridges, sidewalks, walls, and all sorts of constructed structures. The rest is used to make building materials such as concrete blocks, pipes, and pre-cast slabs, in road building and repairs, and other assorted uses. As a result, the cement market is largely affected by the levels of industrial growth and investment activity in a country or area. Cement production (consumption) volumes are the largest in the regions with unprecedented building boom, such as South-East Asia, China (this country currently consumes half the world’s cement), Central Asia.
Cement markets are highly regional as cement prices are grossly governed by shipping costs (cement is a bulky product consumed in large quantities). When new cement plants are designed and built, leading manufacturers argue that cement shipment to the distance of over 200km is not economically viable.
The Cement 2009 Trade Forum will attract people from all industry sectors, including cement manufacture and trade, equipment production, shipping, banking, market research, analytics, science. The Forum will address the following issues: advances in manufacturing technologies, logistics, the use of alternative fuel and raw materials, financing strategies, sales polices, equipment revamping. The event attendees will get a unique opportunity to know more about modern technologies and materials used in the cement industry. They may also share their business experiences, have discussions, get a valuable response from all attendees, as well as debate subjects vital for the industry.
