After a quieter end of 2011 that closed the year with a slight decline in global average cement prices, January 2012 reversed the course; the CW Group Research set of core markets, tracked at the national level, saw one percent growth in nominal retail cement prices.

One year after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami struck mainland Japan, CemWeek takes a look at the disaster’s lingering effects on the Japanese cement industry, including the key role cement companies played in ridding the island of nearly 25 million tons of debris.

In today’s knowledge-based economy where know-how and innovation define business success, forward-looking cement and concrete producers have made knowledge management the cornerstone of their business models. Recently, Robert Madeira, M.D. and Head of Research of the CW Group, spoke with Dr. Davide Zampini, Head of the Cemex Research Group, about the key ingredients for successful innovation in the industry and about the role of the research group within Cemex.This article captures some of the highlights from this exchange.

The latest Global Cement Volume Forecast analysis by the CW Group shows global cement consumption growth will trend around six percent in 2012, reaching 3.78 billion tons. The increase is a decline from the nine percent consumption volume growth in 2011 when worldwide cement demand reached 3.56 billion tons.  The chief driver of global consumption growth will continue to be China, which will consume 2.22 billion tons of cement by 2012.

Mr. Robert Cumming, an Environmental and Public Affairs Manager for Lafarge Canada, was recently interviewed by CemWeek and offered insight into the company’s successful efforts to improve their environmental impact. Mr. Cumming also discussed the company’s initiatives to further improve emissions in the future.

Founded in 1997, Egypt-based Arabian Cement Company became a member of Spain’s Cementos La Union group in 2004. In the past decade, ACC has faced a crumbing economy, licensing conflicts and political unrest. ACC’s CEO Jose Magrina spoke with CemWeek about the management decisions that have secured the company’s position within the Egyptian cement sector going into the future.