The fourth cement and lime conference in Brazil sets high benchmark as well-attended event brings industry together. The CW Group presents on the cement sector in South America.

The Nairobi, Kenya, office of JPMorgan ClimateCare has recently begun a major CDM based cement blending project. Mr. Tom Owino, company vice president, spoke with CemWeek and Prescon about the process in advance of his speaking engagement on Clean Development Mechanisms in Africa’s Cement Industry at the upcoming Precon conference.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) has been slower to take hold in the African cement industry than in other parts of the world, however there are indications that the continent’s use of this money-saving technique is on the verge of significant growth. To examine the issues involved, CemWeek spoke with Mr. Boris Sassenrath, sales leader for Cement/RDF at Vecoplan.

As the three-day Arab-International Cement Conference and Exhibition drew to a close in Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E. on Wednesday; Ahmad Al-Rousan, Secretary General of the AUCBM, expressed pleasure with attendance and the participation of CemWeek and the global cement industry. 

KHD Humboldt Wedag has played a prominent role in the India cement plant engineering and machinery supply business for the past 30 years. In that time span, KHD has come up with leading innovations that have changed the face of the local cement industry, and is now working on new innovations to fulfill the needs of its valued customers.

In the first article in the CemWeek series Terry Pavlopoulos examined the reasons that cement and concrete managers offered in support of vertical integration. In the second, Terry looked at how vertical integration might help in a downturn scenario and also explored the characteristics of markets that are ready to vertically integrate. In this final article in the vertical integration mini-series we examine changes in international trade impact cross-border vertical integration and climate change legislation and its potential impact.

In the article published on CemWeek last week, we examined the reasons that cement and concrete managers offered in support of vertical integration. In this note we will examine the following topics: Does vertical integration provide a “shelter” in a downturn situation? The behavioural impact of vertical integration on market participants versus economic arguments? What are the characteristics of a market ready to vertically integrate?

Given the recent turmoil in construction activity across the globe, a number of market participants in the cement industry have begun to consider the possibility of vertical integration into ready-mix concrete (and other concrete products) and the impact such strategy may have on their business.

CemWeek, in its special features section will post a mini-series of three articles on vertical integration by Mr. Terry Pavlopoulos.

CemWeek and Prescon recently had a chat with Mr. Roland Hunziker from the WBCSD about the some of the trade-offs facing African cement manufacturers as they consider sustainable development initiatives. Much is happening on the continent and a host of new projects may lead to Africa having one of the most sustainable industries – but clearly there is work ahead.

So where’s the opportunity with all of these new building materials that are poised to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry while helping to clean up its less-than-stellar environmental record?