Focus on M&A Activity in Africa in the last years
Governments in Africa urged to stimulate infrastructure investment in order to attract more cement companies to the region.

Despite a slowdown in India’s economy during the past few years, energy demand continues to grow. India is regarded as the fourth-largest energy consumer worldwide, following the U.S., China and Russia.

Future topics such as the “digital factory” show that the changes in automation have not come to a standstill yet. At the heart of the digital factory is the digital planning of production sequences and the saving of the system structure, its devices, sequences and processes on the computer in digital form and to operate them as cost-effectively as possible.

India's economic recovery expected to commence by 2013. The economic measures implemented by the Indian Government in September 2012 are expected to lead to a recovery of India’s economy starting with 2013.

Against a landscape of political turmoil, Egypt’s economy struggles to find its footing on a road to sustainable recovery. Potential growth opportunities, however, are notable in key industries including construction, lending hope for a more stable recovery in 2013.

Saudi Arabian cement demand is expected to increase 9.4 percent per year to more than 80 million tons by 2017 as massive infrastructure projects create surging demand. Virtually all regions of the country will post gains, with large new cement production capacities coming on-line in the next few years. These and other trends are presented in the “2013 CW Group Saudi Arabia Market Update report,” a new study from CW Group, the leading global cement industry consultancy and research house based out of New York, USA.

The global economic downturn took its toll on the cement plant equipment tracking indices monitored by CW Group in the third quarter of 2012. Expectations are that the equipment cement market continued its subdued stage in the last quarter of the year.

Spain’s cement consumption dropped to the lowest level seen since 1967, and consumption is forecasted to decline by 20 percent in 2013. Yet while the immediate economic environment is challenging, the country’s industry continues to make progress in fostering sustainability.

Ayman Ismail, the head of Asec Trading, offers a trader’s perspective on the current state of the international cement market. Mr. Ismail touches on notable trends and opportunities in international trade, and discusses how the increase in capacity witnessed throughout the MENA region is affecting cement trade.

Several key cement markets brace for more stringent environmental regulations in 2013. What impact these regulations may have on the cement market is explored.