CONCRETE TRENDS PUBLISHES CAPTAINS OF CEMENT AND CONCRETE 2022

Concrete Trends magazine is proud to present its latest Captains of Cement and Concrete publication, outlining the viewpoints of many thought leaders in the cement production industry. They discuss the major influences affecting the global industry, in addition to a focus on three critical emerging regions: Southern and East Africa; West and North Africa; and the Middle East and Asia. View the publication

As the cement and construction industries recovered during 2021, the cement market size is set to gain momentum from two factors: rapidly growing populations, and the surging usage of green cement to develop sustainable and eco-friendly buildings. Government bodies in various countries have implemented strict norms to reduce emissions by modifying the manufacturing process, and these are in the process of being introduced in the countries our readership covers.

Digital transformation is another influence likely to impact on the cement industry in the coming year and is closely correlated to decarbonisation.

The global impact of Covid-19

The global impact of Covid-19 has been unprecedented and staggering, with the product witnessing a negative demand shock across all regions amid the pandemic. Fortune Business Insights estimates the global market exhibited a decline of 3.6% in 2020 compared to the average year-on-year growth during 2017-2019. In Africa and the Middle East, this decline was initially as much as 15-20%.

Rising populations have increased the need for residential building, alongside growing demand for cement for public infrastructure and non-residential buildings such as hospitals.

With 2022 beckoning, many companies will be attempting to forecast budgets for the coming year. Company CEOs and financial directors have an unenviable task. In many parts of the world there have already been two years in which economic forecasts have borne little relationship to what has occurred in fact. After everything else, the year ends with a global supply chain crisis and tremendous overcapacity in the cement industry. So good luck with forecasting the year to come.

Will there be a more Covid-19 waves and more variants? More lockdowns, with business closures and job losses? Or will the nascent recovery gather steam and global economies right themselves?

One thing that is clear, and reinforced by the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow during November 2021, is that all companies have to become adaptable, flexible and keep a close watch on global events if they are to survive. If there is one thing that we can be sure of, the coming year will be uncertain and unpredictable – and it is the fleetest of foot who will survive.       

The Captains of Cement and Concrete featured in these pages generally provide a blueprint of success and offer insights into how to run a business during difficult times. These are times to get through, because in many of the parts of the world featured herein the cement market possesses vast potential and opportunities driven by growing populations and rising affluence.    

The latest Captains of Cement and Concrete edition outlines the opportunities for the concrete sector, and positions it to the broader sector it operates in. View the publication

Contact Publishing Editor, Eamonn Ryan, at [email protected] for further information, and how to book your place in next year’s essential resource, as well as in the quarterly issues of Concrete Trends.