Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The countries of South America are at different stages of economic development, with cement industries of varying size and ages. Nine countries, namely Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, have integrated cement facilities. These have a combined cement industry that is the same size as that of Brazil, which is not covered in this review.

DG Khan's cement plant at Chakwal, Pakistan, is one of the largest cement plants in Asia. With the support of Vecoplan FuelTrack it is successfully using alternative fuels.

The People's Republic of China is the world's most populous country and the second-largest economy after the USA.¹ It is also a dominant industrial power and has the largest cement industry in the world,² although its exact size is up for debate. However large, the country's massive cement capacity has helped fuel massive government-led infrastructure and settlement projects. China is also one of the largest global cement exporters.³

Hope Construction Materials is a new cement and building materials producer in the UK with assets that include the largest cement plant in the UK at Hope. Although the cement plant itself is over 80 years old, the company is looking towards the future. Global Cement recently visited the plant and met key figures at this ambitious new company...

2012 and the opening months of 2013 saw the UK celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. However, it also saw the country dealing with a faltering economy, cost reduction and job losses, the failure of some cement companies and the birth of two new ones. New fuels, packing plants, trials of new cements, improved water management, a railway extension, crises in the carbon market and the construction of two Climafuel plants for Cemex have also hit the headlines. Let's have a look in more detail...