- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Cement Magazine
As you may have noticed over the years, I can be prone to pessimism when it comes to the outlook for the global cement industry. Over the last six years or so, since the gathering storm clouds formed that eventually broke to give us the acute phase of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 and 2008, I have regularly written here about the inevitable fall in cement demand, the possibility of the collapse of the Euro and the likelihood of Greece being the first to leave, and various other nightmare scenarios that have yet to come to pass.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Cement Magazine
I recently saw a news article1 on The Guardian web site that literally made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. As I read it, I thought to myself, 'This changes everything.' The report, which was tucked away towards the bottom of the long Guardian site, and which was apparently not thought of as being particularly ground-breaking or earth-shattering, was about an apparent breakthrough in nuclear fusion. There's also a smooth video2 that accompanied the report.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey, Editorial director, Global Cement Magazine
In the summer I had the great pleasure of taking a holiday in France - the most visited country in the world (with nearly 85 million visitors in 2013, higher even than second-placed USA with nearly 70 million1). However, because it's such a big country (nearly twice as big as Germany, for example), it was never particularly busy. Indeed, I cycled the 155km Tour Jean Robic (on a shopping bicycle, but that's another story) through the hilly heart of Brittany and the place was practically empty.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
You will have noticed in the news pages of this month's issue the number of new cement plant projects and also the number of company reorganisations, mergers, buy-outs, acquisitions, divestments and general organisational reshuffling. The new cement plant projects are fantastic news for everyone: Growing populations throughout the developing world mean burgeoning demand for cement and higher capacity utilisation figures, higher profits and more investment. Partly through the action of the cement industry, more and more people around the world are being brought out of absolute poverty1 and are being given access to reliable infrastructure such as hospitals and clean water.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editor, Global Cement Magazine
In the house of my venerable parents is an odd-shaped piece of furniture. It is an elongated rectangular box made of some highly polished wood, perched on four stout legs - they have to be stout because this thing weighs half a tonne. Opening the front reveals a radio dial, and opening the top shows a turntable for old-fashioned records. It is a Blaupunkt radiogram from around 1950 - you can actually see it for yourself by searching 'blaupunkt radiogram playing otis redding Fa fa fa' on Google. Placing a vinyl record on the platter and bringing down the needle into the spiral groove will bring forth a nostalgic series of clicks and pops as well as the full audio representation of your chosen music, faithfully rendered in full stereo through powerful - and heavy - speakers, after amplification through real glowing analogue valves. If the heating in the house fails, you can warm yourself next to the heat-emitting innards of the radiogram.
