Displaying items by tag: Export

South Korea: South Korea's cement exports reached an all-time high in 2011 as domestic manufacturers turned their eyes overseas amid a deepening domestic property slump.

The Korea Cement Association (KCA) said that South Korean cement manufacturers exported a total of 4.49Mt of cement in 2011, up a massive 62% from the 2.77Mt exported in 2010. The total amount of clinker and cement exported by South Korea rose to 9.97Mt, surpassing the 2010 record of 7.53Mt.

The KCA said that the long-running slump in the local construction market had forced its domestic companies to make inroads into overseas markets and diversify their business portfolios. "Cement makers sought to sell their products in overseas markets because the local demand for cement was so low," said an official from a local cement manufacturer.

Vietnam: Vietnam's industrial production grew by 6.8% in 2011, lower than that of 2010, according to data released by the Vietnam General Statistics Office (VGSO). Manufacturing industries, the inventory indices of which rose sharply in 2011, include cement, which was up by 64% year-on-year. 

Meanwhile, Vietnam is forecast to export 0.5Mt of cement and 5.5Mt of clinker in 2012, according to an official from the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). The VNCA's Chief, Nguyen Van Diep, said that Africa would be the targeted market for most of the material.

Vietnam's cement output is forecast to rise to 73Mt in 2012 due to the additional operation of eight new cement plants that have a combined production capacity of 6.9Mt/yr. Meanwhile, the country’s cement consumption is predicted to be around 60Mt in 2012, accounting for 86% of the sector’s total production.

Diep maintained these targets despite cement sales in 2011 falling short of the 54.5 - 56Mt forecast. Cuts in public investment and frozen real estate projects have cut demand significantly in 2011, to around 49Mt.