German 2007 cement consumption seen down three per cent
Germany’s cement consumption is expected to fall down by up to three per cent YoY in 2007, the Association of German Cement Industry (BDZ) said on October 8, 2007.
BDZ still expected a slight annual increase for full 2007 at the beginning of the year. In 2006, the cement consumption advanced 5.6 per cent annually to 28.6Mt.
The negative trend on the German market is expected to affect mainly smaller companies, while larger enterprises would most likely offset the weaker performance in Germany through their international activities.
After a sales growth of almost 30 per cent on the year in the first quarter of 2007, the German cement industry registered a 10 per cent decrease in the second quarter. The negative development has continued throughout July and August 2007 as well, Andreas Kern, head of BDZ, said. In the first eight months of 2007, the cement sales in the country inched down 0.4 per cent in annual terms.
However, Kern does not expect the negative trend to sustain in 2008, projecting a higher demand in the upcoming year.
Published under Cement News
