Lafarge Malayan sees low demand growth

Lafarge Malayan Cement expects cement demand growth in the country to fall to low single-digits from about 20 per cent last year, due to the slowdown in construction activities as a result of steel shortage, president and CEO Quah Thain Khan said.  Quah said the outlook for the cement industry for the current year is not as good as expected because the steel shortage issue has affected demand for other materials in the construction sector.  On the outlook for the company, Quah said that "at best, there will be a slight improvement in earnings over last year". The company will release its first quarter to March results tomorrow. It expects to announce a profit compared to a loss in the year-earlier period.