The 26th BusinessCem International Cement Conference and Exhibition took place at the President Hotel, Moscow, Russia between 20-22 April 2015. The event attracted some 150 delegates from 20 countries all keen to discuss developments, challenges and opportunities in the cement industries of Russia and neighbouring countries.
BusinessCem Moscow 2015 included an expert speaker programme, round table discussions (pictured)
and international exhibition geared towards adapting to new market realities
BusinessCem Moscow 2015 provided a timely platform for delegates to discuss strategies and adopt manufacturing technologies that respond to market realities currently prevailing in this part of the world. Key focuses of the event were improving efficiency and the establishment of effective mechanisms for cooperation between participants from regional markets.
Opening official conference proceedings, Martin Shakkum, chairman of the Russian Federation’s State Duma Committee on Civil Engineering and Land Relationships, highlighted that the government and economic authorities of the country have successfully overcome the domestic crisis by working on legislation that is designed to strengthen construction activity. Such actions are expected to impact positively on cement demand going forward.
Alexander Loschenko, head of Russia’s National Association of Builders (Nostroy), then advocated the wider application of cement to replace other building materials. “We should significantly expand the construction of concrete roads in Europe, where the share of such highways is 40 per cent,” he argued.
‘The cement industry of Russia and Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) challenges’ was the focus of a presentation by Kamil Lachuev, senior vice president of the Eurocement Group. Stressing the need to improve the competitiveness of Russian cement products, Mr Lachuev said: “Our current challenge is the preparation of a new strategy development for the building materials industry.”
Sergey Yevdokimov, deputy director of the department of industrial policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), later discussed the unit’s work on the development of the main areas of industrial cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC).
Additional discussions under this umbrella included a presentation by Natalia Kozhina of Soyuzcement offering advice on: “Using the integration potential of the EEC to develop the building materials industry”. Larisa Barinova, deputy chairman of the chamber of commerce and industry of the RF, also summarised the work being carried out in the area of standardisation and adaptation of building regulations.
Regional plant projects
The two-day speaker programme also encompassed a range of technical papers featuring recent cement plant projects from crushing technologies, raw mix optimisation, clinker coolers, grinding mills through to gas cleaning, storage and alternative fuels.
Round table talks
Discussions were completed with two round table sessions under the themes of: “The cement industry in crisis: medical examination or emergency surgery?” and “Concentration of the industry. What will happen to the consumer?”, both of which were chaired by Evgeny Valyukov, BusinessCem conference organiser.
Networking & hospitality
Technical discussions were supplemented by an international exhibition featuring key equipment suppliers to the region.
Networking was further supported by BusinessCem’s full hospitality programme. Highlights included a farewell dinner on a river boat cruise along the Moskva river, giving delegates the opportunity to enjoy many of Moscow’s memorable landmarks.
The next BusinessCem meeting will be held in October 2015.
Article first published in International Cement Review, June 2015.
