Swiss shipments advance 3.8% YoY

Swiss cement shipments in 2013 rose by 3.8 per cent YoY, latest data from local association cemsuisse reveals.

Fourth quarter sales proved to be particularly strong, rising 7.2 per cent YoY due to favourable weather conditions.

Total deliveries for the year reached 4.564Mt last year compared to 4.395Mt during the year before.

CEM II represented the lion’s share of sales at 85 per cent, while CEM I accounted for 13.3 per cent.

A significant change was seen in distribution methods, with rail deliveries increasing from 45.9 to 51.3 per cent.

On the 2014 outlook, while cemsuisse expects a stabilisation of the market, a possible decline in shipments could be on the cards. While economic forecasts indicate an average 1.7 per cent increase in the construction sector, a current 20 per cent decline in building permit requests could lead to a decline in overall building activity.

In 2012, Swiss cement sales declined by 6.2 per cent YoY.