The building materials sector looks at Eastern Europe with expectation and interest. Even though a cement production of more than 80 million tons for 2010 had been predicted for Russia in 2007, the actual values had to be corrected to just above 50 million tons. However, since the downturn in 2009, a continuous upward trend is visible. A market report in the current issue predicts a cement capacity of 125 million tons for 2020, facilitated by a distinct proportion of new plants. The report from page 40 on presents information about the current situation in the cement industry in Russia and the CIS. The Russian gypsum industry also shows a positive development. “In technical discussions, it became evident that the gypsum industry in Russia is far from having exhausted its potential”, this is one of the conclusions drawn from this year’s annual conference of the Russian gypsum association (see report on page 14). This great interest is also reflected by the extraordinary response and the comprehensive lecture program. We will also cover the Russian market in 2013 with the ZKG RUSSIAN EDITION. In addition to this regional focus, you will find other event reviews concerning national and international events as well as articles and technical papers on the subjects of grinding and cement chemistry dealing with cement production as the main topic.
We wish you a Happy New Year!