According to local press, sales of cement in Indonesia reached 5.2 million t in May 2014, up 7.7%. This represents an improvement on April’s figures, when sales contracted by 0.4% y/y. On a regional basis, sales increased by 8.2% in Java in May to 3 million t, and in Sumatra they grew by 5.4% to 1.1 million t. Sales volumes also picked up in Kalimantan and Sulawesi, rising by 21% and 16%, respectively. However, sales of cement fell in Maluku, Papua and Nusa Tenggara.
Cement producer Semen Indonesia experienced a 4.5% rise in sales in the first five months of the year. Total sales, including the company’s subsidiaries, reached 10.5 million t.
Domestic cement consumption in Indonesia is forecast to increase by 6% in 2014 to an estimated 63 million t.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) is reportedly ready to launch three new products on the Indonesian construction materials market, which have been manufactured at the company’s new Karawang plant in West Java. This includes SCG Cement PCC – a quick-to-dry Portland cement composite, the SCG Smartblock – an energy-saving lightweight concrete, and Jayamix SCG Super Concrete – a type of ready-mixed concrete.
Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham