A healthy market

摘要

Global demand for cement, the binder in concrete, is forecast to reach 4.7 billion tonnes in 2017, with sales expected to expand by more than +5% a year over the next four years, according to research company Freedonia. While this represents a slight decline in pace from the 2007 to 2012 period, altogether, Freedonia's figures constitute a fairly robust outlook for this key construction material. At the same time there is a drive among the concrete construction sector's equipment manufacturers to produce more versatile and efficient equipment, fuelled by the ever-present need for contractors to improve productivity. New technology is playing a big role in the latest developments. Telematics systems that allow machines to be monitored remotely are spreading to every corner of the construction industry, for instance, often aiming to help to improve efficiency and performance of equipment.