Dr. Cengiz ÇELİK
General Manager
Ağrı Çimento
In the year 2021 the cement sector in Turkey turned to export. I predict that this situation will continue to increase in the coming years. Because of exchange rate changes in exports, the effects will be minimized. Apart from this, the publication of standards containing new types of cements could be a positive development for manufacturers. The amount of additives used in new types of cements in the newly published TS EN 197-5 can reach up to 65%. Thus, both profitability will increase and emissions per ton of cement will decrease significantly with the amount of clinker decreasing in the cement. The spread of these new cements in the market has become even more important due to these reasons.
In addition to the positive developments, the obligation to comply with the legal limits in the amount of Chromium VI and the increase in coal prices have brought some additional liabilities to the producers. With increasing demand for chromium VI reducing agents, the prices of the reducing agents doubled or tripled, regardless of the exchange rate. Again, the use of one of the Chromium VI reducing agents in fertilizer production, has caused problems in the supply chain. The increase in coal prices puts the cement producer, whose biggest expense is energy, into a bottleneck situation. The fluctuation in the exchange rate and the slowdown of the construction sector in our country had negative effects The effects of the global epidemic affected production in various ways this year as well. Although production increased in the first half of the year compared to the previous year, the increasing coal prices, and the fluctuation in exchange rates, have tipped the situation a little bit to the negative side, especially in the last quarter. The fluctuation in the exchange rate and the slowdown of the construction sector in our country also negatively affected the cement producer.
The use of additives will become necessary for the cement producer
Interruptions in the supply chain may negatively affect production. Therefore, it is predicted that the use of alternative sources will increase this year. Use of alternative fuels for energy production, increased use of sustainable energy, in addition to these, alternative raw materials and alternative additives – especially the use of additives obtained as waste – will become necessary for the cement producer. This way, possible damages that may be caused by disruptions and cost Tedarik zincirinde oluşabilecek aksaklıklar increases in the supply chain, can be prevente.