TURKCIMENTO Chairman of the Board of Directors, Fatih Yucelik, stated that the cement industry reached a capacity of 119 million tons in 2022 with the investments made.
Yucelik, in his statement, evaluated the production, sales and export figures for 2022 and said that they continued to support the region in order to heal the wounds quickly after the earthquake disaster that took place in Kahramanmaras on February 6th.
Pointing out that last year could not be considered as a productive year due to the negative reflections of the COVID-19 epidemic and the negative effects of the Ukraine-Russia War, Yucelik stated that the cement industry completed 2022 with a contraction in domestic and foreign sales, with the effect of the shrinkage in the construction sector.
“25.1% of cement was exported”
Yucelik stated that the industry, which operates with 77 cement factories in Turkiye, directly employs 17,500 people, and made the following assessment regarding the production and sales figures of the industry in 2022:
“After 2021, when our industry experienced a growth of about 6%, it started 2022 with a decline in the domestic market and an increase in exports. In 2022, the total cement production of TURKCIMENTO members, which represent 94% of the industry, decreased to 73 million 708 thousand tons with a decrease of 6.6% compared to the previous year. The domestic sales of our members decreased by 9.3% in 2022 to 54 million 610 thousand tons. Approximately 25.1% of the cement produced last year was exported. Cement industry exports in 2022, on the other hand, decreased by 12% to 27.2 million tons. Cement accounted for 18.7 million tons and clinker for 8.5 million tons of this export. The downward trend in exports continues in 2023.”
Stating that the cement industry reached a capacity of 119 million tons in 2022 with the investments made and the capacity utilization rate is 65%, Yucelik said, “When we look at our capacity utilization rate in 2022, we continue production under the installed capacity. Although I see that the developments in both the domestic and foreign markets still do not reflect our real potential, I believe that our industry will achieve greater success in the coming period. As a sector, we are the world’s 5th largest and Europe’s leading manufacturer with 2022 figures. We are sufficient for Turkiye and the world with a production capacity of 119 million tons.”
“We are building the foundation of the USA”
Yucelik pointed out that the industry mostly exports cement to the USA and the Middle East, and said:
“I would especially like to open a parenthesis to the US market. Turkiye’s cement exports to the USA increased by 35% in 2022 compared to the previous year, and reached 9.8 million tons. 50% of our country’s cement exports were made to the USA. As you know, in the USA, aging infrastructures are being renewed recently. With our quality products and our success in logistics, we are also laying our signature on the foundation of the USA with Turkish cement.”
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz