Intercem Holds Its 110th Conference in Istanbul on 19-21 September

The 110th meeting of INTERCEM, which brought the world cement producers together in Istanbul on 19-21 September, was held in collaboration with the Cement, Glass, Ceramics, and Soil Products Exporters' Association (ÇCSİB). In his keynote speech of Intercem Istanbul, Fatih Yücelik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜRKÇİMENTO, explained the current and future-oriented endeavors of the Turkish cement sector to the world cement producers who came to Istanbul, the meeting spot of Asia and Europe, from all over the world. 

Expressing that the Turkish cement sector is the fifth producer in the world and the leading one in Europe, with its installed production capacity, Yücelik shared the following information regarding the sector in his speech: 

“The annual cement production capacity of 76 cement plants operating in Turkey is approximately 118 million tons. Our plants continue their activities with a capacity utilization ratio of 69%. In 2021, an increase of 7,2% in cement production compared to the previous year was experienced. Hence, 82 million tons of cement was produced. Domestic sales reached 62,7 million tons, with an increase of 5,9%, year-on-year. In 2021, the total exports of the cement sector increased by 14% on a value basis and became 1 billion 266 million dollars. The total export amount dropped by 1,7% to 30.8 million tons. In the first half of this year, cement production of the TÜRKÇİMENTO members decreased by 10% compared to the previous year. In this period, domestic sales decreased by 14,5%, while cement exports increased by 6,5%, year-on-year.”

Mentioning the issue of sustainability in his speech, Fatih Yücelik said:  
“The issue of sustainability is not an optional choice or a luxury any longer for many sectors. It will not be wrong to say that companies that delay in incorporating these applications into their business processes might experience hard times. Our task in fighting climate change is to carry out low-carbon production. Large investments are made in the cement sector in the fields of energy efficiency investments, biomass use, electricity generation from waste heat, and cement with admixtures.”