As the world’s largest quarrying and construction equipment exhibition, bauma 2016 Munich is sure to have been discussed and prepared for over considerable time in company boardrooms and factory manufacturing sites globally, including many in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It may be taking place in Europe, but, as I write this column in mid-March, attention of many Aggregates Business International readers, including those from ABI market OEMs, will be firmly fixed on what will be on show at the big 11-17 April event.
What I can say with confidence is that Chinese manufacturers such as SANY, LiuGong, Zoomlion and XCMG will once again be to the fore at bauma 2016, just as they have been for the previous two editions of the show, despite the continuing slowdown of the nation’s economy.
Readers of this magazine can find details and pictures of some of the key products due to go on show at the exhibition inside this latest edition. PPC, South Africa’s biggest cement producer, is one of Africa’s largest cement companies. This issue’s Interview is with the firm’s CEO, Darryll Castle. As you’ll read, Castle has been extremely busy since taking his coveted role in January 2015, and is integral to PPC’s bold vision of becoming a world-class provider of materials and solu- tions, partly by doubling its business every decade. In a wide-ranging discussion with Munesu Shoko, Castle says that PPC is looking to see its revenue generated outside South Africa jump from 28% to 40% by 2017. It will be fascinating to see what impact the voracious hunger for growth exhibited by PPC has on the overall global cement market over the next few years.
Turning our attention to Asia, our Quarry Profile in this issue comes from the Anhui region of eastern China. Keen to increase its aggregate production for its own use in cement production and due to grow- ing domestic construction market demand, four years ago Sinoma Cement, one of China’s largest and most enterprising cement manu- facturers invested in two aggregate plants supplied by a major OEM, consisting of feeders, screens, jaw and impact crushers. Now, the business is going from strength to strength – despite the economic troubles within the world’s most populated country.
There’s plenty inside for our Middle East-based readers too with our Market Report looking at aggregate demand across the region. While falling global oil prices and a continuing stand off over the in-port delivery of millions of tonnes of aggregates continue to impact the Saudi Arabian and UAE markets in particular, there is excite- ment at the opportunities created by the western worlds’ lifting of Iran’s nuclear capability-linked trade sanctions. As one senior figure at a leading crushing and screening OEM points out, Iran’s annual consumption of cement alone is 38-39 million tonnes – almost double that of Nigeria, long seen as a big emerging nation market.
In this issue of ABI, you’ll also find our latest Agg-intel branded feature on key topics within the contemporary aggregates industry. AR5 consultancy co-founder Xavier Therin, a former senior miner- als industry company executive with over 25 years’ experience in the metals and minerals sector, examines the shift in aggregate process- ing to greater use of mobile equipment. It’s a shift that many working within the minerals sector in Asia, Africa and the Middle East are sure to have their own thoughts on.
