2011: Industry recovers, Lafarge in pole position

When the 2011 numbers came in, sales volumes were up five percent over 2010. Lafarge takes lead position over Holcim, and Heidelberg rules aggregates. While difficulties continue in the mature markets, all segments find reason for optimism.

After experiencing the first signs of global recovery in the first half of 2011, global building material companies kept pace in the second half to reach an annual growth rate of five percent for sales volumes (in EUR) compared to 2010. The companies in the CW analysis include Lafarge, Holcim, HeidelbergCement, CRH, Cemex, Italcementi, Buzzi Unicem, Cimpor, Vicat, and Titan.

Total turnover for these companies exceeded EUR 87.1 billion in 2011 compared to nearly EUR 83 billion reached in 2010. Every company declared growth rates for EUR turnover with one exception, Titan Group, that further deepened its first half 2011 decline of 18.2 percent to an annual negative evolution of 19.2 percent.

Read the full analysis in the CemWeek Magazine issue 7 on page 48.