Editorial comment
Happy New Year everyone!
With the festive season behind us and (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) a couple more months of short, dark days and rainy weather ahead, it’s important to have something to look forward to. After all, who doesn’t need a little something to keep up morale during what is generally regarded as the gloomiest time of the year? A time when those hastily made New Year’s Resolutions start to take their toll, when festive treats are switched out in favour of ‘Veganuary’ or ‘Dry January’, when you’re reminded that Mince Pies are (inexplicably) not available year round, when that first direct debit payment for a new (as yet, possibly permanently, unused) gym membership is paid out, and let’s not forget ‘Divorce Day’...
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It gives me great pleasure then to remind you that World Cement’s EnviroTech conference and exhibition is taking place on 10 – 13 March in Lisbon, Portugal. Mark your calendar and join professionals from around the world to network, share insights, and discuss the cement industry’s journey to Net Zero.
Featuring three days of technical presentations and analysis from industry leaders and technical experts, multiple networking events, a 20+ stand exhibition, interactive Q&A sessions, an extended panel discussion, and a tour of the nearby Secil-Outão plant, EnviroTech is not to be missed.
Our venue, the wonderful Hotel Cascais Miragem, is located directly in front of the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking Estoril and Cascais Bay, and features five-star accommodation, high-quality restaurants, multiple pools, and even a spa.
And what’s more, you can (for a limited time only) save €250 on tickets, simply head over to www.worldcement.com/envirotech2024 and book your place via the ‘Register Now’ button to secure your discount! How’s that for something to look forward to?
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the January issue of World Cement, which is packed full of interesting content. By way of example, we are once again kicking things off with IA Cement’s executive summary of their annual forecast for the year ahead (pg. 10), which details expected trends, risks, and trade flows for the cement industry in 2024.
This issue also includes a strong focus on the topic of refractories, including technical content from HASLE Refractories (pg. 21), REFKO (pg. 27), and Mino Ceramic CO., LTD. (pg. 30), as well as the 2024 edition of the annual World Cement Refractory Review, which showcases some of the sector’s foremost refractory suppliers.
And of course, we have a number of articles devoted to the topic of decarbonisation, including Cementir Group’s exploration of the role of new cement and concrete formulations in leading the cement industry towards a net zero future (pg. 52).
I hope you enjoy all of the above, along with everything else we’ve packed into this issue, and I wish you a happy and successful year ahead.
