2023, the contradiction between supply and demand in the cement industry intensified, and the cement market continued to bottom out. In 2023, the revenue of cement industry dropped by 21.5%, the total profit was only 30 billion yuan, and the benefit dropped sharply. Can the cement market be boosted in 2024? How can upstream and downstream enterprises break the situation? Yang Shuiping, chairman of
Changsha Yiyou Construction Technology Co., Ltd., said in an exchange with China Cement Network that the upstream and downstream enterprises in the cement industry had a very difficult time in 2023. In visiting some cement enterprises and communicating with them, he deeply felt the uncertainty and anxiety about the future direction. Although the central government decided to issue 1 trillion yuan of treasury bonds last year to inject a strong heart into the depressed cement market, in the first quarter of this year, many parts of the country also announced a list of key infrastructure projects in 2024, to a certain extent, it can be said that the demand for cement has recovered, but the State Council has also issued 12 high-risk debt provinces. This has also brought a huge blow to the demand for cement, so I think the market situation of the industry in 2024 is particularly severe. Yang Shuiping (left), chairman of
Changsha Yiyou Construction Technology Co., Ltd., was interviewed
by China Cement Network. How do cement enterprises seek breakthroughs? "It is no longer a feasible strategy to rely solely on the improvement of the market environment." Yang Shuiping believes that at this stage, enterprises should actively seek their own transformation and upgrading, especially pay attention to the development of new quality productivity, and boldly embrace new materials, new processes and new technologies. Enterprises should focus on technological innovation and product upgrading, and enhance competitiveness by reducing costs and improving efficiency.
"In addition, enterprises should optimize the structure of production capacity through mergers and reorganizations and elimination of backward production capacity in the market, and rationally adjust the industrial layout according to market demand and policy guidance." Yang Shuiping said that the way for enterprises to break the situation lies in continuous innovation, through the introduction and application of new materials, new processes and new technologies, through reducing production costs, to improve market competitiveness.
It is noteworthy that the Interim Regulations on the Management of Carbon Emission Trading will come into effect on May 1 this year. For the cement industry with large carbon emissions, the work of energy saving and carbon reduction is urgent. Under the background of the current complex and severe market, how can cement enterprises ensure their own benefits while promoting energy saving and carbon reduction?
In this regard, Yang Shuiping pointed out that energy conservation and carbon reduction are not contradictory to the benefits of enterprises, but can promote each other and develop together. In the process of promoting carbon reduction, the cement industry can start from the following two aspects to ensure enterprise efficiency:
First, we need to pay attention to the research and development and application of advanced low-carbon technologies, low-carbon materials and low-carbon processes to improve the energy efficiency of cement production and reduce production energy consumption, which is what we usually call cost reduction, energy saving and efficiency enhancement.
For example, for a cement enterprise customer in Guizhou, after using raw material regulator, the physical coal consumption of clinker is reduced by more than 5.8kg/t, the comprehensive power consumption of clinker is reduced by more than 1.1 kWh/t, and the average carbon dioxide emission of clinker calcination is reduced by more than 10kg/t. After deducting the use cost, the actual cost per ton of clinker produced by the cement plant has been reduced by 3.37 yuan, which not only reduces carbon emissions, but also reduces costs, saves energy and increases efficiency.
Second, actively participate in carbon emissions trading. Through the purchase or sale of carbon emission rights, the quantitative management of carbon emissions can be realized, and carbon emissions can be transformed into economic value.
He believes that only by taking multiple measures simultaneously can enterprises truly ensure their own benefits while promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction.
