Lafarge sees 28% sales increase

The cement division of the French group Lafarge reported a 27.8% sales increase on the local market in the first half of the year against the same time last year, a slower growth rate than that of the aggregate and concrete division (39%). In terms of volume, cement sales went up 18.4%, according to the half-year financial report published by Lafarge. The company anticipates that the Romanian cement market will increase by around 15-20% in terms of volume this year against 2007, a higher increase than registered in the other four Central and Eastern European countries where the company operates – Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia. Lafarge is present in Romania with its aggregates, concrete, cement, and plasterboard divisions. The French group entered the Romanian cement market in 1997 and competes with another two large worldwide producers, HeidelbergCement (Germany) and Holcim (Switzerland).