Concreat: Cement demand may recover amid challenging year

The Consunji Group expects its cement business to remain challenging this year, but sees demand recovering over the medium-term, fueling a planned turnaround for its listed cement maker's financial performance.

- By RICHMOND MERCURIO

Herbert Consunji, president and CEO of Concreat Holdings Philippines (CHP), formerly Cemex Holdings Philippines, said that 2024 was a difficult year across the cement industry with soft demand and prices dropping.

"We recognize that 2025 will bring continued pressure to the industry. The cement business is highly competitive and global challenges, from trade tension to recession risk and geopolitical uncertainty, can weigh down cost, price and demand," he said during CHP's first annual stockholders' meeting under the management of the Consunji Group.

Consunji, however, said that these headwinds are not new to DMCI Holdings, which is now the majority owner of CHP.

"We have a long proven history of navigating complex market cycles with fiscal discipline, determination and a strong work ethic. If there is one thing our experience has taught us, what matters most is not the difficulty of the environment, but how we respond to it," Consunji said.