TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-The demand for ceramic and other building materials increase following the rising demand of cement. Investment Coordinating Manager of PT SCG Indonesia, Vikom Phongsathorn, is optimistic that the performance of SCG Indonesia will improve in the next few months coinciding with the increased consumption of cement in Indonesia.

The data from Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) shows that the sales of cement went up to 8.7 percent; from 5.49 million tons in August 2015 to 5.97 million tons in August 2016.

The August's consumption has led to the cement's sales that are getting nearer to the target of 5 percent that the ASI has set. The sales of cement on January – August 2016 reached 39.07 million tons; grew 3.9 percent.

Phongsatorn explained that the demand for building materials other than cement usually increases following the growing demand for cement since the infrastructures such as roads are always followed by the construction of buildings and houses.

“Basic infrastructure will be followed by ceramic. We observed that the demand for cement in the last few months is starting to recover. We hope this will be followed by demands for other building materials,” he said.

SCG Indonesia, that engages in the building material sector, is the ceramic producer PT Keramika Indonesia Asosiasi Tbk (KIAS) with the producing capacity of floor/wall ceramic for as many as 21 million square meters and roof ceramics for 22 million square meters per year.

BISNIS.COM