ABSTRACT
The Greek cement industry was affected by the 1980s crisis in the world cement industry, which was mainly due to over-capacity and reduced demand from oil-exporting countries. The Greek cement industry uses exclusively Greek raw materials and supplies are plentiful. Greek firms were able to offer very competitive prices, and capture a large part of the Middle East and West African markets. Greek demand for cement mainly comes from building construction. Even among developed countries, Greece had a very high per capita cement consumption. The first export surge coincides with the slump in domestic demand between 1970 and 1975. The global cement industry is characterised by a vertically integrated structure. Vertical integration has also been a conscious policy for all Greek cement companies, as they are all well integrated both upstream and downstream. The Greek cement industry is part of a global industry dominated by large companies that control, directly or through subsidiaries, the main regional markets.
