The refractories industry is going through a challenging time, with economic stagnation in Europe and slowing growth in developing economies hitting materials consumption. Francois Wanecq, CEO of global refractories giant Vesuvius, set a sober tone for the 56th International Colloquium on Refractories, which opened in Aachen, Germany, 25th September 2013. Wanecq said that the industry was facing pressures from increasing competition, raw materials supply and increasingly stringent environmental regulations. "We are being asked to make better use of resources and cut emissions by EU legislators and are working closely with regulators to meet these standards," he said. "Refractories for glass are still struggling, particularly since the solar industry collapsed," said Dr U Roger of DGG, "but this is a valley of tears that we just have to work through," he added. Despite recent encouraging data for global steel production - a market that consumes over half of all refractories produced - demand for steel refractories is still a cause for concern as "Business is quieter this year than it was last," one industry participant said. Despite the downbeat state of the market, Wanecq said that Europe remained a leader in refractory technology innovation, and that EU companies would be the first to benefit from the uptake of new products.
