Reporter: Ridwan Nanda Mulyana | Editor: Ignatia Maria Sri Sayekti
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. The national cement industry association has changed its name from the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) to the Association of Indonesian Cement Companies (Asperssi). This name change was formalised through the Decree of the Minister of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number AHU-0009639.AH.01.07 of 2025, which was issued on 9 December 2025.
Asperssi Chairman Lilik Unggul Raharjo stated that the name change from ASI to Asperssi was to emphasise that the association represents cement companies in Indonesia. It also avoids confusion because the term ‘Semen Indonesia’ in the previous acronym is the same as one of the cement companies, namely PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
Currently, Asperssi has 16 member companies. ‘According to our Articles of Association, members must be companies that have integrated factories,’ Lilik told Kontan.co.id on Thursday (15/1/2026).
In terms of industry performance, Asperssi presented the production and sales achievements of the cement industry throughout 2025. Lilik explained that the national cement production volume decreased by approximately 4.5% year-on-year (yoy) from 67.8 million tonnes to 64.7 million tonnes.
This decline in production is in line with sluggish domestic cement sales. According to Asperssi data, domestic cement sales fell by around 1.5% (yoy) from 64.9 million tonnes to 63.9 million tonnes in 2025.
Lilik highlighted four factors that held back the cement industry last year. These include economic conditions, a decline in people’s purchasing power, infrastructure budget cuts, and the suboptimal implementation of the 3 million houses programme. ‘(In the domestic market) the largest segment is still retail, at around 71%,’ explained Lilik.
While domestic sales were sluggish, cement sales to the export market actually increased. Asperssi noted that cement sales to the export market jumped by around 32.2% (yoy) from 0.99 million tonnes to 1.32 million tonnes throughout 2025.
Cement exports primarily target the Timor-Leste market, contributing around 39%. This is followed by Australia (27%), the Maldives (14%), Papua New Guinea (12%), and the Philippines (8%).
There was also an increase in exports of semi-finished cement products (clinker). Clinker export volume increased by around 12.8% (yoy) from 10.9 million tonnes to 12.3 million tonnes throughout last year. The majority of clinker exports targeted Bangladesh, which contributed 73%.
Other clinker export markets were Taiwan (17%), Australia (7%), Sri Lanka (2%) and Mozambique (1%). Meanwhile, clinker production volume rose slightly by around 0.2% (yoy) from 57.1 million tonnes to 57.3 million tonnes last year.
Cement Industry Outlook for 2026
On the other hand, Asperssi also mapped out the opportunities and challenges that will accompany the cement industry in 2026. Asperssi predicts that the domestic cement market will climb this year.
However, the level of growth will not be very high. Lilik estimates that domestic cement sales will increase by around 1% – 2%.
‘Provided that economic growth is better than in 2025, the infrastructure budget increases, and the 3 million houses project runs according to plan,’ said Lilik.
Opportunities to boost cement sales come from public infrastructure projects, private projects in the industrial and property segments, and the 3 million houses programme. If realised according to target, Asperssi expects the 3 million houses programme to boost demand by up to 6.7 million tonnes.
In addition, cement industry players also see opportunities to expand into the export market. ‘There is potential for growth if logistics and costs are optimised and opportunities in new markets are seized,’ said Lilik.
On the other hand, industry players are wary of the risks posed by the slow recovery of purchasing power among the lower-middle class. In addition, there are global uncertainties in the form of interest rates, geopolitical escalation and commodity prices.
Source: kontan.co.id
