Methodical principles of assessing operational competitiveness on the example of an enterprise for cement production

The purpose of the article is to develop methodological principles for assessing the competitiveness of a cement production enterprise based on the calculation of the Operational Competitiveness Index. A number of partial indicators were used to calculate the Index, in particular, sales profitability, EBITDA profitability, production cost level, profitability of net assets and EBITDA growth, since they comprehensively reflect the operational efficiency of the enterprise in conditions of capital-intensive production. In the cement industry, which is characterized by a high level of energy consumption, significant material intensity and sensitivity to cost fluctuations, these indicators allow an objective assessment of the enterprise’s ability to maintain sustainable profitability. The proposed indicators provide a comprehensive assessment of the operational competitiveness of a cement industry enterprise, taking into account both current operational efficiency and the potential for growth and adaptation to changes. The construction of the Operational Competitiveness Index is based on the aggregation of individual partial indicators. For their correct aggregation, the author applied the normalization procedure using the “minimax” method. In order to confirm the practical applicability and analytical potential of the developed Operational Competitiveness Index of a cement manufacturing enterprise, the author tested it on the example of one of the leading players in the global cement market - the international corporation CRH plc. Based on the calculations of the Operational Competitiveness Index of CRH for the period 2014—2024, a gradual and mostly stable growth of the integral indicator was revealed. Such dynamics reflects positive changes in internal management processes, cost rationalization, and increased efficiency of operations. The developed Operational Competitiveness Index can be effectively used as an analytical tool for assessing and monitoring the activities of a cement industry enterprise. The index makes it possible to objectively track changes in the operational efficiency of the enterprise against the background of fluctuations in the market environment, in particular energy prices, logistics costs and raw materials, which are critical for the cement industry. The analytical structure of the index allows identifying weak links in the cost or profitability management system, which will contribute to the formation of sound management decisions.