30 June 2017
Siemens Mechanical Drives Unit to rebrand as Flender 30 June 2017
Germany: The Siemens Mechanical Drives unit will rebrand for the market as Flender, a wholly owned subsidiary based in Bocholt, on 1 October 2017. The reorganisation is intended to give the unit a ‘sharper’ business focus. Its branches around the worldwide will also be rebranded. The new setup is expected to be completed by mid-2018.
“Flender is our strong brand with a tradition more than a century old, and we’ve always done business under the name. At this year’s Hannover Messe, we highlighted Flender even more brightly, and made quite a splash with our stand-alone fair booth for gear units and clutches. Eventually all the unit’s activities worldwide will be gathered under Flender,” says Stefan Tenbrock, chief executive officer (CEO) of Siemens Mechanical Drives.
The future Flender builds components for mechanical drive technology, producing at eight locations with more than 6000 employees around the world. Its product range embraces a broad portfolio of gear units and clutches, drive applications and associated services. It serves industries including cement production, wind power, marine shipping, and conveyor and lifting technology.
A Friedrich Flender AG was founded in Düsseldorf in 1899, originally making wood pulleys. Subsequently the company developed into manufacturing gear products. Siemens took over Flender in 2005 and integrated the company into its corporate group as a unit for mechanical drives. In February 2017 the company announced that it would reorganise Mechanical Drives as a stand-alone entity within Siemens.
Sweden: Cementa, subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, and Vattenfall are conducting a pilot study on electrified cement production to attempt to reach zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The intention of the CemZero project is to supply power to cement plants from a so-called ‘climate smart Swedish energy system.’
"Electrification within the industry is an important element in the transition to sustainable urban development. We are now going to develop knowledge within the field in order to ascertain together with Vattenfall whether it is a potential future solution for cement production," says Jan Gånge, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cementa.
Gabon: Morocco’s Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) is planning to upgrade its cement grinding plant at Owendo with a clinker production line. The upgrade is anticipated to double the plant’s cement production capacity to 1.2Mt/yr from 0.6Mt/yr, according to Agence Ecofin. CIMAF plans to invest Euro150m in the project. Potential quarry sites at Ntoum and Nkoltang have been identified to support the initiative. The upgrade is intended to meet local demand and to provide export options to the Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. CIMAF’s grinding plant was opened in June 2016.
India: UltraTech Cement has completed its US$2.5bn acquisition of six integrated cement plants and five grinding plants from Jaiprakash Associates. The transfer was made effective at a meeting of the Scheme Implementation Committee of the board of directors of UltraTech Cement. The purchase includes plants in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh with a total production capacity of 21.2Mt/yr.
“This move is essentially for geographic market expansion, enabling UltraTech’s entry into the high growth markets of India where it needed greater reinforcement,” said Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of UltraTech. He added that the acquisition would add synergies in manufacturing, distribution and logistics.
Following the purchase UltraTech holds 18 integrated plants, one standalone clinker production plant, 25 grinding plants and seven bulk terminals, increasing its Ordinary Portland Cement capacity to 93Mt/yr. UltraTech said that the new production units will make it the fourth largest cement producer in the world outside of China and that it confirms its place as the largest producer in India.