04 October 2016
More Maggi noodles to burn in cement kilns 04 October 2016
India: The Supreme Court has approved Nestlé India and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to destroy 550t of recalled stocks of Maggi noodles, which had passed their shelf life, in the kilns of cement plants. Queries on the disposal of the noodles had been raised by FSSAI. Previously, Nestlé India recalled stocks of Maggi noodles and destroyed around 38,000t of the product in 2015. Ambuja Cement was reportedly paid at the time to use the noodles as an alternative fuel.
Lucky Cement set to open plant in Democratic Republic of Congo 04 October 2016
Democratic Republic of Congo: Pakistan’s Lucky Cement is set to open its US$270m Nyumba Ya Akiba cement plant in Bas-Congo later in October 2016. The 1.2Mt/yr plant will be operated with Groupe Rawji, a local company, under the name CIMKO. It is financed by the African Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, EKF and by Habib Bank among others, according to Bloomberg.
“We will take care of everything that can hinder your production, unfair competition, fraudulent imports, we will take care of that,” said Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon to CIMKO executives in a show of support for the project at a recent meeting.
Cemex Latam clears interim land rights for Maceo project 04 October 2016
Colombia: Cemex Latam has secured an interim contract with the government for its cement plant project in Maceo, Antioquia. The temporary solution will last until the end of an investigation into the irregular acquisition of the land, tax-free area and mining rights for the factory by Cemex Latam Holdings in 2012, according to the El Espectador newspaper. The company also intends to negotiate an extension of the lease contract, as per its original plans, in order to commence operation of the plant in early 2017.
An internal probe into the land deal found that irregular payments of US$20.5m had been made to Eugenio Diaz Correa, an individual connected to the deal. Cemex has fired Edgar Ramirez, vice president of planning, and Camilo Gonzalez, head of legal department, as part of the investigation and Carlos Jacks, the company's regional director, resigned. Cemex Latam has hired an external audit team and legal representatives in the case that was passed on to the Attorney General's Office of Colombia.
LafargeHolcim installs Schenck Process logistics equipment at two cement plants in Russia 04 October 2016
Russia: Schenck Process has installed two Logiq dispatch automation systems at two LafargeHolcim cement plants at Ferzikovo and Voskresensk. This has resulted in the plants being upgraded to the LafargeHolcim group’s Smart Factory standard.
At Ferzikovo LafargeHolcim is currently engaged in a major investment project for the Russian market. The plant has three incoming and outgoing scales as well as 11 loading stations for loose cement and two bag loading stations. Schenck Process converted the parking lot with registration, the incoming and outgoing scales and all loading points for fully automatic, unmanned operation. Self-service terminals for registration and weighing were installed in the entrance and exit areas. In the loose loading area, a Logiq loading terminal, including the Disomat Tersus weighing electronics with Profibus interface to the PLC and ultrasonic sensors, were installed. In Voskresensk the conversion work included the car park with registration, incoming and outgoing scales, three loading scales and one loading point for packaged goods.
Schenck Process ensured smooth delivery operations at both plants throughout the installation and commissioning process. Incoming silo trucks for loose loading, more than 300/day at Ferzikovo alone, continued to be processed throughout.
Since 2013, Schenck Process has implemented the Logiq dispatch automation system at various plants belonging to the Swiss construction material group, including at 18 cement plants in eastern Europe.