Displaying items by tag: Upgrade

Russia: LafargeHolcim’s local subsidiary Holcim Russia has launched an upgrade at its cement plant in Saratov Region at a total cost of US$300m. The project to build a new dry process line began in 2012 and has increased the plant’s capacity to 4500t/day. According to local press the plant meets all modern standards and environmental safety requirements. It is expected that the line will be at full capacity by the end of 2017.

Pakistan: Lucky Cement’s net sales rose by 5.7% to US$434m for the financial year that ended on 30 June 2017 from US$428m in the same period in 2016. Its cement sales volumes rose by 3.1% to 7.15Mt from 6.93Mt and its profit after tax rose by 5.8% to US$130m from US$123m. No reason for the good performance was presented in its financial results statement but that it said it was confident in the domestic market due to both resident and public sector construction markets and large scale infrastructure projects driven by the China-Pakistan Ecumenic Corridor initiative.

The cement producer also provided an update on new and on-going expansion projects. Its expansion plans at the Karachi Plant to add a 1.25Mt/yr production line are expected to reach commercial operations in December 2017. It is also in the process of obtaining approvals and authorisations from the state government of Punjab to build a new 2.3Mt/yr plant.

Kenya: Bamburi Cement is set to start a US$39m upgrade to its Athi River grinding plant in August 2017. Preliminary work on the 18-month project started in January 2017 and construction is about to commence, according to the Business Daily newspaper. The upgrade will increase cement production by 0.9Mt/yr at the unit when it is completed in mid-2018. Following the project the cement producer’s total national cement production capacity, including its integrated plant in Mombasa, will reach 3.2Mt/yr.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (Fancesa) is undergoing a tendering process to upgrade its packing unit at its cement plant in Cal Orcko. Haver & Boecker, FLSmidth Ventomatic, Claudius Peters and Beumer Latin America all submitted bids, according to the Correo del Sur newspaper. The project includes a new cement silo, new bagging machinery and a mechanised loading system.

France: Hazemag has completed the installation of Primary Sizer HCS 1020 at Lhoist Group’s Dugny lime plant. The project was a retrofit replacing a jaw crusher. The new unit is expected to increase production by 20% and to improve grain shape.

Fiji: Pacific Cement has resumed operations at its cement plant. The plant originally stopped operation in late April 2017 due to mechanical failures, according to the Fiji Times newspaper. Chief executive Sowani Tuidrola said that the plant will run at 60% capacity until the end of July 2017 whilst it waits for a new gear. A new Trunnion Gear Assembly is scheduled to arrive in late July 2017 and it will be fitted during a two-week shutdown in late August 2017. Normal production levels are expected to resume from 1 September 2017.

France: LafargeHolcim has launched a Euro100m upgrade to build a new clinker production line at its Martres cement plant in Tolosane. Construction work on the new line will start in the third quarter of 2018 and will be completed in mid-2020. A key feature of the upgrade will be a focus on using alternative fuels in the new kiln, particularly tyres. Following the project’s completion the plant will have a substitution rate of 80% from 30% at present.

The project, the largest investment made by the group in France for 40 years, is part of a wider package of Euro300m for France that the company announced in 2016. Tenders for the project at Martres will be issued in early 2018. LafargeHolcim has also made a point of saying that priority will be given to local, French and European companies. Previously the French media published concerns that the project might be awarded to a Chinese contractor.

Vietnam: Siam City Cement Vietnam plans to invest up to U$50m on its cement plants in the next six to 12 months. The Thai-owned cement producer purchased Holcim Vietnam in March 2017, according to the Saigon Times Daily newspaper. It operates plants in Kien Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai provinces and in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam: Trinh Dinh Dung, the Deputy Prime Minster, has inaugurated the second production line at the Thanh Thang Cement plant at Thanh Nghi, Ha Nam. The new line has a production capacity of 1.3Mt/yr and it will raise the plant’s total capacity to 1.75Mt/yr, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The company has invested US$220m in the upgrade project.

Trinh Dinh Dung also said at the event that the Ministry of Construction would have to review the master plan for the cement industry in the 2017 - 2025 period with a vision towards 2035, and the master plan for exploration, exploitation and use of minerals for cement production by 2025. He urged domestic cement manufacturers to comply with environmental protection requirements, and invest in new technology to improve the quality of their products and protect the environment.

Turkey: Brazil’s Votorantim is set to inaugurate a Euro140m upgrade project at its Sivas cement plant. The project has been part of the cement producer’s strategy to increase its revenue outside of Brazil, according to the Valor Economico newspaper. The upgrade has seen the plant’s cement production capacity rise to 1.8Mt/yr from 0.6Mt/yr. Prior to the investment the plant accounted for around 19% of Votorantim’s 3Mt/yr production in Turkey and once fully operational it will account for 42%. The plant will supply the market with CEM I and CEM II products.

Company president Walter Dissinger said that international sales account for 40% of group revenue. However it is hoped that this will recede to 30% once the Brazilian market starts to recover. The company is also building an upgrade at its Charlevoix plant in the US.