Issue introduction

The global cement industry is huge, but it produces an ingredient that makes up only around 15% of the final product of another industry that is six times larger: the global concrete industry. Here Global Cement Magazine lists - for the first time ever - the world’s top 25 concrete producers. Many are major producers of cement, but not all of them. Further details will be available in the forthcoming ‘Top 25 Global Concrete Producers report.’

Wikov engineers and manufactures gearboxes for 13 different industries, including the global cement sector, at two key factories in the Czech Republic. In 2018 the company is owned by Martin Wichterle, the great grandson of Karel Wichterle, the co-owner and founder of the Wikov brand. Three parallel brands, Škoda, ČKD and Wichterle & Kovářík, grew together to form Wikov as we know it today. Here Lukas Steiner, Marketing Manager of Wikov Group, looks separately at the history of the three strands...

Emissions limits for cement plants are getting stronger in many world regions. Often plants resort to mitigation equipment, which is expensive to buy and to operate, in order to meet them. Most of the time, emission relevant components, such as volatile organic compounds, pyritic sulphur, mercury and others, are inherent to the raw materials used in the process. The accepted standpoint in the industry is that little can be done to control these elements coming from the quarry and thus little control can be exerted. In reality, this is far from the case. The case-study presented below shows how a detailed evaluation of the deposit, followed by block modelling and quarry planning, can not only improve the control of emissions, but also decrease them.

Dynamic pricing is a strategy in which businesses set flexible prices for products and services based on current market demand. While common practice in many industries, cement producers still heavily rely on static pricing models with long-term contracts between vendors and buyers. This article will look at the technology behind digital pricing and the possible benefits for the cement industry.