Japan: Taiheiyo Cement has been selected to be part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for the fifth consecutive year. The company was first chosen in 2014. The index is the Asia Pacific version of the Dow
Jones Sustainability Indices and it serves as a benchmarks for socially responsible investment.

Central America: Denmark’s FLSmidth says it is moving ahead with two contracts for cement plants worth over Euro250m following the receipt of the agreed downpayment. One contract is for a new cement plant and the other is for an extension to an existing plant.

The cement plant engineering company has not released many details on the projects. However, both plans will be located in Central America and will supply cement mainly to their local markets. The expected commissioning is within 24 to 36 months and once operational, the cement plants will have a capacity of 2000t/day and 3500t/day respectively.

Dominican Republic: Mexico’s Cemex has launched its Cemex Go platform in the Dominican Republic. The product allows customers to place orders, make payments, manage invoices and track deliveries in one place online. Cemex hopes to have made the digital platform available in all of its territories by the end of 2019.

Denmark: Aalborg Portland has signed a five-year cement transport deal with Demstrup Autotransport and Silo Trans following a tendering process. The deal covers the producer’s domestic cement distribution of over 1.25Mt/yr. This involves more than 33,000 movements per year. Demstrup Autotransport will be responsible for distribution in North and Central Jutland and Zealand. Silo Trans will handle distribution in Sønderjylland and in Funen.

Greece/UK: Titan Group has joined the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), a global organisation dedicated to strengthening and promoting the sector’s contribution to sustainable construction. The cement producer said that its participation would build on its commitment to, “actively engage in collaborative initiatives aiming to address global sustainability challenges.”

Launched in January 2018, the GCCA intends to become a respected industry voice and trusted source of information on sustainable construction. It complements and supports the work done by cement associations at national and regional level. As of January 2019 GCCA will incorporate the activities of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) following a strategic partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Ghana: Brice Houeto, the new country head of Dangote Cement in Ghana, says that the company expects to open its new grinding plant in Takoradi by end of 2019. The incoming manager made the comments to the Daily Graphic newspaper. The new unit will have a production capacity of 1.5Mt/yr. It is expected to create 1000 new jobs in the Western Region.

India: JSW Cement has started building a 1.2Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in the Jajpur district of Odisha. The unit will be used to produce Ordinary Portland Cement and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), according to Projects Today. The project had been on hold since 2016 due to issues with the land. The unit is expected to be operational by September 2020.

Philippines: Cemex Holdings Philippines (CHP) is running an assessment to see how a local government order to stop mining operations in Naga will affect its business. APO Land & Quarry has been requested to stop quarrying operations in Naga City, Cebu following landslides, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. APO Land & Quarry supplies raw materials to CHP’s subsidiary Apo Cement, and it is indirectly 40% owned by Mexico’s Cemex.

Australia: Adelaide Brighton is seeking damages from a former credit manager over US$9m in missing funds. The cement producer has accused former employee Glenda Ivy Burgess of the embezzlement following an internal audit, according to the Advertiser newspaper. Burgess worked for Adelaide Brighton for 18 years but was dismissed in February 2018.

The allegations include misallocating customer payments, falsifying accounts, increasing customer credit limits without authority and providing false information.

The construction company launched a civil lawsuit against Burgess at the same time that a police investigation was ongoing. This has subsequently led to a clash between civil and criminal proceedings as the accused successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to delay the civil case whilst the criminal investigation continues.

Pakistan: The Flying Cement Company has ordered a vertical roller mill from Germany’s Loesche for a new 7000t/day production line in Lahore. The raw material mill will be used at Flying Cement’s plant at Mangowal, where it will grind 600t/hr. The plant is mainly used to produce Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).

Along with the mill, the scope of supply also includes a Hurriclon system from A TEC, a member of the Loesche Group, for separating finished material from the gas flow leaving the mill.

Commissioning is expected to take place at the end of 2018.