Displaying items by tag: Contract

India: HCC, the civil works contractor for NHPC's Teesta Low Dam Project Stage IV (TLDP-IV), has resumed civil works that had been stalled for over eight months. Works halted on 20 March 2013 as HCC feared termination of the contract.

HCC had earlier noted that the work had stalled due to a severe financial crunch being faced by NHPC and accordingly requested that NHPC extend financial assistance to the tune of US$8.46m to HCC for resuming works. While NHPC agreed to extend the requested assistance, civil works contractor HCC refused to accept the proposal as it is and sought an increase beyond US$8.46m.

Aggravated with the constant modifications in terms of financial assistance and non-resumption of works, NHPC shot a missive to the contractor on 3 December 2013, directing the latter to restart the works within 7 days, failing which NHPC would initiate the action for termination of contract. In response, HCC has started the work of dewatering in the RCC dam pit and preparatory work for second stage concrete in the power dam area.

HCC has presented a final proposal to NHPC that the company has agreed to present to its Board. HCC has requested that NHPC to provide US$3.25m initially for clearing the past liabilities and US$9.76m for various construction material purchased. On this account, NHPC has requested the Board to release the interest bearing advance of US$32,530 to HCC for discharge of its partial past liabilities. The Board shall further resolve that all the construction materials required for balance works shall be procured directly by HCC after certification by the project. NHPC shall extend the assistance under this head in a phased manner based on requirement of material which shall be interest bearing and limited to US$97,590 against bank guarantees.

Myanmar: Citic Heavy Industries has signed a 5000t/day cement production line EPC general contract with Maylamyine Cement, a Myanmar-located subsidiary of Thailand's Siam Cement Group. The contract is valued at US$197m.

Mexico: Cemex has signed a US$500m deal with US-based information technology (IT) consulting and outsourcing firm Neoris to outsource IT services for the next ten years. As part of the agreement, Neoris will provide software engineering, application development and technology deployments for multiple projects, complementing existing services Neoris already provides to Cemex.

Cemex has already integrated its advanced enterprise platform, based on a model by German enterprise software giant SAP which was tailored by Neoris, using mobile interfaces, fluid collaboration schemes and business-oriented social media networking models. Alongside the new agreement with Neoris, Cemex will continue a 10-year strategic partnership it signed with IBM in 2012 for business process, application maintenance and IT outsourcing services.

Germany: VAS® the IT logistics system from FRITZ & MACZIOL group has won a contract from Cemex in Germany. The Mexico-based multinational cement producer will use a bespoke version of the software and will roll the system out to several Cemex plants starting in Germany. FRITZ & MACZIOL cited VAS®'s ability to cover all requirements towards an IT logistics solution specified by Cemex as a key reason for its selection. At Cemex the implementation of a VAS® workshop is currently being prepared.

"Cemex takes over the role of a trailblazer. At present many firms operating in the raw material sector are thinking about how to standardise their global operations and logistic processes by using a template-based solution in order to replace their older and often isolated systems," said Claus Jordan, the Director of Business Development and Marketing of the FRITZ & MACZIOL Industrial Applications and Services division.

Jordan sees the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies as a reason for this development, as they can be used to simplify the automation of logistic processes within different plants. He added that, "A template-based rollout reduces time, effort and costs on the customers side and as such secures a fast return-on-investment."

Adrian Brown, Sales Director for FRITZ & MACZIOL in UK and Ireland, described VAS® to Global Cement.

This process-orientated software solution for the raw materials industry, forms the entire process chain from delivery via dispatch and loading, right up to departure. As the link between ERP systems and technical systems, VAS® represents the key function for efficient process sequences. In addition, VAS® supports reporting functions and supplies real-time information to further systems, for example for production, sales or controlling. All external technical systems such as the weighing, silo or metering technology are completely integrated into the VAS® logistics system processes.

According to Brown, VAS® is currently used in more than 160 plants worldwide within the raw materials industry. More than 30 of these implementations are within the cement and minerals industries in the UK and Ireland.

Ethiopia: A TEC has released progress information on contracts to provide an alternative fuel system, which can process sesame straw and stalks, and a cement big-bag filling station for Messebo Building Materials Production in Mekelle. Both commissions were awarded in the first quarter of 2013 and local manufacturing and the erection will be performed by Mesfin Industrial Engineering PLC, a sister company of Messebo.

Installation of the alternative fuels system will start in the fourth quarter of 2013 with a planned start-up in the first quarter of 2014. Collection and preparation of straw and the production of bales will take place at Kafta Humera. The first phase of the project includes building a baling capacity of 50t/hr and an alternative fuel feeding capacity to the calciner of 10t/hr at the cement plant in Mekelle. A future upgrade, phase two, will scale the system up to a baling capacity of 71t/hr and an alternative fuel feeding capacity of 20t/hr.

The new station for big-bag filling will be installed at the cement plant in Mekelle. The system will consist of three filling stations in modular design. Each station can handle 15 bags/hr. A total number of 45 big-bags/hr with an overall capacity of 90t/hr can be reached. The big-bag filling station will be installed and commissioned at the end of 2013.

China: China Resources Cement has entered into a strategic co-operative framework agreement with Jianhua Construction Materials (China) Investment Company Limited regarding the supply of cement for a term of five years.

Jianhua will give priority to China Resources Cement for the purchase of cement in all regions where both parties have established production facilities. China Resources Cement will ensure the timely delivery of the required grades and quantities of cement as required by Jianhua at the most 'favourable' market prices.

Jianhua is the largest concrete pile manufacturer in China in terms of production capacity, sales volume and the market share.

Thailand: Thai TPI Polene Public Co. Ltd. has placed an order with Germany's Siemens for engineering and supply of the power distribution system and drives for a new clinker production line at its existing plant in Saraburi, Thailand. Siemens will supply the drive solutions as well as the switch-gear for the high, medium and low-voltage distribution systems and is also responsible for project management and engineering.

The deal for the drive systems covers 20 slip-ring rotor motors for the main drives, 12 gear units, 33 variable-speed drives for fans and two multiple drive systems for cooling units. Operation is due to commence in October 2014.

The Thai cement producer had earlier decided to add a fourth production line at the factory to boost production capacity in view of rising demand. The new line will have a capacity of 12,000t/day of clinker. Upon completion, the four cement production lines at TPI Polene in Thailand will have a combined capacity of 12Mt/yr. 

Siemens has already supplied the Thai TPI Polene Public Company Limited with electrical equipment for the three existing clinker production lines as well as for the cement and coal mills.

Oman: Oman Cement has disclosed that it intends to award the contract for supply and installation of a new 150t/hr cement mill to FLSmidth. FLSmidth separately confirmed that a letter of intent had been signed by Oman Cement, although final negotiations remain to be completed. No price for the contract has been released.

Other announcements from the Oman-based cement producer include an upgrade of kiln 1 to increase production and improve pollution control. Oman cement also plans similar pollution control improvements to kiln 2 with the aid of a consultant.

Turkey: Limak has ordered a new 3500t/day clinker production line from KHD for its Trakya cement plant. Cement plant equipment manufacturer KHD has been contracted to deliver the equipment, supervise the construction and commission the project, including on-site training. The new kiln line will be erected near an existing 1850t/day line, which will also be upgraded by KHD in the beginning of 2014.

Core components of the new KHD line include: a four-stage KHD Preheater with PYROCLON®-R Low NO_X calciner, equipped with PYROTOP® compact mixing chamber, tertiary air duct with dust settling chamber, and PYROBOX calciner firing system for coal dust; a PYRORAPID® two-tire rotary kiln, with a diameter of 4.4m; PYRO-JET® kiln burner for coal and fuel oil; PYROFLOOR® clinker cooler equipped with a PYROCRUSHER® System.

The new calciner with PYROCLON®R will be KHD's first Low-NO_X calciner in Turkey. Trakya will be the second PYROFLOOR® system Limak has installed at one of its plants. Commissioning of the new kiln at Trakaya is scheduled for the autumn of 2014.

Egypt: The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company has signed a contract with Italgen, a subsidiary of global cement producer Italcementi Group, to produce electricity from wind energy. The contract authorises Italgen, which has been studying the possibility of incorporating wind technology since 2008, to become the first private investor to enter the Egyptian National Grid and construct a wind energy park in the area of Gulf El-Zeit, according to a statement.

Electrical energy generated from the wind park will be transmitted to plants run by Suez Cement, another Italcementi subsidiary, and will help in the reduction of CO2 emissions. The first phase in the project will represent an investment of around Euro120-130m. It will equate an installed capacity of 120MW and is expected to cover around 40% of Suez Cement's power needs. After the completion of the second phase, electrical energy is estimated to reach a capacity of 400MW.