Displaying items by tag: GCW310
Germany: Bernd Scheifele, the chairman of HeidelbergCement, has admitted that his company needs to take action to improve its overall sustainability management following its acquisition of Italcementi. Following the purchase both its specific gross CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material and its alternative fuels mix fell. However, specific emissions of NOx and SOx fell, although specific dust emissions rose in the reporting period. The cement producer also improved accident frequency despite increasing its workforce to 15,781 in 2016 from 9560 in 2015.
Cambodia: Aidan Lynam, the chief executive officer of Chip Mong Insee Cement, expects that the Kampot cement plant will sell its first cement by the end of 2017. The US$262m plant is about to be commissioned, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. A ramp-up period will then follow, with full production levels at the unit expected by the end of the first quarter of 2018. The subsidiary of Thailand’s Siam Cement Group has also launched the Camel Cement brand, which will be produced at the new plant.
Chile: Cementos Bío Bío is to stop producing clinker at its Talcahuano cement plant. The cement producer has also laid off a third of its workforce, according to Pura Noticia. It now plans to import clinker from Asia instead, which it says, will reduce its production costs by US$19/t. The company started cement production at Talcahuano in 1961.
Vietnam: Bim Son Cement has ordered a vertical roller mill to grind clinker and slag from Loesche for its 4Mt/yr plant in Thanh Hóa province. The new mill will have a throughput of 250t/hr and be able to grind input materials into Ordinary Portland Cement PCB 40. The order also includes a silo, blower, filter and a packing plant. The new mill is scheduled for commissioning in August 2017. No value for the order has been disclosed.
The subsidiary of Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM) previously commissioned a mill from Loesche in 2000. This was followed by a raw mill and a coal mill in 2006.
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.
N+P Recycling celebrates 25th anniversary
07 July 2017Netherlands: Alternative fuels specialist N+P Recycling has celebrated its 25th anniversary and the opening of its new headquarters in Nieuw-Bergen, Limburg. Company chief executive officer (CEO) Karel Jennissen presided at the event and Manon Pelzer, the mayoress of Nieuw-Bergen, was also in attendance.
200 guests attended the opening that included a guided tour of the new premises. At a ceremony marking the anniversary Karel Jennissen, with his wife Karin, presented the history of the company. Their three sons Lars, Stijn and Jens then gave guests a personal insight into their own experiences with the firm. This was followed the next day by a general tour of the facility for the local community with around 1000 members of the public.
A full report will be published in the September 2017 edition of Global Cement Magazine, including a visit to the company’s 80,000t/yr Subcoal production facility in Farmsum.
Image 1: Karel Jennissen of N+P Recycling
Image 2: Karel Jennissen N+P Recycling with his sons Lars, Stijn and Jens
Qatar: Mohamed Ali al-Sulaity, the general manager of the Qatar National Cement Company, says that a blockade of the country by neighbouring states has not effected its cement production. Al-Sulaity said that the cement producer has secured supplies of raw materials and is importing gypsum and iron oxide from Oman, according to the Al Sharq newspaper. He added that bags are being imported from Kuwait.
The company says that it has a surplus of cement production and is able to meet the country’s demand. It plans to operate its 5000t/day kiln number 5 in September 2017 that will increase its clinker production capacity to 19,000t/day and its cement capacity to 21,000t/day.
Several Middle Eastern countries – including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – cut diplomatic links and implemented trade and travel embargos with Qatar in June 2017 over alleged links to terrorist groups and links to Iran.
Saudi Arabia cuts cement export duties
07 July 2017Saudi Arabia: The trade ministry has cut the export duty on cement by 50%. It has also cancelled all export tariffs on steel for two years to encourage local producers, according to Reuters.
Bhutan: A broken gearbox at a coal mill at the Penden Cement Authority plant in Gomtu has reduced its production. The plant has had intermittent mechanical issues with the gearbox in one of its two coal grinding mills since April 2017 leading to a breakdown in May 2017, according to the Kuensel newspaper. Then in June 2017 a similar problem occurred with the main drive gear in its other coal mill. The plant has been producing cement using imported clinker since then although it shut down completely for several days in late June 2017.
So far the cement producer has been unable to procure replacement parts. It has also been reported that the company has had difficulty importing clinker from India following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Pacific Cement resumes production in Fiji
06 July 2017Fiji: 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.