Displaying items by tag: GCW425

Switzerland: Extraordinary Community Meetings have been scheduled in the municipalities of Veltheim and Auenstein for 22 and 23 January 2020 for further consultations with groups representing opposition to Jura Cement’s Jakobsberg-Egg quarry development plans in both districts. The company is planning a total 10.5ha expansion across both municipalities and an operational change to material processing, beginning in 2022.

India: A boiler at Birla Cement’s 2.5Mt/yr Chanderia plant in Rajasthan exploded on 29 September 2019, injuring an estimated 15 people. The Hindustan Times has reported that 11 people are in a critical condition. It is believed that the furnace overheated, which caused coal to scatter over workers below. Local government says that a report will come from its administrative-level investigation within 10 days, with criminal action to follow where appropriate.

Belarus: Belarus Cement Company (BCC) has begun selling its cement in 15kg bags in addition to its usual 25kg. BCC general director Alexsandr Dovgalo has said the company intends the move to increase the ability of its product to meet consumer demand.

Tanzania/China: China’s 100Mt/yr-capacity Huaxin Cement has bought Maweni Limestone from the Kenyan-based Athi River Mining (ARM) Cement. Huaxin has stated that this first incursion into East Africa is ‘integral to its broader strategy’ of expansion in emerging markets. It adds the Tanzanian producer of Rhino cement to its burgeoning portfolio of overseas assets including cement plants in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cambodia and Nepal.

Germany/US: HeidelbergCement has purchased Giant Resource Recovery’s 1.2Mt/yr integrated Keystone cement plant in Bath, Pennsylvania for US$151m. HeidelbergCement CEO Bernd Scheifele has called the cement plant, which has 90 years’ experience as a supplier to the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey markets, ‘an excellent strategic addition’ to the company’s North American market presence.

Egypt: Siemens has submitted an integrated survey of the digitalisation potential of various industries in four zones to the Ministry of Industry (MoI) with a view to improving the competitiveness of the country’s products. Daily News Egypt has reported that the Germany-based technology company has already signed contracts for the supply of digital efficiency solutions with El Ameria Cement and Lafarge Egypt. It is also negotiating with Misr Beni Suef for the installation of thermal emission measuring units at its 3.5Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Beni Suef, Maadi.

Germany: Klaus Eichas of KE Consulting has taken over the role of consultant to KIMA Process Control’s Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia region sales and engineering team. KIMA provides real-time measurement solutions for various applications in the cement industry, including fill level in ball mills.

Kenya: Chattan Vyas, general manager of a Rai Group-owned grinding plant in Kenya’s Rift Valley province, has been found dead in bed on the morning of 22 September 2019 under mysterious circumstances. The Standard has reported that the attending pathologist confirmed the cause of death as strangulation, noting also that Vyas had been bound.

Germany: Six apprentices from Holcim South Germany’s 1.1Mt/yr integrated Dotternhausern cement plant have completed an assignment of real-world application to their plant, at a training workshop in Albstadt. The Schwarzwälder Zeitung has reported that Holcim South Germany required a means of stirring cement used for event demonstrations. The apprentices’ ‘eyecatching’ solution incorporates a filler neck at the top and an outlet at the bottom, is 100% leak-proof and was built entirely from parts constructed at the Albstadt workshop.