Displaying items by tag: Maintenance

South Africa: Sephaku Cement has reported a second unexpected kiln stoppage at its integrated Aganang plant in Lichtenburg. It attributed the second delay on the need for a repair to the inside of the kiln. The second stoppage started on 16 October 2021 and was expected to be completed by 26 October 2021. Previously, the kiln was stopped from 30 September 2021 to 6 October 2021 due to preheater refractory material damage caused by a corrosive element in one of the raw materials being used. The producer said that the raw material was subsequently replaced with an alternative option. The subsidiary of Nigeria-based Dangote Cement said that the outages were expected to reduce its sales volumes.

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement says that the cost of producing its cement has increased throughout 2021. The company said the coal prices have risen due to increased coal demand in China and a reduction in exports from coal-producing countries. It anticipates further rises in the price of coal. Additionally, it foresees a rise in maintenance costs as the equipment at its plants nears the end of its service life. The producer says that it is endeavouring to improve productivity and reduce costs.

Germany: Aumund has announced the launch of its PREMAS 360° packages. The three packages – basic, advanced, premium - combine quality Aumund all-around maintenance and inventory management support, extended warranties, physical inspections, cutting-edge Industry 4.0 monitoring of Aumund and other conveying equipment, technical training, emergency remote support and consultation programmes.

Managing Director Pietro de Michieli said “With PREMAS 360°, Aumund puts customer service to the forefront. Our goal is to reassure machine availability and reliability through the simplicity and flexibility of a fully bundled maintenance solution, to be a partner to our customers assisting them to reach operation excellence.”

Nigeria: Finland-based Wärtsilä has extended its operation and maintenance agreement with Lafarge Africa by another five years. The agreement covers the 100MW Ewekoro power plant, which provides a dedicated supply of electricity to the company’s concrete and cement manufacturing processes. The extension of the deal was signed in July 2021 and it follows a previous 10-year agreement. The scope of the agreement includes the operating crew, performance guarantees, plant availability and spare parts.

The captive Ewekoro plant was supplied and commissioned by Wärtsilä in 2011. It consists of six Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, operating primarily on gas, but with the flexibility to automatically switch to liquid fuel in case of a disruption to the gas supply. The engines are also designed to function efficiently with a low-pressure gas supply, a necessity given the region’s vulnerability to supply interruptions.

“We have benefited significantly from the efficient way by which Wärtsilä has operated and maintained this plant for the past 10 years, and we had no hesitation in extending the agreement for a further five years. An uninterrupted reliable supply of electricity is essential to our production, and having our own power plant, built, operated and maintained by Wärtsilä, gives us this assurance,” said Lanre Opakunle, Strategic Sourcing Director, Power & Gas, Middle East & Africa, Holcim.

Wärtsilä has also supplied Lafarge Africa with another 100MW power plant located in Mfamosing.

UK: Tarmac has completed a seven-week repair job on its PC2000 backhaul excavator at its Dunbar, East Lothian, quarry. The East Lothian Courier newspaper has reported that the work consisted of a rebuild of all major components, including the 11t bucket, pins and bushes. The equipment has been in service since 2014. It will next require servicing in 2026. Marubeni Komatsu carried out the work.

Quarry manager Mark Grieve said “With the excavator playing an absolutely key role in our process, this was a major project for Tarmac Dunbar.”

India: Gujarat Sidhee Cement has restarted the kiln at its Sidheegram cement plant in Gujarat. Reuters News has reported that full operations will commence at the plant on 25 September 2021. The producer shut down its kiln line for routine maintenance on 7 September 2021.

India: Gujarat Sidhee Cement has shut down the kiln line of its Sidheegram, Gujarat, cement plant for 17 – 20 days. India InfoLine News Service has reported that the company will carry out routine maintenance on the plant during the shutdown. It says that grinding and dispatch of cement will continue as usual.

Switzerland: Holcim Schweiz and Voliro have conducted the first official measurement drone flights at the Siggenthal integrated cement plant. The drone used took measurements to determine the steel wall thicknesses of the cement kiln and the cyclone preheater.

The companies have been testing using aerial drones to conduct inspection and maintenance work as part of Holcim’s ‘Plants of Tomorrow’ initiative. The drones developed by ETH Zürich spin-off company Voliro can be rotated around all axes by a special rotor system and can fly upside down. They are being tested in areas that are difficult for human employees to reach, such as the steel walls and casings of production facilities and silos.

Voliro was founded in 2019 and it is developing a new generation of flying drones for the inspection and maintenance of industrial plants. The drones can be equipped with a variety of sensors that perform visual, thermal and contact-based measurements. The drone's 360° design allows sensors to take measurements even on curved and inclined surfaces. This potentially allows hard-to-reach areas in a cement plant to be assessed without shutting down production. Holcim has been supporting Voliro's product development since 2019 and is providing the technology start-up with the infrastructure in Siggenthal for test flights. The building materials producer has also been supporting the project with its own knowledge about non-destructive testing.

Iran: Abyek Cement Complex has relaunched a 8500t/day production line at its plant in Abyek, Qazvin province following repairs. Alireza Razm Hosseini, head of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, attended the event. The production line is the largest in the country, according to the ministry. Cement produced at the plant will be exported.

The Tehran Times newspaper has reported that the relaunch brings the total national capacity to 80Mt/yr across 74 plants. Domestic demand was 70Mt in the 2021 financial year, which ended on 21 March 2021.

India: Denmark-based Hasle has supplied a Hasle D59A coating-resistant castable to Asian Cement for use on the inlet chamber and riser duct at its cement plant. The supplier supervised installation. It said that the castable will reduce the required lining materials of the equipment, resulting in savings.