Displaying items by tag: Plant

Philippines: LafargeHolcim has agreed to sell its 85.7% share in Holcim Philippines to San Miguel Corporation for US$2.15bn. Holcim Philippines operates four integrated cement plants and one grinding plant. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will be subject to regulatory approval.

“With the divestment of our activities in the Philippines, we are completing our exit from the increasingly hyper-competitive arena in South East Asia. While this decision is based on our strategic portfolio review, we have reached very attractive valuations allowing us to achieve a new level of financial strength,” said Jan Jenisch, chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.

US: CalPortland has held the official opening of a rapid fill bulk cement loading station at the Oro Grande, California cement plant. The loading station is the final part of an upgrade project that originally started in 2008 when Riverside Cement owned the plant. This included two new cement loadout facilities, two distribution silos and a cement grinding mill. The upgrade cost US$58.5m.

“Our engineering staff and the Oro Grande operations team have developed a truck loadout system that is one of the fastest in the industry. The added rapid fill bulk loading stations will prevent long wait times for our customers by reducing the total number of trucks on each loading station, thereby further contributing to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Allen Hamblen, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CalPortland.

Belgium: The Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement (LEILAC) consortium partners and its external advisory board have held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its pilot Direct Separation Calciner unit at the HeidelbergCement cement plant in Lixhe. The project started commissioning the unit in March 2019. Testing is now set to start to validate the performance of the pilot.

Argentina: Loma Negra is planning to make 100 staff redundant at its Barker cement plant in Buenos Aires. It employs 230 direct employees and 90 others at the site, according to Infobae. The cement producer says it is reducing staffing levels in order to adjust the plant’s production capacity to the local market. It has also threatened to close the plant entirely if it is unable to reach an agreement over the redundancies with the union.

Pakistan: The gas supply to Lucky Cement’s Pezu plant has been disrupted by an investigation by Suit Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGP) into unaccounted-for gas. An initial short shutdown to the supply has been extended to over a month, according to the news International newspaper. The gas supplier is investigating widespread theft of its gas via illegal connections.

North Korea: The state-owned Sangwon Cement plant plans to increase its production output by upgrading a speed reducer in a raw material crusher. The plant launched a seawater-resistant cement product in 2018, according to the Pyongyang Times newspaper. It has been supplying this product to projects in the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area.

India/China/UAE: UltraTech Cement is looking for buyers for the cement production assets of Binani Cement in China and the UAE. It purchased Binani Cement’s share in joint-ventures in these countries, according to the Hindu newspaper. In China it runs a 3Mt/yr integrated plant and in the UAE it operates a 2.5Mt/yr grinding plant. However, before it was acquired by UltraTech Cement, Binani Cement was unable to sell its stake in its Chinese unit. Attempts to sell the plant in UAE are also expected to be difficult due to market overcapacity.

Algeria: Ciment Lafarge Souakri (CILAS) has started exporting a consignment of 30,000t of cement to Cameroon. The operation was handled via the port of Annaba, according to Radio Algeria. It is the cement producer’s sixth large-scale export operation to another Africa country. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim is using Lafarge Trading to supply logistical support.

US: National Cement is tendering for a new 5000t/day production line at its Ragland plant in Alabama. The subsidiary of France’s Vicat has reportedly had a permit for the upgrade since 2006. The plant operates one dry process kiln with a production capacity of 1.9Mt/yr.

Mozambique: Cimentos de Mocambique has closed its Matola plant due to low demand. It made the decision following large losses, according to the O Pais newspaper. The subsidiary of Brazil’s Intercement said that the unit cost US$25m. It operates one integrated plant and four grinding plants in the country with a total production capacity of 2.9Mt/yr.