Displaying items by tag: Plant

Qatar: Al Khalij Cement Company has obtained certification from the American Petroleum Institute (API) to produce oil well cement. The certification allows it to make Grade (s) HSR class G oil well cement at its Umm Bab plant, according to the Gulf Times newspaper. The API has awarded Al Khalij Cement a three-year licence to apply the API monogram on its products. 11 other companies are certified to produce by the API to produce oil well cement in the Middle East.

Bangladesh: Saudi Arabian company Engineering Dimensions has expressed interest in building a cement plant at Chhatak in Sunamgan. The company’s president Mohammed N Hijji has met Secretary-in-Charge of the Industries Ministry M Abdul Halim about the project, according to the Financial Express newspaper. Engineering Dimensions says that the country’s high population, local demand and skilled workforce have attracted it to the location.

Paraguay: Yguazú Cementos has renewed its call for a ban on clinker imports to be lifted. The cement producer made its latest bid to the Luis Alfredo Llamosas, the Vice Minister of Industry, during a visit to its plant, according to La Nacion newspaper. The company produces 0.37Mt/yr of clinker that it uses to make 0.55Mt/yr of cement. However, the plant can grind up 0.75Mt/yr of cement and it wants to import clinker to increase its productivity. Staff at Yguazú Cementos have previously criticised the import ban that allows only Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) to bring in clinker from abroad.

Colombia/US: Edgar Ramírez, the former vice president of planning for Cemex in Colombia, has been summoned by the US judiciary in relation to the Maceo cement plant corruption case. Ramírez reportedly fled to the US following calls for his arrest in Colombia earlier in 2018, according to W Radio. Another suspect in the case - Eugenio Correa Díaz, the former representative of CI Calizas y Minerales, which sold the property to the cement producer, is also being questioned by the US authorities. Ramírez and accomplices allegedly paid over US$13m to Correa, despite being aware of the fact that the property was in the process of being expropriated over unpaid taxes.

Spain: FYM-HeidelbergCement has launched a sustainability commission to support its Malaga cement plant and the surrounding community. The initiative is part of the company’s 2030 sustainability plan. It includes representatives from local neighbourhood associations, local government and environmental bodies. The commission will meet several times a year to foster an open relationship between the cement producer and its neighbours. It also intends to promote behavior based on the circular economy and the reduction of the unit’s carbon footprint. It will build on the company’s work with the Provincial Forum of Socially Responsible Companies of Malaga since its inception in 2013.

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has inaugurated its pilot plant at Bournezeau, Vendée. The 50,000t/yr unit will manufacture cement products using metakaolin and blast-furnace slag, according to the L'Usine Nouvelle magazine. It says it will produce cement with reduced CO₂ emissions up to 250kg/t using a flash-calcined process down from 900kg/t in the normal clinker production process. The project had investment of Euro10m.

Kenya: The East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) has received backing from the Ministry of Trade to sell unused land to pay off debts and commitments of nearly US$150m. The ministry said that a cabinet memorandum is ready to grant the company approval to sell off its assets, according to the Business Daily newspaper. The cement producer says it needs the funds to pay employee benefits, pay suppliers, pay off debts to companies including the Kenya Commercial Bank and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and refurbish its plant. The cement producer says it wants to spend US$19.5m towards refurbishing its plant in a one-to-two month shutdown. At present the unit is operating at a 50% capacity utilisation rate.

Philippines: Cemex Philippines’ subsidiary APO Cement plans to close its Davao cement terminal and indefinitely suspend one of its kilns at its Barangay plant in Cebu. It said in a statement that it had taken this action due to uncertainty caused by the disruption to its raw material supply, according to GMA News. It follows the on-going suspension of APO Land and Quarry following a landslide in September 2018. APO Land & Quarry supplies raw materials to APO Cement.

Uzbekistan: Construction has started on a 2.4Mt/yr cement plant in the Kattakurgan district of Samarkand. The project has an investment of US$420m, according to the Uzbekistan National News Agency. The first stage of construction will spend US$200m towards building a 1.2Mt/yr plant by 2020. This is expected to create 300 jobs. Then the plant will expand its production capacity from 2020 to 2023. The plant will produce both grey and white Ordinary Portland Cement. China’s Gansu Hengya Cement is investing in the project.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building says that its Golden Bay Cement plant in Auckland was forced stop its cement mill for four weeks in September 2018. It said it had insurance to cover this but that its earnings for its 2019 financial year are likely to be impacted by up to US$8m. Generally, the building materials producer reported that, until the end of October 2018, its business in New Zealand had been flat. In Australia it is facing ‘challenging’ conditions with growing input prices and a slowing residential sector.