Displaying items by tag: Standards

Panama: Ramón Martínez, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has signed two resolutions intended to improve the requirements and standards of cement quality both domestically and for imports. DGNTI-COPANIT 5-2019 sets out the chemical, physical and performance requirements of general and specialised cements, as well as the packaging, transportation, storage and use requirements, according to La Estrella newspaper. DGNTI-COPANIT-90-2019 specifies the procedure for verifying and monitoring the quality of hydraulic cements produced, imported and marketed in the country.

Nepal: The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology has imposed a range of quality control and certification measures upon the local cement sector. The changes are intended to improve the quality local products, according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. The new rules include making it mandatory to include expiry dates on cement packaging. This should not be more than three months after the date of manufacture. A date for the implementation of the new rule has not been set yet.

The standards bureau has set up changes to allow domestic cement to be labelled under 33, 43 and 53 grades under government-set criteria. Previously, cement producers were free to label their own products. It has also requested that manufacturers laminate cement sacks according to new regulations.

Nepal: The government has approved changes to allow domestic cement to be labelled under 33, 43 and 53 grades. Previously cement could not be certified higher than 33 grade due to a lack of legal provision, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. The extended quality certification process will be managed by the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology.

Before this latest change some local manufacturers were selling 43 and 53-grade products despite lacking certification. Importers have also benefited from the lack of legal clarity over higher strength grades of cement. It is hoped that the new regulations will reduce imports.

Rwanda: Raymond Murenzi, the director general of the Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), says that cement imported from Uganda in March 2019 was blocked because it did not meet minimum quality requirements. The imported product was found to be below the designated weight of 50kg, according to the New Times newspaper. Three trucks with 30t loads of cement from Hima Cement were prevented from crossing the border.

Previously, similar issues have occurred dating back to 2015 and the RBS has notified the supplier on each occasion. The company is then given 14 days to re-export the goods.

Spain: Cementos Portland Valderrivas’ (CPV) Alcalá de Guadaíra plant near Seville has updated its environmental standard. It uses an integrated environmental management system, based on the UNE-EN ISO 14001: 2015 standard and the European regulation on eco-management and eco-auditing (EMAS) CE No. 1221/2009, modified according to regulation (EU) 2017 / 1505. The plant has been certified since 2004 but this was updated to the new version of the standard in mid-2018.

The plant also uses a health and safety management system certified since 2009 according to 18.001: 2007 OHSAS. The unit reported that it had no accidents to the end of August 2018.

Uganda: Local cement producers are facing challenges meeting the specification required for cement being used by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project. Project coordinator Kasingye Kyamugambi said at a procurement conference in Kampala that the project was facing issues with cement, reinforcement steel and sand, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. Hima Cement is producing one specific product for the project following discussions with the SGR. However, the railway needs eight different types of cement.

Kyamugambi has called for legal cover for the infrastructure project to bypass local product sourcing laws. He has asked that new legislation be introduced to cover projects with a lifecycle of over a century.

The SGR is being built by China’s China Harbour Engineering Company. The project is intended to link up to Kenya’s railway project at Tororo with proposed links to Rwanda and South Sudan. The Democratic Republic of Congo has also expressed interested in the line.

Nepal: The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has taken action against seven cement producers that have broken its standards in the current financial year that runs to mid-July 2018. The bureau found defects in product declarations made by the industries, according to the Republica newspaper. The sanctioned cement companies were MJP Cement, Ganapati Cement, Hetauda Cement, National Cement, Supreme Cement, Himalayas Cement and Nepal Ambuja Cement. The bureau has suspended the license of MJP Cement and asked the other companies not to sell their products until the quality is restored.

The cement producers were found to be breaking the quality of their products, incorrectly declaring products and failing to meet technical requirements such as the compressive strength grade mandated by the Nepal Standard Regulations. The NBSM has asked all the companies to provide it with written clarification within 15 days of the inspection.

Belgium: Cembureau, the European Cement Association, has signed the Joint Initiative for Standardisation. This initiative is an action to unify standards between the European Commission, European Union and European Free Trade Association Member States, national and European standardisation bodies and industry associations. The aim of the initiative is to work towards prioritisation, modernisation and appropriate speed for timely standards. Key areas that Cembureau will focus on include increased awareness, education and understanding about the European Standardisation System, ensuring adequate European standards exist and supporting European competitiveness in global markets.

Nigeria: Osita Anthony Aboloma, the Director General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has blamed poor cement as a major cause of building collapses. He made the comments via a deputy at a technical committee meeting for the review of the standard for cement (NIS444-1.2014) in Lagos, according to the Nigerian Sun newspaper. The standard is being reviewed for the next five years.

Also at the meeting, Joseph Odigure, the chairman of cement standards at Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) at the University of Lagos, was appointed chairman of the technical committee. Professor Garuba Abu was appointed as its Vice Chairman.

Australia: Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) has released a new standard for cement, concrete and concrete products, and is now welcoming applications for certification. The new Cement, Concrete & Concrete Products Standard covers three distinct sub categories - cement and supplementary cementitious materials (such as blended cements and alternative non-Portland cements), concrete (including ready-mix and concrete manufactured in temporary batching plants on site) and concrete products (such as masonry, precast concrete, pipes, roof tiles, and autoclaved cellular concrete). It seeks to support and reward manufacturers who make efforts to minimise the environmental, health and social impacts of cement and concrete production.

The GECA standard is intended to enable manufacturers to provide assurance to procurers and specifiers seeking products with a lower environmental impact that their product meets strict sustainability criteria. The standard is currently under review for recognition under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Green Star ratings tools and is recognised by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) ratings system. GECA is a non-profit organisation and part of the ecolabelling initiative that helps consumers identify environmental aspects of products.