Displaying items by tag: certification

Oman: Raysut Cement has been granted the CE and NF markings by France-based AFNOR Certification for some of the cement products manufactured at its Salalah plant. The cement producer has been advised that it is now able to export its CEM I 42.5R CE PM CP2 NF and CEM II/B-LL 32.5N CE products to the European Union. It follows the plant upgrading its quality management to meet the CE and NF requirements. The producer has also passed certifications for CE002:2020 or NF002:2019, NFP 15-317:2006 and NFP 15-318:2006, allowing it to export cement to islands in the Indian Ocean. Raysut Cement was advised by Switzerland-based Quadra Trading on how to comply with the quality requirements of the international standards.

China: The government of Jiangsu province has awarded an Environmental Protection certificate to Imerys subsidiary Calderys’ Zhangjiang refractory plant. The company said that the certification results from years of hard to enhance environmental efforts beyond national requirements. One example of the work is dust-proof partitioning around all dust-emitting equipment.

Environment, health and safety supervisor Ricken Ren said, “In 2016, the plant improved the quality of its raw materials. With major work no longer required to lessen the water content of the materials, it was able to reduce the use of its dry kiln, which uses natural gases in its drying process, in turn greatly reducing the plant’s energy consumption. ” He added, “Keeping the plant’s environmental impact as low as possible is a never-ending job, and we cannot lose focus. We perform daily checks to ensure devices such as our dust collectors are working effectively, and we are always monitoring our emissions during operation according to national laws. Every department worked together on environmental protection performance. It is a great teamwork result.”

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Readymix has received its certification from the American Concrete Institute (ACI) to provide ACI certified courses. The courses form a minimum qualification for concrete industry workers.

Saudi Readymix’s Commercial and Technical Director, Chris Leptokaridis said, “We are extremely proud of our research and development facility, it’s important role as a company knowledge hub and testing ground of all our future materials. It is the most advanced and well-equipped research facility of any readymix producer in the Middle East.”

The concrete producer will start accepting candidates for its courses in March 2021. It will offer ACI trainings courses in concrete field testing and concrete strength testing.

Pakistan: The Punjab provincial minister for industries and trade Mian Aslam Iqbal says that the government will soon issue new no objection certificates (NOC) to Bestway Cement for three of its new plant projects in the region. The Nation newspaper has reported that a delegation from the cement producer met the minister in late February 2021 to discuss its plans to establish new plants in Attock, Khushab and Mainwali. The company does not currently have NOCs for the planned projects.

Nigeria: The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has awarded Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme product quality certificates to Lafarge Africa. The certificates were presented after the company’s Mfamosing cement plant met confirmatory and standardisation requirements set by the SON, according to the Punch newspaper. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim said that the certifications further demonstrated its commitment to ensuring quality assurance and compliance with the relevant product standards within the regulatory framework of the government. The certification process followed a series of inspections and connected analysis.

US: Green Business Certification Inc has awarded Titan America’s Pennsuco cement plant in Medley, Florida the TRUE Platinum zero waste certificate. TRUE, which stands for “Total Resource Use and Efficiency,” provides a ratings systems by which facilities can receive recognition for achieving zero waste goals. The Pennsuco plant, “repurposed office supplies and materials, composted organic waste and xeriscaped – the process of landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation – among other major initiatives.” The plant is the first in the cement industry to achieve TRUE Platinum certification.

Environmental engineer Allyson Tombesi, who led the zero waste recertification, said, “It’s not just about receiving an award: being zero waste is about considering how we can minimise our impacts so that future generations have the opportunity to live in a sustainable environment. The programme was created with a goal to encourage our employees to lead a zero-waste lifestyle at both the plant and at home. Through programme participation, we hope to inspire our employees and our industry to take action that benefits the future of our planet.”

Russia: The Commission for Entrepreneurs’ Rights has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to change Council for Standardisation, Metrology and Certification (GOST) conformity assessment and cement certification rules requiring production and packaging of cement to be carried out by a single legal entity. The commission says that the restriction, introduced in September 2019, unfairly restrains smaller-scale producers, according to the Kommersant newspaper.

In an open letter to Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Commissioner Boris Titov said, “This preferential treatment of full-scale enterprises negatively affects the formation of a competitive environment. The purpose of cement certification is to confirm quality and safety, which clearly do not depend on production and packaging being carried out by a single legal entity.”

UK: The British Standards Institution (BSI) has granted LafargeHolcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries the ISO 45001 Standard in Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems for its reduction of workplace risks and support of health and wellbeing at the work. Company health and safety director Mike Belson said, “Achieving this certification gives us a great sense of pride as it further shows our commitment to putting health and safety first in all that we do as an organisation. We are proud to have a strong health and safety culture, whereby our employees are encouraged to take an active role in their own operational health and safety.”

Russia: The International Standards Organisation (ISO) has granted Eurocement subsidiary Akhangarantsement ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems certification for its Akhangarantsement integrated cement plant. A TÜV audit concluded that the plant’s production, distribution and management systems conform to international quality standards.

Akhangarantsement general director Gennady Kulikov said, “The introduction of a modern management system allows us to flexibly respond to changes in demand and implement an active investment program. The development strategy of the enterprise involves increasing production capabilities through the construction of a new high-tech dry process plant with a capacity of 3Mt/yr. A number of measures are aimed at sustainable development and increasing efficiency: introduction of energy-saving technologies, automation of production, development of new types of products, professional development of employees and the creation of high-tech jobs and the introduction of green technologies and advanced environmental solutions.”

Russia: The Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities has announced that a technical certificate will suffice for new building materials to enter production. Glavgosexpertiza of Russia has said that the maximum period for the issuance of technical certificates for products including fibre and asbestos cement and concrete is five working days. The measures aim to support the construction industry in meeting demand in the new construction season following the coronavirus outbreak. The ministry will review the measure in mid-June 2020.