Displaying items by tag: efficiency

India: The India Cements expects to commission the upgraded grinding unit at its Sankar Nagar cement plant in Tamil Nadu later in September 2023. Hindu BusinessLine News has reported that the producer is undertaking the upgrade in order to increase efficiency and lower the plant’s operating costs. The producer has hired US-based Boston Consulting Group to ascertain other possible improvements to three of its plants in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. At its Chilamkur cement plant in Andhra Pradesh, it is installing a waste heat recovery (WHR) system, scheduled for delivery in early 2024. FLSmidth and ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions are both reportedly conducting ‘detailed studies’ for possible future projects for The India Cements.

UK: Cemcor has migrated its existing SAP asset management system over to IBM Maximo Application Suite (MAS). Cemcor says that IBM MAS offers a 360°, real-time view of its operations across multiple sites, enabling the company to resolve maintenance challenges, optimise its assets, increase the lifespan of essential equipment and remove inefficiencies. Peacock Engineering delivered the new system and will continue to provide support services with the platform.

Peacock Engineering’s chief operating officer Matt Deadman said “We’re thrilled to be working with Cemcor over the course of the next three years. We have already completed the first stage of our change programme with the successful delivery of its new enterprise asset management system. MAS is one of IBM’s sustainability software solutions. It will provide Cemcor with a clearer view of its assets, which include heavy plant and processing equipment, and help in mitigating the current challenges found in its maintenance programme.”

Japan: Tokuyama Corporation has installed ABB’s Expert Optimizer automated optimisation system in the kiln line of its Nanyo cement plant. The system controls the line’s calciner, kiln and cooler processes. The supplier says that the technology will reduce the Nanyo cement plant’s thermal energy consumption by 3%.

Tokuyama Corporation "We selected ABB's Expert Optimizer to equalise operations and improve operational efficiency. As expected, we have significantly reduced the number of the operator manual operations normally spent on manual tasks.” It added “We believe that this solution will also support our young operators in learning the know-how of our operations efficiently."

UK: Aggregate Industries subsidiary Lafarge Cement has begun installing a new Euro10m bag filter system at its 1Mt/yr Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. The project is due for delivery in early 2024. The system consists of 2080 fabric bags to remove particulates from the plant's flue gases. It will replace the plant's existing electrostatic precipitation system. The company says that the system will triple the removal rate of particulates, reducing them to 10mg/Nm³ from 30mg/Nm³.

Cauldon cement plant manager Thierry Davila said “The installation of the new system will help us provide a step change in our efficiency and effectiveness, and optimise kiln performance. The plant and our operations will hugely benefit from up-to-date technology, which will result in more consistent running of the site, but also it will improve environmental performance and benefit the local community. The new filter system will mean less dust and emissions into the atmosphere and a reduction in pollutants, which is hugely positive and in line with our approach to sustainability.”

India: Prism Cement has taken delivery of a pendulum cooler supplied by Germany-based IKN at its Prism cement plant in Maharashtra. The new equipment will replace the 6.1Mt/yr plant's existing air beam technology cooler. The supplier says that this will help to improve the efficiency of waste heat recovery (WHR) processes at the plant.

Oman: Raysut Cement reported a net loss of US$4.52m during the first half of 2023. This corresponds to a drop of 67% year-on-year from US$13.8m in the previous first half. The Oman Daily Observer newspaper has reported that the producer attributed the loss reduction to its implementation of operational efficiency and cost reduction measures, as well as growth in sales volumes, during the latest half.

US: Heidelberg Materials North America will inaugurate its new 2.4Mt/yr Mitchell cement plant in Indiana on 13 June 2023. The plant cost US$600m to build and is Heidelberg Materials' 'most technologically advanced and sustainable' cement plant, according to the company. It includes a 32,000t/yr cement terminal, served by a newly renovated rail depot. Heidelberg Materials North America has commissioned 1000 new rail cars to assist in efficient distribution of cement produced at the Mitchell plant.

Bangladesh: Premier Cement Mills plans to install a new vertical roller mill at its West Mukterpur cement plant in Munshiganj. For this purpose, it secured a US$32.7m long-term loan from state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL). The New Nation newspaper has reported that IDCOL focuses on financing projects to increase energy efficiency, alongside the development of renewable energy.

Europe: Cemex has launched its latest packaging design for its Vertua reduced-CO₂ product range at the Low Carbon World exhibition in Paris, France. The new design incorporates products' scores across five 'sustainability attributes:' emissions reduction, energy efficiency, conservation of water, recycled content and design optimisation. Cemex will now deploy the design across Europe by June 2023.

Cemex's Europe, Middle East and Africa regional president Sergio Menendez said “Cemex is attuned to the need to focus on all aspects that can make a product more sustainable - not just achieving a lower carbon footprint. With the updated classification system for Vertua, customers can now more easily identify which of our products leverage the cutting-edge technology and innovation that will enable them to overcome the challenges they are currently facing in construction and renovation." Menendez concluded "The enhanced Vertua brand represents a more ambitious and stronger approach: from a group of low carbon products to a family of products and solutions that encompass more sustainable attributes and contribute to our company vision of building a better future.”

China: Anhui Conch Cement plans to invest US$2.81bn in capital expenditure (CAPEX) throughout 2023. The investments will go towards building new capacity, upgrading to new technologies and increasing plants' energy efficiency. The Morning Star newspaper has reported that the producer currently faces high energy costs, against a backdrop of reduced cement demand.

Anhui Conch Cement recorded sales of US$19.2bn in 2022, down by 21% year-on-year from US$24.4n in 2021.