Displaying items by tag: equipment

Bangladesh: Chhatak Cement’s plant in Sunamganj remains idle despite construction completing in March 2023, with production suspended due to unresolved gas and limestone supply issues, according to the Prothom Alo newspaper. The plant project began in 2016. New details confirm that the Bangladesh government has approved subcontracting of a cross-border ropeway to import limestone from India. Local firm Komorah Limestone Mining Company (KLMC), which already supplies limestone to Chhatak Cement, is in talks regarding the role. China-based contractor for the project, Nanjing Sea-Hope Cement Engineering, has agreed ‘in principle’ to this handover as of 18 March 2025, according to Chhatak Cement managing director Abdur Rahman.

Project officials stated that, once the new plant begins operations, it will be capable of producing 1500t/day of clinker and 500t/day of cement, triple its previous capacity. Reporters conducted a site visit on 8 April 2025, observing that a jetty had been constructed on the riverbank to unload clinker from the plant for grinding elsewhere. A conveyor system has been set up to move cement bags directly from the plant to transport, and a new conveyor belt has also been installed alongside the existing belt.

UK: John King Chains has been honoured with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade - its first King’s Award, following a Queen’s Award in 2020.

The award was officially announced on Tuesday 6 May 2025, and John King Chains is delighted to be one of just 197 organisations nationally recognised this year for outstanding achievement.

Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, John King Chains has built a proud legacy of engineering excellence. Now a fifth-generation family-owned manufacturer, the company continues to experience strong international growth, supported by ongoing investment in its people and British manufacturing facilities.

Managing Director William Wadsworth commented:

"Receiving the King’s Award is a truly proud moment for everyone at John King Chains, and we are honoured to receive this prestigious accolade, particularly as the company approaches its 100-year anniversary next year of British manufacturing. It reflects the incredible effort our team puts in every day to deliver world-class products and services to our international customer base."

International markets have been a key driver of growth for John King Chains group, with the company continuing to achieve year-on-year expansion. Today, operations span four continents, enabling the business to better serve customers worldwide.

Continued investment in people, technology and UK manufacturing facilities has been fundamental to John King Chains' international success. As the company prepares to celebrate its centenary, winning the King’s Award marks a powerful milestone that highlights what can be achieved through hard work, innovation and dedication.

Now in its 59th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise are the United Kingdom’s most prestigious business accolades and a globally recognised mark of excellence, making this achievement a proud moment in John King Chains' history and a testament to the commitment and passion of its entire team.

Iraq: Kurdistan Region prime minister Masrour Barzani will inaugurate the Dabin cement plant and power station in Erbil Governorate today, 12 May 2025, according to Kurdistan24 news. The foundation stone was laid nearly two years ago, on 22 June 2023.

The project spans 212,000m² and was built by China Power Investment Corporation. It includes a 6300t/day capacity cement plant and a 52MW power station, intended to both support the energy needs of the plant and feed into the broader grid to alleviate strain on regional electricity supplies. A limestone quarry 1km away from the plant supplies the limestone for production, where geological surveys have reportedly confirmed reserves of 150Mt, sufficient to sustain operations for at least 50 years.

Raw material is transported to the plant using a 1400t/hr capacity industrial crusher. The processed material is stored in four 10,000t silos, each 18m in diameter and 56m tall.  

Yemen: China-based Yuantai Crane Machinery has delivered and installed a 5t LH series overhead crane with electric hoist trolley to a cement mixing facility in Sana’a, replacing manual chain hoists and forklifts, according to Hoist Magazine.

The plant required a compact crane capable of handling 1t-5t cement bags, mixer covers and maintenance parts. The new crane is capable of lifting up to 5t at 8m/min with 20m/min trolley travel, and operates between 20°C and 40°C. It also meets ISO A4 duty standards. The crane was installed in two days, reducing lift cycle times from 120s to 65s and increasing the plant’s daily handling capacity by 30%.

US: France-based Fives Group has launched new subsidiary Fives FCB USA in Alabama to supply the North American market with low clinker blended cement and supplementary cementitious material production equipment and services. Products being promoted include the FCB Horomill, the FCB TSV Classifier and the FCB Rhodax. The unit will share premises with Fives’ North American Construction Services company.

Deputy general manager Alain Cordonnier said “The opening of our subsidiary in the US marks a significant milestone for Fives FCB. We are excited to bring our innovative technologies and expertise to the US market, and we look forward to building strong partnerships with local industry leaders.”

Türkiye: Medcem has completed testing of its new waste heat recovery (WHR) facility, which will recover 25% of the energy demand of the plant’s second rotary kiln line commissioned in 2024.

The 9.6MW facility uses an organic rankine cycle (ORC) system to generate electricity from a single heat source. The company says that this will lead to significant cost savings in energy expenses while also reducing CO₂ emissions.

Russia: Kavkazcement plans to spend US$224m on equipment modernisation after cement production costs rose by 30–34% in 2024, according to local news reports. The producer recorded a production increase of 11% year-on-year to 2Mt in 2024 and aims to grow output by a further 10% in 2025.

General director Sergey Bogomaz said “Cement from Kavkazcement is in demand in many regions of Russia. The main deliveries go to the Rostov Region, Volgograd Region and Krasnodar Krai. In our region, we see an increase in construction volumes. New infrastructure projects are emerging, such as the construction of the first airport in Karachay-Cherkessia.”

France: CBMI has completed installation of a new rotary kiln at Eqiom’s Lumbres plant for the ‘K6 Project’. The plant is now reportedly carbon-neutral and is equipped with an oxyfuel kiln to reduce CO₂ emissions. The supplier said via social media that its team ‘delivered precise execution despite tight space and complex challenges’.

Eqiom announced back in 2024 that it would upgrade the Lumbres plant to expand its capacity and reduce emissions by 20% by 2026.

Iraq: Gebr. Pfeiffer has won an order to supply a vertical roller mill for the Al Amir cement plant in Najaf. The MVR 5000 R-4 raw mill with SLS 4500 VR classifier will grind 500t/hr of cement raw material from a fineness of 10% R to 0.090mm, drying it from 12% to below 0.5% moisture. The mill will be delivered via China-based contractor Sinoma Suzhou. Commissioning is scheduled for the second half of 2026.

France: Heidelberg Materials has ordered an MVR 5000 C-4 vertical roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer for its Airvault plant to grind ultra-fine Portland cement. The mill will be equipped with an SLS 4500 VC classifier to produce 145t/hr of Portland cement at a fineness of 4500cm²/g. The design allows for high-efficiency grinding and lower CO₂ emissions by reducing clinker content in blended cements. The contract is managed by China-based contractor CBMI. Commissioning is expected in the first half of 2026.