Displaying items by tag: lime

Zimbabwe: Work has begun on a 43,000t/yr dry mortar production line at Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe’s 0.5Mt/yr Manresa plant in Harare. The plant, supplied by Turkey-based Varlik Industries, will increase the company’s mortar production capacity by 710% to 50,000t/yr from 7000t/yr. Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe chair Kumbirai Katsande said “The expansion project is three-pronged and will include doubling of cement capacity and tripling agricultural lime capacity as well as automation of the dry mortars plant.”

US: Mississippi Lime says that Midwestern flood levels have receded sufficiently enough to enable it to resume normal barge and rail loading and shipping. Previously, the lime producer reported that flooding by the Mississippi River reduced its distribution and supply capabilities in May 2019. Barge loading facilities were affected and flood gates near its Ste Genevieve, Missouri plant were closed forcing it to use an alternate rail route, which reduced shipment capacity and increased costs.

US: Mississippi Lime Company has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Southern Lime, the lime business of Covia based in Calera, Alabama. No value for the transaction has been disclosed. The deal is also subject to regulatory approval.

Southern Lime supplies high-calcium quicklime and hydrated lime products to customers in the Southeastern US, and across a range of end uses and applications. The Calera operation will increase Mississippi Lime’s production facilities to nine locations, supported by a network of distribution sites throughout the country. The business will be fully integrated into existing Mississippi Lime operations.

US: Mississippi Lime has declared a force majeure event due to flooding by the Mississippi River caused by ‘significant’ precipitation in the central US. The flooding has impacted the lime producer’s distribution and supply capabilities. This is expected to cause delays in supplying products to customers and will incur additional costs that it will pass through as a surcharge. The company added that, despite this, the flooding has not affected production.

Flooding on the Mississippi River forced the closure of Mississippi Lime’s barge loading facilities in early May 2019 and an alternate barge loading facility later in the month. The company does not anticipate re-opening its facility until the flood waters recede to a safe level, possibly in late June 2019. In the meantime the closure of flood gates near the company’s Ste Genevieve, Missouri unit has forced the company to use an alternate rail route with reduced shipment capacity, additional transit time and higher cost for both inbound and outbound shipments. Mississippi Lime anticipates resuming rail shipments in late June 2019, depending on weather conditions.

Vietnam: Italy’s Bedeschi has signed a contract to supply a double roller crushing unit and relevant control panels for the Quicklime Plant being built in Hoa Binh, Northern Vietnam. The unit is being built by a local cement producer. Start-up is scheduled by mid-2020.

Spain: Cementos Tudela Veguín has purchased a full stake in Caleras de San Cucao, a lime producer based in Asturias, according to the La Nueva España newspaper. No value for the acquisition has been disclosed. The company operates a lime plant at Llanera and it runs two lime quarries at Agüera and Las Regueras. Cementos Tudela Veguín has a lime production capacity of 0.6Mt/yr from its Tudela Veguín plant in Oviedo.

UK: The British Lime Association (BLA) has published its 2018 Sustainable Development Report. The UK lime sector has responded to improved conditions in the domestic market, and the increased demand from the iron and steel sector in 2017. Exports of lime by BLA Members have increased by 30% since 2006 and made up 26% of sales in 2017. Following the launch of the MPA Charter in 2017, the BLA Sustainable Development Report is now set out to align with the seven MPA strategic priorities.

US: Mississippi Lime Company plans to ‘significantly’ increase enhanced hydrated lime capacities at its Weirton, West Virginia and Verona, Kentucky plants. It also manufactures hydrated lime products from its Ste Genevieve, Missouri, Vicksburg, Mississippi and Chester, South Carolina operations. The company produces high calcium quicklime, hydrated lime and calcium carbonate.

Denmark: Dankalk is upgrading the lime hydrator at its Aggersund plant. A new KLV 02/630-4.0 type lime hydrator is being supplied by Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer. It is being replaced from a previous Gebr. Pfeiffer model installed in the 1980s due to tighter emission limits. Commissioning of the new lime hydrator is scheduled for mid-2019.

Peru: Higher sales to the self-construction sector, medium-sized companies and the public sector have driven sales growth for Cementos Pacasmayo. Its sales grew by 3.1% year-on-year to US$274m in the first nine month of 2018 from US$266m in the same period in 2017. Its consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 5.1% to US$83m from US$79m.

Cement and clinker production grew by 2.4% to 1.69Mt and 14.7% to 1.30Mt respectively. The building materials producer also reported that quicklime production fell by 23.6% to 97,400t at its Pacasmayo plant due to reduced demand.