Germany: E-nizing, a subsidiary of Schenck Process, has launched its E-nizing application. The software product offers to integrate all Internet of Things (IoT) machines collecting data from any machine, analytics or sensor. It is an open system, highly scalable and offers everything in one place, independently of its vendors. Non-IoT machines can also be retrofitted for the product.

The product also offers visualisation, analysis and action tools. Limits for every data point can be set and linked to triggers via telephone, email or application programming interface (API) call. For example, notifications can be set to notify a plant if there is a problem with a machine or to order spare parts or requisition maintenance automatically. E-nizing also says that the product is safe using end-to-end payload encryption, unique encryption keys, two-factor authentication and certified data security.

“On behalf of the team I am delighted to announce the launch of E-nizing. The market showed a need for what E-nizing offers for a long time and we are now providing the answer. E-nizing already supports many Schenck Process machines’ monitoring, with many more coming soon. We do, what everyone’s always talking about. Easy industry 4.0 is now becoming reality,” said Andreas Evertz, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Schenck Process and Managing Director of E-nizing.

Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania: UK-based EvoQuip has appointed Stokker as the authorised EvoQuip Distributor to cover Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the full EvoQuip portfolio of compact crushing and screening equipment. EvoQuip is a brand owned by Terex Corporation.

Mexico: Cemex is joining the Global Alliance for Youth (All4YOUth), a business alliance of more than 200 companies that seeks to strengthen the capabilities of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 years to enter the professional world. Founded by Nestlé in 2014, All4YOUth is a scheme intended to help young people around the world to acquire business skills. Its aim is to reduce school dropout rates, contribute to young people’s employability, and to help them develop their skills for the workplace of today and tomorrow.

Cemex says that its participation in the alliance will help more than 65,000 young people by 2022. Until now, the company’s social programs have already reached 34,000 youth through the New Employment Opportunities (NEO) alliance, with 60% formal job placement within six months.

US: Ed Sullivan, the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, forecasts that cement consumption will grow ‘moderately’ in 2019 alongside similar performance in the general US economy. However, he flagged gradual increases in interest rates, the aging recovery and accompanied trade issues as possible factors slowing down the cement market. Sullivan made his comments at the World of Concrete event in Las Vegas, where he revealed details from his forthcoming spring forecast.

“The US economy’s long run of growth should continue in 2019,” said Sullivan. “Since 2011 we have averaged 2 million jobs being created each year and the unemployment rate is below 4%. Despite the headlines, the impact in the near term of the rising interest rates and inflation are relatively benign. Simply put, fundamentals like these take a long time to unwind.”

Ethiopia: Abay Industrial Development has ordered a new 5000t/day cement plant worth Euro100m from Denmark’s FLSmidth. The plant will be built near Dejen. FLSmidth has received a down payment for the project but it will not be added to its order intake until further conditions have been met.

The order includes design and engineering, full equipment supply, automation systems, installation and commissioning as well as training and extended supervision. Completion of the order is expected during the second quarter of 2022.

Ghana: Morten Gade, the managing director of Ghacem, says that the company plans to make 3Mt of cement in 2019. It also has a target of producing and distributing 60 million bags compared to 56 million bags, according to the Daily Graphic newspaper. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement operates two grinding plants in the country.

South Africa: The Competition Tribunal has resumed hearings into allegations of cartel-like behaviour by Natal Portland Cement (NPC), Pretoria Portland Cement Company (PPC), Lafarge Industries South Africa (Lafarge) and AfriSam Consortium (AfriSam). It follows a referral by the Competition Commission following an investigation in 2015 that examined collusive conduct between the cement companies between 2008 and 2012. At the time PPC was granted conditional leniency and AfriSam and Lafarge settled with the Commission.

Papua New Guinea: Australia’s Mayur Resources has completed a feasibility report looking into building an integrated cement plant near Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. The cement and lime plant project has an estimated cost of US$331m. It will produce 1.65Mt/yr of clinker, be able to grind 0.9Mt/yr of cement and produce 0.2Mt/yr of quicklime. The study also found that the project area had reserves of 78Mt of limestone and 14Mt of maiden mineral resource that could support the project for 30 years.

The company is now arranging compensation agreements with the local community and submitting a mining lease application. Award of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) design and engineering contracts, finalise product offtake and project financing arrangements are scheduled for the second half of 2019.

India: UltraTech Cement’s income rose by 17% year-on-year to US$3.73bn in the nine months to the end of 2018 from US$3.18bn in the same period in 2017. Its net profit fell by 21% to US$197m from US$250m. The main causes for this were rising power, energy and logistics costs. Despite this, income and net profit rose in the third quarter of the year. The cement producer also completed its acquisition of Binani Cement in the third quarter.

Fiji: The Tasman Sea, a bulk carrier, has delivered clinker from Japan for the Tengy Cement plant via the port of Lautoka. The vessel carried 26,800t of clinker, according to the Fiji Sun newspaper. It will also deliver clinker for Tengy Cement’s plant in Suva. Madulesh Lakhan, operations manager of Transam Fiji, said that his company arranges clinker imports every three months to the country. Pacific Cement also uses the service.