Cambodia: China-based Conch International Holding subsidiary Conch KT Cement has announced plans for a new 2.0Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Kampong Speu province. The Phnom Penh Post newspaper has reported the cost of the proposed plant as US$263m. It will generate up to 500 jobs, according to the producer. The company also operates the 2.0Mt/yr Ratanak Mondol cement plant in the province that started operation in mid-2018. It says that the new plant will lower domestic cement prices, reducing the demand for imports.

2700 people are employed across Cambodia’s five cement plants. National installed cement capacity is currently 8.0Mt/yr. The Cement Manufacturers Association of Cambodia reports that production grew by 7% year-on-year to 7.9Mt in 2020.

Peru: Cementos Interoceanicos has contracted Switzerland-based Satarem to establish a 1.0Mt/yr cement plant in Puno. The Gestión newspaper has reported that Satarem intends to buy a 30% stake in the producer. The scheduled completion date for the work, which also includes setting up two new lime plants, is mid-late 2022. The total estimated cost of the project is US$158m.

The producer is reportedly seeking to expand its area of operations in other areas within Peru.

Palestine: Jericho Cement Company plans to establish the first cement plant in Palestine by 2022. The Arab News newspaper has reported that the planned 1.1Mt/yr plant will cost US$85m. Funding will come from a group of companies and the Palestinian Investment Fund.

The State of Palestine presently imports its cement from Israel and Jordan.

Togo: CimCo says that its 2.5Mt/yr Lomé cement plant in Maritime Region will open by September 2021 following a total investment of US$118m. Agence Ecofin reports that work on the project is 65% complete. The producer said that the plant will create 500 direct jobs and a further 1000 indirect jobs.

Indonesia: Semen Baturaja has signed a memorandum of understanding with Huadian Buket Asam Power. Under the agreement, the producer will supply the power company with limestone for its flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) process in exchange for fly ash, bottom ash and gypsum. The agreement will last two years until March 2023.

The cement producer’s managing director Sumsal Saifudin said, “This collaboration is a form of synergy between the two companies to improve competitiveness, which is much-needed in facing an increasingly competitive industrial environment, by taking advantage of opportunities for the creation of new revenue streams and cost transformation.”

Germany: Beumer has partnered with technology start-up Elara Digital to launch a cloud-based database product to provide overviews, orchestrate communication and access information for repairs and the smooth operation of machinery. Relevant information such as work orders, checklists, machine documentation or guides for trouble shooting can be created and accessed at any time creating a knowledge database for maintenance teams. The supplier says that the application is compatible with a simple mobile application, giving cement plant workers, ‘the factory know-how in your pocket.’

Managing Director Robert Bach said, "My job is to find young entrepreneurs with business ideas that are relevant to us."

Germany: Schenck Process reported operating sales of Euro592m in 2020, down by 6% year-on-year from Euro632m in 2019. Adjusted group earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 11% to Euro91.4m from Euro102m. New orders for the year totalled Euro619m, down by 6% from Euro659m, but rose by under 1% to Euro292m from Euro291m in the Americas region. Demand for aftermarket service also fell, partly due to reduced production output and capacity utilisation in the global cement industry. The supplier said that construction and steel were also ‘hard hit.’ It attributed the decline to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on markets and customer demand. Corrective actions ‘partly mitigated’ the effects of this on income.

The group said that staff reduction have led to lower personnel expenses in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year.

Germany: Flender says it has resumed trading as an ‘independent’ company following the completion of its sale by Siemens to Carlyle Group for Euro2.04bn. The mechanical and electrical drive system supplier said that its existing contract remained unchanged, adding, “With our skilled employees, excellent range of products, and a growth-oriented new owner, we are in an ideal position to act even more effectively.”

The ownership change coincides with the launch of Flender’s new Jaegger Direct supplier portal. The portal succeeds SCM Star, the tool used by Simens, in handling requests for quotation, tender management and company profile data. The company asked customers to register with Jaggaer Direct to confirm the transfer of their data from SCM Star. It said that it will dispatch email invitations and login links in the coming days.

Peru: Yura plans to upgrade its Arequipa cement plant at a cost of US$200m. The planned upgrade will increase the plant’s clinker production capacity to 8000t/day from 5000t/day. The La República newspaper has reported that the sustainability-enhancing expansion involves the installation of a new vertical roller mill, packing, storage and dispatch equipment and a 4.3km raw materials conveyor. General manager Ramón Pizá called the modernisation a “vote of faith in Peru.”

Germany: Mexico-based Cemex subsidiary Cemex Zement has set up an innovation acceleration partnership called Carbon Neutral Alliance to support its work to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions at its Rüdersdorf cement plant by 2030. The association will work to develop industrial-scale demonstration projects in line with the company’s Future in Action programme. Its scope will include carbon capture and storage (CCS), the transformation of captured CO₂ into building materials, synthetic fuels and green hydrocarbons, hydrogen production and waste heat recovery (WHR). Cemex plans to share the knowledge gained by the alliance across its global cement network.

Managing director and Rüdersdorf plant manager Stefan Schmorleiz said, "It is expected that CO₂ will be further processed to convert to new forms of energy and materials for use locally by industrial, residential, and transport sectors. Together with our partners, we will take feasibility studies through to economic solutions to decarbonising cement production.”