Germany: Berthold Technologies, the innovator of measurement and detection software and electronics, has released a white paper on radiometric measurement processes relevant to the cement industry. The technologies under investigation are non-contact moisture, density and liquid/bulk solid level measurers, which can also be used as non-contact limit switches. The white paper details the accurate and reproducible use of the technologies, and their application in minimising error sources.

Mali: Ciments et Matériaux du Mali has revealed plans for a 0.5Mt/yr grinding plant in the Kati commune. Agence Ecolfin has reported that the plant, to be supplied by the nearby Sonityeni quarry, will employ 150 Malians and ‘contribute to Mali’s cement self-sufficiency.’ Construction of the US$33.6m facility is set to begin in October 2019.

Colombia: The Regional Autonomous Corporation of Antioquia has reissued Cemex’s environmental clearance for its 1Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Macao. The certification marks the conclusion of a dispute over mining right in the course of which Cemex fired multiple executives for payment of US$25m to a private third party. La Republica reports that Cemex is now in a position to advance several licensing processes and to begin construction of connecting roads for the plant.

Philippines: The September 2019 customs duty of US$4.81/t on imported cement is in danger of disrupting a Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) probe. The Philippine Star has reported that the PCC is conducting an investigation into domestic cement producers’ alleged anticompetetiveness following an accusation by a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official in 2017 that a ‘cartel’ of producers was maintaining artificially high pricing and spreading of misinformation about the quality of imported products. PCC chair Arsenio Balisacan has noted the danger of ‘having an ongoing investigation and introducing a policy which can influence the outcome of that investigation.’

Napoleon Co, chairman of the Philippine Cement Importers Association (PCIA), has stated that cement traders will keep on importing unless the local cement sector produces more. He said that foreign producers’ Philippine sales were driven not by their lower prices but by the domestic industry’s inability to fulfill the country’s 28Mt/yr demand.

Norway: HeidelbergCement has joined a list of leaders from various industries in endorsing Norway’s state-owned energy group Equinor’s carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) plans. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement, was among representatives of seven companies who signed memoranda of understanding with Equinor.

HeidelbergCement’s Norwegian subsidiary Norcem has been involved in CCS research at its 1.2Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Brevik since 2011. In early 2018, the government shortlisted the plant for its multiple-industry ‘Northern Lights’ CCS project. Beginning in 2023, Equinor will remove 0.4Mt/yr of CO2, half of the plant’s total CO2 output, from Brevik for storage in empty oil and gas fields beneath the North Sea.

In a statement, HeidelbergCement expressed its intention towork together with Equinor to optimise CO2 transportation and develop Europe-wide disposal solutions

Turkey: Fuchs Petrolub and Opet Petrolcülüks’ joint venture Opet Fuchs has completed construction of its 60,000t/yr plant for the production of assorted oil products, including lubricants for the cement industry. The facility was the result of Euro24m in investment.

Thailand: Germany’s Schmersal has founded Schmersal Thailand to serve the machine safety and systems solutions needs of Thailand’s growing industries, including its 42.4Mt/yr cement industry. It will further support Schmersal’s sale partners throughout the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

Philippines: Cemex’s subsidiary APO has stopped operations at its Barangay Tina-An cement plant in Naga during morning and afternoon/evening rush-hour to ease the city’s traffic congestion problem. The Philippine Star has reported that lorries dispatching cement from the 4.0Mt/yr integrated plant were a cause of traffic build-up on the Pan-Philippine Highway. Ignacio Mijares, President of Cemex Holdings Philippines, agreed to the restriction following a meeting with Gwendolen Garcia, Governor of Cebu Province. Representatives of Cemex and regional government will meet next week to discuss the working of the solution.

The disruption to production follows the introduction of tariffs of US$4.81/t on imported cement.

Kenya: East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) has declared an intention to sell two parcels of idle land in Machakos County totalling an area of 2000 acres. Business Daily reports that the 40-day leniency period in which for the company to clear its debts expires on 11 September 2019. Shareholders will vote at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on 27 September 2019 on whether to sell the land. To sell the land, EAPCC must first evict 14,300 resident squatters.

Dominican Republic: The national total yield of cement rose to 2.81Mt in the six months to 30 June 2019 from 2.73Mt in the same period of 2018, an increase of 2.7% year-on-year. Data from the national cement industry association Adocem shows that 0.50Mt was exported over the period, 17.8% of the Dominican Republic’s production. The remaining cement boosted domestic sales by 5.2% to 2.31Mt from 2.19Mt in the first half of 2018, corresponding to a revenue of US$223m, up by 14.6% from US$195m in the half to 30 June 2018, on the back of rising demand from construction projects.