Global Cement News

Denmark/Sweden: FLSmidth Cement has sold its MAAG gears and drives business to the Sweden-based investment company Solix Group for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2024 and includes all related assets, including intellectual property, technology, employees and customer contracts. FLSmidth said that the divestment was is in line with its Green'26 strategy, which in combination with a greater strategic focus on the service business includes focusing the product portfolio on the core technologies required for a potential green transition in the cement industry.

The MAAG product range includes a wide range of industrial gear solutions for all types of mills and kilns, gear solutions for bucket-wheel excavators and belt conveyors, as well as many other heavy-duty applications used in the cement, mining and other industries. The business has an average turnover of around Euro55 – 65m/yr.

Christopher Ashworth, the president of FLSmidth Cement, said “The divestment is fully aligned with our ongoing transformation efforts and supports our Green'26 strategy. I would like to extent my gratitude to the dedicated employees in the MAAG business for their unwavering commitment to supplying high-quality solutions and services. I wish all the MAAG employees and Solix the very best going forward."

China: Switzerland-based Maerz has commissioned two lime kilns for Guizhou Gangli Xinmin New Material’s plant in Guizhou province. The new plant includes a 600t/day R4S kiln and an 800t/day R5S kiln. Both kilns are coal fired. This is the first time Maerz has supplied kilns to Guizhou Gangli. As part of the project, Maerz supplied engineering and key equipment as well as technical support services for the commissioning and firing of the kilns. Maerz’s long-standing local partner Shanghai Maiyao built the turnkey plants and will operate them on behalf of the customer for the next few years.

Nigeria: Investor Femi Otedola has reported making a ‘significant acquisition’ of shares in Dangote Cement. The Premium Times newspaper has reported the value of the newly acquired shares as US$6.73m.

Femi Otedola said “Dangote Cement's unique position with two export terminals offers a substantial opportunity to earn foreign exchange, crucial for Nigeria's economy. This, along with the company's pan-African presence, makes it an ideal investment choice."

North America: Aker Carbon Capture and MAN Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and CO₂ compression opportunities in North America. The collaboration will combine Aker Carbon Capture's amine capture technology with MAN Energy Solutions’ compressor technology to provide standardised and modularised solutions, with optimised energy consumption and delivery time. Both parties are currently participating in the Brevik capture and storage project with Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe in Norway. Rystad Energy has forecast potential capture capacity across North American industries of 200Mt/yr by 2030.

Aker Carbon Capture head of North America Jonah Margulis said "This agreement will strengthen our position to remove and reduce carbon emissions from industries and energy solutions, which is supported by strong incentives from the US government."

MAN Energy Solutions head of sales and project management, carbon capture and storage, Marco Ernst said "We are delighted to work with Aker Carbon Capture, which appreciates our comprehensive expertise in compressor solutions in general and in the area of CO₂ compression in particular. We feel encouraged by the high level of interest in our technical solution concepts that we are on the right path towards sustainable decarbonisation of the industries that have previously had particularly high emissions."

Nepal: The Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Mines and Geology and non-governmental organisation Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) for the adoption of limestone calcined clay (LC3) cement in Nepal. The parties say that LC3 cement can reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% and reduce coal consumption in cement production. Enewspolar News has reported that the Swiss Development Cooperation has previously supported the diffusion of the technology in the global cement sector.