Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has raised the price of its 50kg bags of cement by around 3%. It said that it made the decision due to higher input costs, according to the Standard newspaper. In a statement David Kilonzo, acting head of commercial at EAPCC, said “Due to the continuous surge in raw materials prices, operating overheads and our commitment to maintain the premium brand quality that our customers have enjoyed over the years, we will be revising our prices upwards.”

Switzerland-based Holcim holds a 42% stake in EAPC through its subsidiaries, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) holds a 27% stake and the Kenyan government, through the National Treasury, holds a 25% share in the company.

US: Buzzi Unicem USA’s Maryneal cement plant in Texas hit a production record of 1.03Mt of clinker and 1.18Mt of cement in 2022. The figures were more than 4% over the year’s budgeted figures. The plant says it achieved the result through consistent communication and a positive culture. Managers at the unit also shared updated production figures at daily meetings, kept all employees actively engaged and created an encouraging atmosphere. The plant has set new goals for 2023.

Antonio Corea Cruz, Operations Manager at the plant, said, “We’ve implemented strategies to keep reliable assets which allow the team members to work on continuous improvement. This affects the efficiency and productivity of all aspects of the plant.”

Denmark: FLSmidth has signed a deal with Australia-based FCT ACTech to provide a new product for the online analysis of raw materials. Under the agreement, FLSmidth will incorporate FCT ACTech’s X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) analysers in its new QCX Cube products. The partnership was formalised in August 2023.

Jens Asbjørn Pedersen, Global Product Manager for Sampling, Preparation and Analysis at FLSmidth, said “We are very pleased to be able to integrate FCT ACTech analyser units in our new QCX Cube analysis solutions for cement plants.” He continued, “We are starting with the launch of QCX Cube X10, which primarily targets raw meal applications, but it is our ambition to utilise FCT ACTech's innovative range of analyser units to also deliver advanced online XRD analysis solutions for clinker and cement.” He added that the company believes that such integrated solutions will provide ‘critical’ support for cement plants during the green transition, as alternative fuels and new secondary cementitious materials drive a need for further process and chemistry optimisation.

The QCX Cube X10 online elemental analyser is FLSmidth's newest analysis product for cement raw meal. Offering plug-and-play functionality, it includes sampling components, an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analyser and a fully programmed local control system that are delivered pre-assembled in an air-conditioned container. Analysis results for calcium, silicon, aluminium and iron are provided as standard. Sodium and magnesium analysis can be provided with the addition of a helium purge, while other elements are available on request after a site-specific evaluation. The product is designed to be integrated with FLSmidth’s optimisation software QCX/BlendExpert.

FCT ACTech is the analytical instruments division of FCT International. It has developed and supplied a continuous on-stream analyser for more than two decades with products now covering raw mix, clinker quality and cement blend control.

US: Lhoist North America says it intends to add lime production capacity in Texas. It stated that population growth in the south of the country had created increased demand for its calcium-based products, with customers having announced new steel mills, liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, lithium hydroxide production plants and water treatment facilities. In its view these expansions in multiple markets require lime both in the initial infrastructure build and in longer-term production processes.

The subsidiary of Belgium-based Lhoist said in mid-September 2023 that it was expecting to file permits for the expansion in the coming weeks and the location for the new production capacity will be revealed at a later date.