Global Cement News

UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has appointed Chris Bradbury as the plant manager at its integrated Dunbar cement plant in East Lothian, Scotland. He previously worked at Tarmac’s Tunstead plant in Derbyshire. Bradbury began working in the cement industry as an apprentice in 1994 and has held many roles at plants both in the UK and in Nigeria and the Philippines.

China: Germany-based Schmersal Group has appointed Michele Seassaro as the managing director of Schmersal Industrial Switchgear based in Shanghai. He has been managing the group’s China-based subsidiary since the start of March 2021.

Seassaro, aged 52 years, was born in Milan, Italy and has more than 20 years of international management experience, including in Europe, North Africa and Asia Pacific. Over the past ten years, he has held senior positions in various companies in the consumer goods and food industry in China. He holds a law background as well as an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and studied the Chinese language at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Schmersal operates a production plant in the Qingpu district of Shanghai. It produces position and safety switches as well as lift switchgear for the Asian market. The company also operates a number of sales offices across China.

Uzbekistan: Germany-based IKN has secured a contract for process integration and equipment design for a new kiln line at Qizilqumsement’s Qizilqumsement cement plant. The supplier’s remit includes the pyroprocessing line, preheater, kiln and cooler including ID fan, kiln drive and burners. It plans to use a six-stage preheater, the region’s first. Commissioning is scheduled for 2022.

Russia: SibCem subsidiary Iskitimcement has added an eighth cement to its product line. The company has launched production of a CEM-I special Portland cement for use in roads and airstrips. It says that the product produces concrete with increased resistance to aggressive media, frost and water resistance and strength, lower heat generation during hardening and longer service life than concrete produced with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).

Managing Director Vladimir Skakun said, “Considering that the strategy for the development of the building materials industry until 2030 provides for an increase in the share of cement-concrete roads in the total volume of new roads in the country to 50%, we are preparing to increase the demand for road cements.” He added, “The development of a new type of product is another step in matching consumers’ changing needs.”

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has welcomed expanded, comprehensive Covid-19 safety guidance from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The association said that the guidance is a valuable and flexible resource for cement facilities facing the shifting effects of the Covid-19 threat. Plants have successfully relied on the advice of the MSHA, Centers for Disease Control and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

PCA government affairs senior vice president Sean O’Neill said, “Protecting our workforce during the Covid-19 emergency has been job number one for US cement manufacturers. The men and women of the cement industry, from our quarries to our cement plants and shipping operations, are designated as Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers. PCA and its member companies are committed to protecting miners and their families while continuing to provide critical building materials needed to maintain and improve our nation’s vital infrastructure.”