Burkina Faso: In response to Burkina Faso’s blood shortage due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cimasso has begun giving away one bag of cement to each person who attends blood donation clinics in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. Sputnik News has reported that, as a result of Cimasso’s efforts in partnership with the National Centre for Blood Transfusion (CNST), medical staff have so far collected 400 bags of blood towards Burkina Faso’s World Health Organisation (WHO)-verified blood needs of 202,000 bags/yr. Cimasso director general Abdoul Rahim said that the initiative will continue, “since no one is immune to diseases that can trigger blood needs, and these actions can save lives.”

Uzbekistan: Huaxin Cement has announced that 112 of its employees took the first charter flight from Hubei Province since the coronavirus lockdown began, arriving in Jizzakh, Jizzakh Oblast on 6 June 2020. Hubei Daily News has reported that Huaxin Cement’s upcoming 1.5Mt/yr integrated Jizzakh cement plant, previously scheduled for commissioning in March 2020, will now start operation in June 2020. Huaxin Cement thanked the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Civil Aviation authority for their support.

Germany/Vietnam: Loesche says that it has dispatched two LM 53.3+3 CS vertical roller mills from its plant in North Rhine-Westphalia for a new line at Thanh Thang Group Cement’s integrated Bong Lang cement plant. The mills have a combined capacity of 180t/hr and grind clinker to a fineness of 4000 Blaine. The new line, installed by Sinoma-NCDRI, will be commissioned in late-2021. Loesche will also supply two cellular wheel feeders, metal detectors and sealing air blowers.

UK: Tarmac says that it is the first cement company to have signed up to the EV100, a scheme that targets net-zero carbon emissions in transportation. Under the initiative, Tarmac will replace its fleet of 2000 corporate cars and vans with electric models by 2030.

Tarmac procurement director Jonathan Harry said, “We are fully committed to supporting the UK’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and have been proactive in making significant changes to our business and product portfolio for many years. The road to a reduction in carbon requires collective action and sustainable procurement strategies have an important role to play in supporting these ambitions. By taking progressive actions such as adopting electric vehicle (EV) technology and switching to clean electricity, we can lead by example and begin to effect real change.”