Japan: Mitsubishi Materials and Ube Industries have signed a letter of intent to start discussing a potential merger of their cement businesses and related concerns. If the discussions and a subsequent study are successful, the companies plan to sign a definitive agreement in late September 2020 ahead of an anticipated integration around April 2022. Any formal decision to merge the companies would be subject to approval from the Japan Fair Trade Commission.

The companies have decided to explore merging their cement operations following slowing demand and increased costs due to higher energy prices. They have worked together since 1998 in a joint venture called Ube-Mitsubishi Cement, which integrated their cement sales and logistics operations.

South Korea: Asia Cement has awarded a contract to Germany’s Humboldt Wedag, a subsidiary of KHD Humboldt Wedag International, to supply and provide engineering for the modernisation of its third clinker production line at its Jecheon plant. The target of the upgrade project is to increase the alternative fuel substitution rate to above 85% of calciner fuel, as well as the reduction of NOx to satisfy local emission limits.

KHD’s scope includes the engineering and supply of mechanical equipment for the clinker production as well as electrical equipment for the overall modernisation of the production process. During the project, the existing preheater will be modernised with the installation of a new Pyroclon R calciner, as well as a Pyrorotor rotary combustion reactor for low-processed alternative fuel.

The overall project scope consists of: a Pyroclon R calciner with Pyrotop mixing chamber; a Pyrorotor alternative fuel combustion reactor; a Pyrobox coal firing system for process start-up and operation balancing; replacement of stage five cyclones with new high-efficiency cyclones for calciner connection and an overall pressure drop reduction; bypass mixing chamber installation; and a new kiln inlet chamber with orifice.

The commissioning of the modernised production line is planned for the first quarter of 2021.

Spain: LafargeHolcim España says that a planned Euro8m investment to its Sagunto integrated cement plant is dependent on talks with the Valencian local government on the medium and long-term use of its quarry. Plant director José Luis Coleto said that this expenditure is part of a Euro20m package that LafargeHolcim has scheduled for the country until 2022. He added that the plant has spent Euro3.5m on the plant in 2019 on control systems upgrades and installation of an automated laboratory.

Tunisia: Brazil’s Votorantim Cimentos has ordered a clinker cooler and clinker roller crushers from Turkey’s Fons Technology International for an upgrade to its 1.2Mt/yr integrated Jbel Oust plant. Votorantim has been present in Tunisia since 2012 where it sells cement under the Jbel Oust brand.