Global Cement News

France: Jacob Waerness, the former security chief at Lafarge Syria, has been arrested in Paris. He was taken into custody in early May 2018 while transferring between planes at the Charles de Gaulle airport, according to Le Monde newspaper. He was arrested on charges of financing terrorism. Waerness worked as the head of security for Lafarge in Syria from 2011 to 2013. He published a book about his experiences in 2016.

Vietnam: A joint venture between Vinaconex Engineering Construction and Investment and Lilama will supply equipment for the Tan Thang cement plant in Nghe An province. The contract is worth US$66m, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. The new plant will have a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr. Vinaconex and Lilama will join European companies Bedeschi and FLSmidth on the project.

Kyrgyzstan: Data from the National Statistics Committee data shows that local cement producers manufactured 1.5Mt of cement in 2017. Previously, the country produceds 1.3Mt in 2016 and 1.5Mt in 2015, according to the Central Asian News Service. The top three cement companies in terms of tax payments were South-Kyrgyz Cement, Kant Cement and the Southern Combine of Building Materials.

Angola: Fabrica de Cimento do Kwanza Sul (FCKS) has started selling its Yetu cement product in Luau, Moxico province. 400t of the product has been transported via the Benguela railway as part of a sales expansion drive, according to the Angola Press Agency. Huambo and Bié will be targeted next.

FCKS plant shut down in November 2017 and reopened in April 2018. The unit is planning to increase its production capacity to 10,000t/day from 5000t/day in the next stage of its improvement scheme.

Qatar: Alkhalij Cement, a subsidiary of Qatari Investors Group, has reached three years or 3.5 million hours without accidents, at its plant in Umm Bab. The company said that achievement showed that its employees had followed safety rules with dedication and reliability, according to the Qatar Tribune newspaper. Alkhalij Cement operates an integrated plant with a clinker production capacity of 6000t/day.