Global Cement News

Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s 1.3Mt/yr Vernasca plant in Piacenza will receive a Cleanker Project pilot system for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The installation is EU-funded as part of Horizon 2020, a seven-year research and innovation framework programme, and its success will be closely monitored for possible implementation at other cement plants in the EU and beyond.

UK: Quinn Industrial Holding’s Building Products division has launched two software upgrades aimed at improving customer experience. Its new Quinn Delivery Hub digitises mixed load delivery logistics coordination, facilitating collection and drop off of cement and other bulk materials from various locations with a centralised real-time management system. Customers can enjoy first-hand benefits of the new system with the new Genius by Quinn app, giving full visibility of every load from despatch to delivery.

Cyprus: Vassiliko Cement ’s has achieved recognition for human resources (HR) programmes at its 2.5Mt/yr integrated Vassiliko plant in Nicosia, Cyprus, with a silver and a bronze at the first Cyprus Human Resources Awards. Its Talents Academy, launched in 2013 to offer six to 12 months’ paid work experience to a set minimum of unemployed young people with full staff benefits and without necessarily filling vacancies, won silver in the Best Youth Employment Initiative category. Its change of mindset programme ‘Bridge’ won bronze for Best Strategy/Initiative of Change Management for its promotion of intergenerational team spirit, communication and attainment of personal targets.

Vassiliko executive chairman Antonios Anoniou said “Continuous training coupled with the personal and professional development of our employees in the workplace is an essential prerequisite for sustainability."

Spain: HeidelbergCement’s Spanish subsidiary HeidelbergCement Hispania has presented a range cementitious materials for use in floors and pavements with a focus on sustainable production at the Spanish Innovation Forum on Architecture, Construction and Reclamation in Barcelona. Its I.Tech Cargo cement-based premix based on TX Active technology boasts lower CO2 emissions in the cement production stage, while its I-Pro Stabex premix replaces cement with natural hydraulic lime.

Russia: The government of the Republic of Turva has announced its approval of a 2Mt/yr integrated cement plant near the extensive limestone and clay reserves around Shagonar in the Republic of Turva. Local investors will undertake the development, scheduled for completion in late 2020, at an estimated cost of US$5.48m. The announcement has attracted uproar from residents of the area for the proximity of the intended site to the sacred mountain Haiyrakan, where the most significant limestone deposits are located.