Global Cement News

Pakistan: Muhammad Ali Tabba of Lucky Cement Company has been unanimously elected Chairman of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) for the 2013 – 2014 term. Sayeed Tariq Saigol of Maple Leaf Cement and Babar Bashir Nawaz of Attock Cement Pakistan were also unanimously elected as Senior Vice Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the association respectively.

Muhammad Raza Mansha of DG Khan Cement, Azam Farooque of Cherat Cement, Major General Rehmat Khan (retired) of Lafarge Cement Pakistan, Lieutenant General Muhammad Sabir (retired) of Fauji Cement, Lieutenant General Taufiq Rafiq (retired) of Askari Cement, Syed Asif Shah of Bestway Cement, Aizaz Mansoor Sheikh of Kohat Cement, Mazhar Iqbal of Pioneer Cement and Muhammad Tousif Paracha of Gharibwal Cement were elected as members of the executive committee.

Ireland: A TEC GRECO Combustion Systems Europe GmbH has been awarded a contract by Irish Cement's Platin Works to deliver a new kiln burner for its kiln line 3.

At Platin Works, the 4300t/day FLS kiln uses petcoke and alternative fuels. The modern concept of A TEC GRECO´s Flexiflame® burner offers a high flame momentum to be able to control the flame shape according the required kiln- and process parameters in consideration of a high solid alternative fuel substitution rate.

The new Flexiflame® kiln burner will allow the plant to work more flexible with respect to future fuel supply scenarios. The new equipment is part of a policy to fulfil very strict environmental controls.

Brazil: Germany's Hazemag & EPR GmbH has received an order from the Brennand Cimentos Group in Brazil for the delivery of two crushing plants for its new cement works in the federal state of Paraiba, Brazil. The order comprises one limestone crusher and one clay crusher.

The limestone crushing plant is designed for a throughput rate of 1500t/hr for the production of a final product of 95% <90mm. A second product of 95% <50mm may also be produced at a lower throughput rate. HAZtronic, a hydraulic input apron control, can switch between the two production modes. The clay crushing plant is designed for a throughput of 300t/hr for the production of a finished product of 0 - 90mm.

The plant consists of the following components: Hazemag apron feeder, Hazemag roller screen VARIOwobbler® with adjustable gaps, Hazemag primary impact crusher fitted with the hydraulic impact apron control, Haztronic discharge belt conveyor.

The commissioning of both plants is planned for spring 2014.

The timing of the UK Mineral Products Association's (MPA) latest call to arms makes one wonder how well the economic recovery is going in parts of Europe. The MPA has launched a document entitled 'Cementing the Future – Sustaining an Essential British Industry' to promote the UK cement industry. It is the MPA's job to beat the drum for the industries it represents so in this sense it should always be trying to raise the minerals sector's profile.

Yet as the UK economy starts to lumber out of the recession, a publication like this suggests that the challenges ahead of the industry are still large. MPA figures released in July 2013 showed that year-on-year growth in cement volumes hit a low of -10% in the second quarter of 2012 before rising to better (negative) rates to the first quarter of 2013. No data was available for the second quarter of 2013.

One of the MPA's recommendations is that the UK government does more to protect the main internationally-owned players from international trading markets. At least foreign-owned companies provide local jobs. The main thrust is to protect the industry from carbon taxation, ensuring better international competiveness. On the back of Cembureau's latest industry figures, chief executive Koen Coppenholle recommends much the same thing for Europe as a whole in his column in the September 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine.

One thing the MPA doesn't need is more bad news when the UK Competition Commission publishes its report on an investigation on the aggregates, cement and ready-mix concrete market in December 2013. On that score the investigation hasn't been too troubling so far with its provisional findings concluding that despite poor competition between firms on price there was no explicit collusion.

In terms of competition though things could be worse. For example, take Colombia. In August 2013 the Colombian competition agency, the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC), announced its investigation in the country's main players for 'sustained and unjustified' increases in the price of cement since 2010. For the first six months of 2013 cement prices rose by 8% compared to an inflation rate of 1.73%.

Whatever is happening in Colombia, its largest cement producer, Cementos Argos, saw its profits rise by 5.9% to US$218m in 2012. At present the MPA can only dream of times like that again and hope that the UK government takes note of its advocacy.

Turkey: Limak has ordered a new 3500t/day clinker production line from KHD for its Trakya cement plant. Cement plant equipment manufacturer KHD has been contracted to deliver the equipment, supervise the construction and commission the project, including on-site training. The new kiln line will be erected near an existing 1850t/day line, which will also be upgraded by KHD in the beginning of 2014.

Core components of the new KHD line include: a four-stage KHD Preheater with PYROCLON®-R Low NO_X calciner, equipped with PYROTOP® compact mixing chamber, tertiary air duct with dust settling chamber, and PYROBOX calciner firing system for coal dust; a PYRORAPID® two-tire rotary kiln, with a diameter of 4.4m; PYRO-JET® kiln burner for coal and fuel oil; PYROFLOOR® clinker cooler equipped with a PYROCRUSHER® System.

The new calciner with PYROCLON®R will be KHD's first Low-NO_X calciner in Turkey. Trakya will be the second PYROFLOOR® system Limak has installed at one of its plants. Commissioning of the new kiln at Trakaya is scheduled for the autumn of 2014.