Philippines: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim Philippines says that it will “strengthen its commitment to development as a supporter of manufacturing and construction” on Mindenao, where it operates the Davao and Misamis Oriental cement plants, to help the island recover from the economic effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Sales senior vice president William Sumalinog said, “We are not slowing down at this time when the government has deemed it essential to continue upgrading infrastructure. Doing so not only raises the level of competitiveness of the manufacturing industry, but also shields the economy from the blows of the pandemic. We remain confident that we are well-equipped to deliver great value and support to builders working to improve the competitiveness of Mindanao’s economy and to all our stakeholders in the region who are united in their dreams of a better Mindanao."

Pakistan: Cement producers sold a record 5.21Mt of cement in September 2020, up by 22% year-on-year from 4.27Mt in September 2019. Exports were 1.12Mt, up by 41% from 790,000Mt. The Pakistan Observer has reported that domestic cement dispatches rose by 27% in northern Pakistan to 565,000t from 446,000t and by 16% in southern Pakistan to 3.52Mt from 3.03Mt.

US: SSI has announced the launch of the Pri-Max, a primary shredder “built to reduce the volume of bulky materials while achieving processing rates of up to 150t/hr.” The product design incorporates new patented technologies, including “a new method for maintenance and replacement of wear parts as well as major assemblies.” The company says that this will “substantially decrease maintenance costs and improves ease of use.”

Director of sales and marketing Dave Fleming said “The Pri-Max is typically the first step in large processing systems, making it a critical component to customer productivity and success. Customers wanted longer service intervals and more flexibility in how they could choose to maintain wear parts in their machines.”

Australia: Boral plans to increase raw limestone production at its Marulan South quarry in New South Wales to 4.0Mt/yr. Additionally, the company will increase aggregate extraction at the site to 1.0Mt/yr. The Goulburn Post reports that the new South Wales state government has agreed to the US$3.23m upgrade on condition that the building materials company upgrades and realigns a local access road to improve safety. Boral originally applied to expand the open cast mine in 2018.