Global Cement News

Spain: Against a backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, staff at Cementos Portland Valderrivas’ Alcalá de Guadaíra cement plant spent the working week of 16 – 20 October engaged in workshops and attending talks as part of the plant’s second annual Healthy Week. Workshops including stretching and health-affective communication, while talks covered areas including balanced diets and quitting smoking. The company says that throughout the week staff competed to offer the Best Healthy Proposal, by developing “ideas to implement actions that reinforce safety within the plant facilities and improve the factory in the field of health.”

Canada: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s serious crime unit has launched an investigation into the death of one person at Lafarge Canada’s Richmond, British Columbia integrated cement plant on 19 November 2020. The Vancouver Sun newspaper has reported that the incident caused the plant to be evacuated.

Spokesperson Jill Truscott said, "We are in shock and are extremely concerned about the impact to this individual's family and friends. Steps have been taken to protect all employees on site and the surrounding community."

WorkSafe British Columbia is conducting a separate investigation.

UK: DB Group has supplied its Cemfree concrete product to a site in Birmingham, West Midlands for use by the Environment Agency in a flood defence project. It says that the agency will use the concrete “for kerb bedding and backing over several kilometres in conjunction with various recycled products in an effort to reduce the projects’ carbon footprint.” Cemfree is a low carbon concrete made using ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) and pulverised fly ash.

Pakistan: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) conducted a search and inspection of the Karachi offices of the All Pakistan Manufacturers Association (APCMA) on Thursday 19 November 2020. The search was carried out as part of an enquiry launched in May 2020 to investigate possible anti-competitive activities by cement producers. Two different CCP teams entered and searched the offices of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of APCMA and impounded relevant records.

The enquiry began based on the information gathered through various media reports and concerns expressed regarding a concurrent increase in cement prices across Pakistan, particularly during April 2020. The APCMA stands accused of orchestrating a price rise among producers.

The CCP previously searched and inspected the APCMA’s main offices in Lahore. That search allegedly led to the discovery of WhatsApp messages and emails that led investigators to believe there were grounds for further investigation.

Switzerland/France: Along with its partner Batica, LafargeHolcim is optimising the design of a low-carbon house, bringing together the latest innovations developed by the group's global research and development centre in Lyon, France.

Construction of the House of Tomorrow began at the end of October 2020 in Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux, Gironde. The materials used for its construction will have a CO₂ footprint more than 40% lower than a traditional house, and an optimised energy performance. The integration of these innovations in the house has made it possible for such a property to remain financially accessible to buyers thanks to controlled costs.

To achieve low CO₂ emissions performance, LafargeHolcim used its innovative cement and concrete products, all of which are available on the French market. Foundations were poured using ECOPact AA concrete, with emissions 80% lower than standard concrete. ECOPact A concrete, with CO₂ emissions 50-70% lower than standard concrete, will be used for the compression slab of the VS floor (crawl space). Airium, an insulating mineral foam, will be used to insulate the walls. A very low density concrete – 40-300kg/m³ depending on the mix – Airium represents an environmentally friendly, healthy and affordable insulation solution. LafargeHolcim’s Agilia Chape Thermic fluid screed will be used to coat the under-floor heating elements.