Global Cement News

Italy: In the nine months to 30 September 2019, Buzzi Unicem’s net sales rose by 13.4% year-on-year to Euro2.42bn from Euro2.14bn. Cement volumes rose 5.7% to 22.1Mt from 20.9Mt in the corresponding period of 2018. The company said that “Growth was continually mitigated by weakened manufacturing activity due to reduced investments and political and economic uncertainty.”

Germany: After five years’ transport planning and dispatch management, Heidelberg’s Inform software has received an update. The new version features an improved user interface and decision-making engine with upgraded algorithms to increase truck fleet productivity. HeidelbergCement’s Head of Logistics Germany Silvio Günther said “On-time delivery and flexibility are vital to our cement customers. Inform’s software allows our cement customer service centre to react quickly.”

Brazil: Itaci Cement has purchased 100 hectares of land in Tabuleiro do Norte in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Ceará. Diario do Nordeste has reported that the company has invested US$66m in a development, though whether this will take the form of a clinker grinding or integrated cement plant has not been disclosed. Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP) will reportedly supply granulated blast furnace slag to the facility when operational for use as a feedstock.

Germany: HeidelbergCement’s sales in the first nine months of 2019 were Euro14.3bn, up by 7.0% from Euro13.4bn in the corresponding period of 2018. It reached its savings target for sales and general administration costs of Euro100m 15 months ahead of schedule and cut net debt by Euro1.1bn. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement, said “Price increases and strict cost discipline more than compensated for slightly weaker demand in the third quarter.”

Sweden: Construction and engineering conglomerate Peab’s subsidiary Swecem has engaged German-based Gebr. Pfeiffer for the supply of one MVR 2500 C-4 grinding mill at its granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) grinding plant in Oxelösund in Södermanland. The mill has four grinding rollers and a table diameter of 2.5m, giving it a 25t/hr slag grinding capacity.

Swecem operates a concrete plant in Kungsängen. It currently uses ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) supplied by Irish-based Ecocem’s 0.7Mt/yr Dunkirk grinding plant in France.