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Brazil: The Public Labour Ministry has signed an agreement with producers to reduce the standard weight of cement sacks sold locally to 25kg from 50kg. 33 cement producers, the local competition authority (CADE), the national cement industry union (SNIC), the Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP) and Labour minister Ronalo Fleury all signed the arrangement, according to Surgiu. The agreement has been planned to reduce workplace accidents involving cement despatches.
The agreement establishes a deadline of 31 December 2028 for companies to adapt to the new standard, after which period only cement specifically for export can be over the 25kg limit, with all other sacks over 25kg to cease being sold from 1 January 2029. The agreement follows four years of negotiations.
Helwan Cement receives offers for white cement plant 20 June 2018
Egypt: Helwan Cement has received several preliminary non-bidding offers for its white cement plant located in Minya Governorate. The subsidiary of Suez Cement and HeidelbergCement is now conducting financial, legal and technical due-diligence on the offers, according to Reuters. No values or timescale for the sale have been disclosed.
Namibia: Ohorongo Cement’s captive 5MWAC solar plant is preparing to start commercial operation by the end of June 2018. The unit is equipped with approximately 20,000 crystalline silicon modules mounted on a tracking system and an installed capacity of 6.5MWDC for an output of 5MWAC, according to the Daily Observer newspaper. Once it starts commercial operation it will provide an estimated 14GWhr/yr to the cement plant.
Investors have reached financial close in the project. The site has been developed and built by Germany’s SunEQ and its local partner Hungileni. Local financial partners also include Namibia Infrastructure Finance. Gildemeister Energy Solutions also worked on the project.
Cemex UK to move to new headquarters in Rugby 20 June 2018
UK: Cemex UK will move its headquarters from Thorpe, Surrey to its offices in Rugby, Warwickshire from 1 July 2018. The new premises were the former global head offices for the Rugby Group until 2000. To date the Rugby offices have provided a regional centre for the company. From July 2018 the senior leadership team and all back-office functions such as taxation, communications and human resources will be based at Rugby, working alongside business areas such as the national customer service centre, Marketing and logistics.
“Rugby lies geographically at the centre of our UK business and with changing patterns of working such as increased working from home and from operational sites, it makes good business sense to consolidate our offices. Rugby and the Rugby brand are at the ‘heart’ of our business and the creation of the new headquarters will ensure greater efficiency and communication,” said Michel Andre, Country President, Cemex UK.
Spain: Cementos Molins has allocated Euro200m towards dismantling old production lines at its Sant Vicenç dels Horts plant near Barcelona. Kilns, towers, silos and obsolete buildings will be removed as part of the project, according to the La Vanguardia newspaper. The plant operates a single 1.4Mt/yr production line that was commissioned in 2010.