18 January 2017
BillerudKorsnäs buys minor stake in Hanhaa 18 January 2017
UK: Sweden’s BillerudKorsnäs has purchased a minor stake in technology company Hanhaa in order to invest in the so-called ‘internet of packaging.’ The company’s technology allows users to track the location and the condition of deliveries in real time and on a large scale across carriers and countries. The investment is being made by a development wing of BillerudKorsnäs in order to develop new solutions in the packaging value chain. No value for the transaction has been disclosed but the investment has been described as ‘small’.
“Combining our own core-related skills with the skills of these start-up companies will allow us to create fruitful collaborations and together identify entirely new solutions. We will also draw on our experience and knowledge of bringing products to market on an industrial scale. Together with Hanhaa, we’re continuing to build tomorrow’s internet of packaging. Expanding our offering of digital solutions will allow us to continue challenging conventional packaging for a sustainable future,” said BillerudKorsnäs Venture Managing Director Anders Persson.
BillerudKorsnäs produces packaging materials and its clients include cement producers.
US: Germany’s Takraf has acquired the Material Handling Systems business of FMC Technologies (FMC MHS) based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. FMC MHS provides material handling solutions to a variety of industries including mining, minerals, power and food. It also manufacturers a line of proprietary equipment for rotary drying and cooling of various materials. FMC MHS will be integrated into Takraf’s US business, located in Denver, Colorado and it will retain its office presence in Lansdale. No value has been released for the transaction.
“This acquisition brings with it a number of advantages that we seek to leverage. We identified a need to add to our equipment portfolio and this opportunity enables us to realise our strategic goals – to strengthen our position in the lighter material handling business and reinforce our growth strategy,” said Frank Hubrich, chief executive officer of Takraf. He added that FMC MHS’ product portfolio will enable the company to provide a range of equipment catering to smaller volumes and integrated in-plant conveyor solutions.”
US: The CalPortland Rillito cement plant in Arizona has received an energy efficiency rebate of US$71,213 from Tucson Electric Power (TEP) as part of a programme providing incentive funds for energy efficiency projects. The cement plant installed an upgrade to its clinker cooler using funding from the TEP Commercial Energy Solutions program. To date, this is the construction materials producers largest rebate in the state of Arizona.
US: Titan America's Pennsuco plant, which includes cement manufacturing, aggregates, quarrying, block manufacturing and ready-mix concrete operations, has been officially recognised as a Gold Level Zero Waste facility, making it the only facility of its kind in the US to achieve Zero Waste Status.
"The Zero Waste Certification is a remarkable accomplishment and consistent with Titan America's commitment to striving for best-in-class sustainability practices. Congratulations to our Environmental Department and thanks to everyone at Pennsuco for their help and support. We should all feel very proud of this," said Randy Dunlap, president of Titan America's Florida business.
To qualify for Zero Waste Certification, the Pennsuco Complex was required to demonstrate greater than 90% diversion from landfill use for a minimum of 12 consecutive months. This includes reducing, reusing, recycling or composting discarded materials or recovering the materials for productive use in nature of the economy at biological temperatures and pressures. It requires implementing sustainable strategies for resource and waste management. The process for certification process also included an extensive on-site audit, which was performed by Zero Waste Council members.
Zero Waste recertification occurs every three years. The Pennsuco site is now aiming for Platinum Certification. Titan's Pennsuco Plant has also been recognised for other sustainability initiatives, including Wildlife Habitat Certification and EnergyStar Certification. Titan's two cement plants at Pennsuco and Roanoke have been EnergyStar certified for 10 consecutive years.
Competition body rejects Binani Cement’s appeal to relax fine 18 January 2017
India: The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) has rejected an appeal by Binani Cement to waive paying a 10% deposit of a US$25m fine that was given to it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for cartel-like behaviour. COMPAT said that the cement producer had failed to add any further information to the situation or pointed out any errors in the procedure, according to the Press Trust of India. In August 2016 the CCI imposed fines of nearly US$1bn on cement producers including ACC, ACL, Binani, Century, India Cements, JK Cement, Lafarge, Ramco, UltraTech, Jaiprakash Associates and the Cement Manufacturers Association for alleged cartelisation activity.
In November 2016, the COMPAT delayed the CCI condition that the cement producers deposit 10% of the fine. However, Binani Cement requested to waive the deposit on grounds of severe financial hardship. Binani Cement now potentially faces interest charges on top of the deposit as its appeal was dismissed.
Saudi Arabia: Cement producers are planning to cut their production by 5 – 10% in 2017 due to a fall in demand. The decision follows declines in profits of around 17% by local companies in 2016, according to the Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper. The decrease in demand for cement has been blamed on competition, high production costs and high energy costs. Cement sales in the country started to decline in 2015 following the low international price of oil.
UK: Hanson is spending Euro29m on upgrades at its Ribblesdale cement plant in a seven-year project to improve production efficiency and emissions. In the first six months nearly Euro13m will be spent on improvements and maintenance to enable the plant to meet new dust emission regulations. This is the biggest investment programme at the site since the 1990s and includes a Euro2m replacement of the filters on two cement mills.
“The permitted dust level is being reduced by 66% in April 2017, from 30mg/m2 to 10 - the new equipment will perform better than this,” said plant manager Terry Reynolds. He added that the filters will run well below the new maximum dust emission levels after the installation
The plant will spend Euro7.5m, its largest investment, towards replacing its wet gas scrubber in March 2017. In addition, 75m of ducts have been replaced at a cost of Euro440,000 during a shutdown in January 2017 as part of a five-year improvement plan for the site’s exhaust gas handling system.
Ribblesdale employs 116 people and is supplied by two on-site quarries worked by an 11-person team and a team of contractors managing the loading and hauling of quarry materials. The cement plant has produced cement for projects including the Manchester International Airport, Heysham nuclear power station, Manchester United football stadium, Liverpool’s Roman Catholic cathedral and also now for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.