Displaying items by tag: Plant
Solid Cement uses US$75m loan to upgrade Antipolo plant
28 November 2018Philippines: Solid Cement is using a US$75m loan from Cemex Asia to partly pay for a new production line at its plant in Antipolo, Rizal. The subsidiary of Cemex Holdings Philippines has made an initial withdrawal of around US$41m, according to the Manila Standard newspaper. The upgrade has a total cost of US$235m and it is scheduled completion in 2020. The new line will be supplied and built by China’s CBMI Construction.
Nesher Israel Cement lays off 20 workers at Haifa plant
28 November 2018Israel: Nesher Israel Cement has dismissed 20 workers at its Haifa plant. The redundancies took place in October 2018 due to a fall in production, according to the Globes newspaper. The company is also considering making staff change at its Ramla plant. Previously, Israeli cement producers have blamed Turkey and Greece for declining business and have lobbied for anti-dumping tariffs.
Fire at Argos USA’s Martinsburg cement plant
28 November 2018US: A fire at Argos USA’s Martinsburg cement plant in West Virginia is being investigated. The fire followed an explosion at the site on 25 November 2018, according to the Herald-Mail newspaper. A spokesman for the cement producer said that the incident occurred in the coal-mill dust-collector bag house. Although damage estimates are not available yet, repairs following the fire include replacing blast doors. No injuries have been reported. Production at the plant has been suspended while the cause of the fire is investigated.
Eurocement to upgrade Zhigulovskiye plant to produce white cement
28 November 2018Russia: Eurocement has hired Turkey’s Dal Teknik to upgrade a production line at its Zhigulovskiye Stroymaterialy plant in Samara so that it can manufacture white cement. The project has a budget of around Euro13m. Once complete the line will be able to produce 0.3Mt/yr of PCB 1-500-D0 or just below 0.4Mt/yr PCB 1-400-D20 white cement. The new product will be sold in big or regular sized bags. First deliveries are expected in the summer of 2019.
Cementa reporting supply problems with Bascement product
28 November 2018Sweden: Cementa says it is has supply problems delivering its Bascement product. The delivery issues have been caused by frequent power cuts to its Slite plant, weather-related delays to its shipping schedule and high cement demand. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement said that it was keeping its customers regularly updated.
Al Khalij Cement Company obtains American Petroleum Institute certification to produce oil well cement
27 November 2018Qatar: Al Khalij Cement Company has obtained certification from the American Petroleum Institute (API) to produce oil well cement. The certification allows it to make Grade (s) HSR class G oil well cement at its Umm Bab plant, according to the Gulf Times newspaper. The API has awarded Al Khalij Cement a three-year licence to apply the API monogram on its products. 11 other companies are certified to produce by the API to produce oil well cement in the Middle East.
Bangladesh: Saudi Arabian company Engineering Dimensions has expressed interest in building a cement plant at Chhatak in Sunamgan. The company’s president Mohammed N Hijji has met Secretary-in-Charge of the Industries Ministry M Abdul Halim about the project, according to the Financial Express newspaper. Engineering Dimensions says that the country’s high population, local demand and skilled workforce have attracted it to the location.
Yguazú Cementos renews call for clinker import ban to be lifted
27 November 2018Paraguay: Yguazú Cementos has renewed its call for a ban on clinker imports to be lifted. The cement producer made its latest bid to the Luis Alfredo Llamosas, the Vice Minister of Industry, during a visit to its plant, according to La Nacion newspaper. The company produces 0.37Mt/yr of clinker that it uses to make 0.55Mt/yr of cement. However, the plant can grind up 0.75Mt/yr of cement and it wants to import clinker to increase its productivity. Staff at Yguazú Cementos have previously criticised the import ban that allows only Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) to bring in clinker from abroad.
Former vice president of Cemex Colombia facing legal action in US
22 November 2018Colombia/US: Edgar Ramírez, the former vice president of planning for Cemex in Colombia, has been summoned by the US judiciary in relation to the Maceo cement plant corruption case. Ramírez reportedly fled to the US following calls for his arrest in Colombia earlier in 2018, according to W Radio. Another suspect in the case - Eugenio Correa Díaz, the former representative of CI Calizas y Minerales, which sold the property to the cement producer, is also being questioned by the US authorities. Ramírez and accomplices allegedly paid over US$13m to Correa, despite being aware of the fact that the property was in the process of being expropriated over unpaid taxes.
Spain: FYM-HeidelbergCement has launched a sustainability commission to support its Malaga cement plant and the surrounding community. The initiative is part of the company’s 2030 sustainability plan. It includes representatives from local neighbourhood associations, local government and environmental bodies. The commission will meet several times a year to foster an open relationship between the cement producer and its neighbours. It also intends to promote behavior based on the circular economy and the reduction of the unit’s carbon footprint. It will build on the company’s work with the Provincial Forum of Socially Responsible Companies of Malaga since its inception in 2013.