24 January 2017
Metso announces new distribution model in Italy 24 January 2017
Italy: Metso has changed its distribution model in Italy in 2017, appointing three exclusive distributors to cover the country. Righini and Frantoparts FP will handle the exclusive distribution of all Metso stationary crushing and screening machines. Righini will cover the provinces of Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte and Liguria. Frantoparts will cover the remaining provinces. Scai will be the exclusive distributor of the mobile equipment for the whole of Italy.
"These three distributors are already our long-term partners with proven expertise and service capability. We are confident that they are the right partners for us for many years to come," said Angel Luis Garcia, Metso's Distribution Business Manager for Spain & Italy.
Philippines: Holcim Philippines’ Bacnotan and Norzagaray cement plants have won awards for energy efficiency at the 2016 Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards. The plants won Awards of Recognition for representing the Philippines in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Competition Best Practice for Energy Management in Buildings and Industries. The La Union plant was cited for its use of alternative fuel and raw materials to reduce its coal consumption, while Bulacan was recognized for its best practices in energy management through process improvements.
Plants operated by Holcim Philippines in Misamis Oriental and Davao City picked up awards for energy efficiency in 2015. In 2014, the company’s Bulacan plant was elevated to the Hall of Fame for receiving the Outstanding Award for three consecutive years.
The Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards, run by the Department of Energy, recognise firms that significantly reduce their energy consumption. Participating companies submit consumption reports that are evaluated by energy officials from the public and private sector. The award is a tribute to Emilio Abello, the former Meralco chairman and chief executive officer.
HR Cement launches Eco-Cem brand in New Zealand 24 January 2017
New Zealand: HR Cement has launched Eco-Cem, a brand of pozzolanic cement. The cement producers says it will source its pozzolan from the Central Plateau on the North Island, according to the Scoop news website. The cement producer operates a cement grinding plant at Mt Maunganui near Tauranga. It also produces a Ordinary Portland Cement branded as HR Cement General Purpose (GP) Cement.
Ahangarancement plant raises production in 2016 24 January 2017
Uzbekistan: Ahangarancement JSC has increased its cement production by 5.2% year-on-year to 1.86Mt in 2016 from 1.78Mt in 2015. Clinker production grew by 4.9% to 1.34Mt from 1.28Mt, according to the Trend News Agency. In total, the Eurocement-owned cement producer’s sales of cement rose by 4.8% to 1.86Mt. Cement and clinker production rose by 4.1% and 3.4% respectively in 2015.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to invest US$245 in cement plant 24 January 2017
Pakistan: Pervez Khattak, the chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has ordered that plans to build a cement plant at Haripur be sped up. He made the pronouncement while attending a meeting to plan infrastructure development in the region including new towns, an oil refinery and hydroelectric projects, according to the Dawn newspaper. Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) officials who attended the meeting said that US$245m would be invested in the cement plant project. Altogether the investments total nearly US$10bn and are part of the on-going China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.
Cherat Cement to build new production line at Nowshera plant 24 January 2017
Pakistan: Cherat Cement has announced plants to build a third production line at its plant at Nowshera in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The new line will have a cement production capacity of 7100t/day, according to the Express Tribune newspaper. The upgrade will increase the company’s production capacity to 4.5Mt/yr.
The cement producer opened at second production line at the site in late 2016. It is also planning to build a waste heat recovery unit.
Filter system to be upgraded at Vencemos’ Pertigalete plant 24 January 2017
Venezuela: The filter system at the Venezolana de Cementos (Vencemos) plant in Pertigalete is to be upgraded. The plant has reportedly had a capacity utilisation rate of 20% due to its filters, according to the Nueva Prensa newspaper. The state-owned company lacks the funding to import new equipment so the work will be conducted locally with a budget of US$25m. The upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of February 2017.
Following inspections at the plant, managers denied that the plant was operating at 20% of its capacity, despite the comments of workers at the plant. However, they did agree that its was operating below full capacity due to faulty equipment at the Planta I unit. Workers protested in mid-January 2017 over high levels of emissions at the plant
The Pertigalete plant reportedly produced 45% of all cement in the country in 2016 and it has a target of 66% in 2017.
Russian certification hits Akmenės Cementas export market 24 January 2017
Lithuania: Mandatory cement certification in Russia has forced Akmenės Cementas and other cement producers based in the European Union (EU) to send their exports elsewhere. The Lithuanian cement producer has compensated for this by moving its sales in other markets, according to the Verslo Zinios newspaper. Akmenes Cementas’s sales fell by 8% year-on-year to Euro51m in 2016 from Euro55.4m in 2015.
Around 60% of its sales revenue came from local sales in Lithuania, 20% from sales in other Baltic countries and Belarus and 20% from Scandinavian countries. Previously, exports to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad accounted for 30% of the company’s revenue. The company expects to generate sales of Euro54m in 2017 based on existing contracts.