Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The Büyükçekmece cement plant is located at the southern end of the Büyükçekmece lake on the Marmara Sea, 50km to the west of Istanbul, Turkey. The 5900t/day facility dates back to 1967 and is operated by Akçansa, which itself is owned by Germany's HeidelbergCement and the Turkish Sabançi Group. Global Cement Magazine recently visited the plant and spoke to Okay Kilinç, the Büyükçekmece plant manager. The interview covers his background in the cement industry, the history, current production process and alternative fuel regime of the plant and how he sees the Turkish market developing in the future.

Turkey is a large country in the Mediterranean. It is unique in that it is partly in Asia and partly in Europe both geographically and culturally, with borders to countries as diverse as Greece and Iran. The country has a large and rapidly-growing construction industry and has one of the largest cement industries in the world. Turkey produced 67.8Mt of cement in 2011, more than any country in Europe.¹ Its industry ranks fourth globally, behind China, India and the USA.

Located 75km to the east of Istanbul, Nuh Çimento's 4.35Mt/yr cement plant is the largest in Turkey and is also larger than any single-site cement plant in Europe. It has three kilns, a dominant local position and strong exports to a wide range of locations overseas. It has recently turned to alternative fuels, using dried sewage sludge and refuse-derived fuels (RDF), and also has a waste-heat recovery system, installed by Sinoma of China. Global Cement Magazine recently visited the plant and interviewed plant manager Hayrettin Şener.

Global Cement: "Thank you for allowing our visit to Nuh Çimento today. Can you briefly describe your background in the cement industry?"

Hayrettin Şener: "I have been at Nuh Çimento for around three years. Before that I worked for Akçansa, in almost all of its plants. I started in Çanakkale in 1979 and then moved to the Büyükçekmece plant, when it was Ak Çimento, for 18 years."

"I returned to Çanakkale as plant manager in 1999 and then moved to Çimsa, which now has five plants in Turkey. I moved to Sabancı Holding as a project director and then in 2010 I came to Nuh Çimento."

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is a US$13.5bn Indian conglomerate with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing goods, information technology and financial services. It has its corporate office in Mumbai, India and predominantly serves the Indian, Middle Eastern, East Asian and South East Asian markets. L&T is one of the largest and most respected companies in India's private sector with 75 years of customer commitment.

Introduction

L&T was founded in Mumbai, India in 1938 by two Danish engineers, Henning Holck-Larsen and Soren Kristian Toubro. Both were strongly committed to developing India's engineering capabilities to meet the demands of its industries.

More than seven decades of a strong, customer-focused approach and the continuous quest for world-class quality have enabled L&T to attain and sustain leadership in all its major lines of business. L&T has an international presence, with a global spread of offices. The company continues to grow its global footprint, with offices and manufacturing facilities in multiple countries.

L&T's businesses are supported by a wide marketing and distribution network and have established a reputation for strong customer support. L&T believes that progress must be achieved in harmony with the environment. A commitment to community welfare and environmental protection are also integral parts of its corporate vision.

The Republic of India occupies the bulk of the Indian subcontinent, the geographical region that is also home to Bangladesh and Pakistan in central southern Asia. The world's largest democracy¹ and third largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, India is the second most populous country after China, a position also held by its incredible cement industry...

Many diverse populations have been attracted to the fertile territories that constitute modern-day India over the millennia, combining to create a unique modern culture. Peoples arriving from parts of modern Afghanistan, Turkey and Arabia merged with native Hindu cultures and the country flourished as a trade cross-roads from around 400 onwards, with development of classical science, maths, art and wider culture.