- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
As editorial director of Global Cement, I need my email address to be ‘out there’ so that anyone that wants to contact me can easily do so. Lots of interesting cement industry people do contact me, from all over the world, asking questions, sending the latest information, proposing an article or presentation or asking about forthcoming events. That’s fine - I welcome these ‘serious’ emails. However, I’ve recently realised that I was spending too much time dealing with spam. I might receive 10,000 emails each week, and my junk filters were set at a level that I had no false-positives. I might have to wade through 400 emails each day to find the good stuff.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
Our recent Global CemPocess Conference on process optimisation in the cement industry was a bit of an eye-opener. The event started with a presentation by Jose Favilla of the IBM Industry Academy, ostensibly about ‘Industry 4.0 in cement manufacturing.’ This concept has been heralded as the next industrial revolution, although it could also be called ‘the last industrial revolution,’ since after this one, there will be nothing left to improve.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
In the book ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything was given - after a supercomputer called Deep Thought had cogitated upon it for seven and a half million years - as 42. Perhaps the question should have been phrased better. I’ve often thought about what might be the meaning of life, since answering this question will help you to make decisions about the way you live. Now, approaching my 50th birthday in June and any mid-life crisis, I’m thinking about it again. Since a sports car and/or mistress are currently unaffordable to me, I think that I should find meaning somewhere else in life.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I’ve recently read a book called ‘Postcapitalism,’ by Paul Mason, which was subtitled ‘A guide to our future.’ The blurb on the front, written by Irvine Welsh, stated that it was ‘The most important book about our economy and society to be published in my lifetime.’ Having completed the book, I’m disinclined to believe the veracity of Mr Welsh’s statement. However, the book did have some interesting points to make, which might impact on everyone involved in the global cement and building materials industry.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I was recently visiting the Sant Vincenç dels Horts cement plant of Cementos Molins S.A., on the field trip of the Global CemFuels Conference in nearby Barcelona, when I noticed a small dark bird perching on a stump, just between the preheater tower and the main petcoke storage building. The bird bobbed up and down a few times and then flew into the nearest tree. It reminded me of a wagtail, only it was much darker. I didn’t get a great look at it. Then, at the end of the tour, we congregated at the striking concrete-built headquarters building, and I noticed a tiny bird singing for all it was worth in the coniferous tree just outside the entrance. It was hard enough to even spot it, let alone identify it and it soon flew off. However, seeing these two birds in such an industrial location made me think.
