02 December 2019

Vietnam: The General Statistics Office has reported an estimated 9.6% year-on-year rise in cement production in November 2019 to 8.7Mt from 7.9Mt in November 2018. Vietnam News Brief Service has reported that, if December delivers on the previous month’s volumes, this would yield a production total for 2019 of 96.6Mt, up by 7.1% from 87.9Mt in 2018.

Zimbabwe: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe has announced a planned investment of US$15.0m in a dry mortar production line to diversify its product base. All Africa has reported that construction will begin in January 2020.

The company stated that it will conclude registration of a US$28.5m loan from the reserve bank of Zimbabwe before the end of 2019.

China: KHD has reported NO_x emissions consistently below 50mg/Nm³ at Tianrui’s 2.0Mt/yr Weihui integrated cement plant in Henan province, where its Pyroredox gasifying reactor has been installed between the kiln inlet chamber and preheater calciner. The NO_x reduction after several months of operation was 66%, while reagent usage fell by 78% compared to with the plant’s selective non-catalytic reducer without a Pyroredox fitted. No extra power or fuel was used and production was unaffected. The Pyroredox requires two to four weeks’ downtime for its installation and is now operational at multiple cement plants across China.

Panama: New technical regulations for cement composition and behavioural characteristics will enter force on 3 December 2019. All packaging must display the contents’ net weight, country of origin, cement type and production date. La Estrella has reported that the legislation gives enforcing power to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Directorate General of Industrial Technology Standards (DGNTI), the Consumer Protection and Competition Defence Authority (ACODECO) and customs authorities.

UK: The board of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) has voted to send official correspondence to Sean Quinn, expected to contain a request that he keep his distance from operations. Quinn visited the company’s 0.5Mt/yr Ballyconnell plant on 21 November 2019 and quarries earlier in the month. The Sunday Independent reported that Quinn, who left his position as a consultant to his former enterprise in 2016, may be asked to return his company cars - a Range Rover and Audi A6. Quinn has condemned attacks on staff, including the kidnap and torture of executive director Kevin Lunney on 17 September 2019, for which four men appeared in court charged with assault and false imprisonment on 26 November 2019.