13 March 2019

Kenya: Cement production fell by 8.5% year-on-year to 5.64Mt in 2018 from 6.16Mt in 2017. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics also shows that consumption decreased by 5% to 5.49Mt from 5.79Mt. This follows drops in production and consumption since 2016. Local cement producers, including East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) and ARM Cement, have reported on-going financial difficulties since 2018.

UK: Wincanton has won a five-year deal with Aggregate Industries for the distribution of concrete products from a majority of its UK manufacturing sites. Under the new agreement, logistics firm Wincanton will operate a dedicated fleet of specialised vehicles, backed up by its national network, from 10 factories to customers across the country. This deal is in addition to two existing contracts, which cover distribution of bulk and packed cement from Aggregate Industries’ Cauldon works and the provision of Readymix assets.

"We have witnessed Wincanton’s ability to deliver on major national contracts at our Cauldon bulk operation. We have also seen how its commitment to continuous improvement can generate material benefits across the business. We are looking forward to the Wincanton team joining our concrete products operation," said Shaun Elliott, Head of Logistics, Concrete Products at Aggregate Industries.

Denmark: FLSmidth says it sold 31 new vertical roller mills (VRM) in 2018 for all grinding applications. The combined cement grinding capacity of its OK Mills VRM product line grew by over 38% year-on-year to 3145t/hr in 2018 from 2270t/hr in 2017. The average grinding capacity per sale of OK Mills for the cement industry grew by almost 10% to 225t/hr from 206t/hr.

The Danish equipment manufacturer installed its first OK Mill in 1982. To the end of 2018 it has sold 184 mills. It has supplied VRMs to 67 countries around the world since the OK Mill launched. Since the start of 2017 OK Mills have been sold in Indonesia, the Philippines, Algeria, Turkey, the UK, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Peru, Cuba, India, Nepal, Algeria and Egypt. Shah Cement in Bangladesh inaugurated in 2018 an 81-6 OK Mill, the world’s largest vertical roller mill for cement grinding. It featuring six rollers and an 8.1m diameter grinding table.

Germany: The executive board of Humboldt Wedag (HWG), a subsidiary of KHD Humboldt Wedag International (KHD), is preparing to cut approximately 80 jobs. It has made this decision in response to a ‘difficult’ business environment in cement plant construction industry in the near future. It said that in light of this, ‘personnel capacities cannot be sufficiently utilised.’ The measures required to implement the reorganisation will be discussed with the works council soon.