04 March 2019

China: Anhui Conch’s Jining Conch subsidiary has signed a contract worth US$23m with Conch Design Institute for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units. Conch Design Institute will supply SCR denitration technology to Jining Conch including engineering design, equipment supply, construction and installation, engineering supervision and project management. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June 2019.

US: Mitsubishi Cement’s Lucerne Valley plant in California has received a US$0.32m grant for emission-reducing equipment from the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District. The grant has been used to buy a new 2018 Viking Trackmobli diesel mobile railcar mover at the site to replace two older pieces of equipment. The railcar mover was purchased with grant funds through AB 2766, which authorises air districts to impose a US$4 vehicle registration fee to meet the requirements of the California Clean Air Act.

Saudi Arabia: City Cement’s net profit after Zakat and tax grew by 19% year-on-year to US$29.6m in 2018 from US$24.9m in 2017. It attributed the result to operational efficiency and a settlement it reached in late 2018 with China’s Sinoma International about the construction of a second production line. The cement producer’s sales fell by 36% to US$92m from US$143m due to low demand for cement and local competition.

Saudi Arabia: Arabian Cement’s net sales fell by 34% year-on-year to US$160m in 2018 from US$241m in 2017. Its profit decreased by 89% to US$10.1m from US$93.2m. It blamed the fall in sales and profit on poor demand, increased competition, decreasing sales volumes and lowering prices.

Algeria: Aïn El-Kebira Cement Company has won the Algerian Quality Award for 2018. The government-issued award includes a prize of around Euro15,000, a trophy and a diploma of honour. The 1Mt/yr integrated cement plant is part of GICA Group, according to the El Moudjahid newspaper. The unit plans to start producing oil well cement in 2019. GICA Group exported 0.2Mt/yr of cement in 2018 and it plans to increase this to 0.8Mt/yr in 2019.

Germany: Bischof + Klein will present a new product from its PowFlex product range at the Powtech trade fair in April 2019. The film and packaging developer will showcase its B+K PowFlex vs powder packaging product for the first time. This converted alternative to paper valve sacks supplements the B+K PowFlex product range for powder packaging. It is intended for the construction industry but other applications in the chemicals and foodstuff industries are also possible.