23 November 2022
UNACEM Chile and UNICON Chile acquire Conovia 23 November 2022
Chile: UNACEM Chile and its ready-mix concrete partner UNICON Chile are set to acquire aggregates company Constructora de Obras y Viales Limitada (Conovia). Peru-based UNACEM Group concluded an agreement to buy Conovia's parent companies Inversiones Befeld Limitada and Inversiones Majas Limitada for US$3.7m on 21 November 2021. Gestión News has reported that Conovia has 180,000t/yr of aggregates production capacity in Valparaíso Region. At present, UNACEM Chile has 600,000t/yr in cement grinding capacity, while UNICON Chile has 1.2Mm3/yr in ready-mix concrete capacity.
UNACEM Group aims to grow its Chilean cement market share to 10 - 15% in 2025, from 8% during 2021. The market is reportedly valued at US$350m/yr.
US: Cemex USA and RTI International have secured US$3.7m in funding from the US Department of Energy for their Balcones cement plant amine technology carbon capture study. The plant in New Braunfels, Texas, will trial RTI International's non-aqueous solvent (NAS) system, licensed by energy and technology company SLB. Resources News has reported that the system will have a CO2 capture capacity of 670,000t/yr. RTI International's principal project investigator Vijay Gupta said that NAS capture has a 30 - 40% lower energy penalty than preceding solvent-based technologies.
Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro said "We remain committed to exploring technologies that can help us meet our targets as we build a more sustainable future. We are striving to cut emissions across all our operations, and this study with RTI International is one of the many steps Cemex is taking to achieve our objectives."
Adocim commissions 45,000t Samsun cement terminal 23 November 2022
Türkiye: Adocim says that it has successfully commissioned a new four-silo cement terminal at the Port of Samsun, Samsun Province. The producer says that the terminal has a storage capacity of 45,000t. The facility will serve the producer's Portland limestone cement (PLC) export operations to countries including the US.
Parent company Titan Cement Group said "This new investment will enable us to further increase our sales of lower carbon cement, contributing to our group’s Net Zero goal towards a greener and more sustainable future."
OYAK Cement orders cooler from IKN 23 November 2022
Türkiye: OYAK Cement has ordered a 5000t/day Pendulum Cooler from Germany-based IKN for its integrated plant at Ünye. The contract was signed at the 16th TurkÇimento Technical Seminar that was held in Antalya in late October 2022. No price for the order has been disclosed.
Shangsi Cement commissions 5Mt/yr aggregates site in Guangxi 23 November 2022
China: China Resources Cement subsidiary Shangsi Cement has successfully commissioned its new 5Mt/yr Shangsi aggregates site in Guangxi Province. The cement company developed the site in collaboration with CNBM Design and Research Institute, beginning in February 2022.
CNBM Design and Research Institute general manager Xie Xiaoning that both parties could take this project as an opportunity to further cooperate in-depth in fields such as new building materials, waste co-processing and automation, so as to help China Resources Cement to achieve diversified development and extension along value chains.
China Resources Cement expects to exceed 30Mt/yr in 2022. Earlier in the year, it won an auction for 1.5BnT of limestone reserves in Guangxi Province.
93% of Cemex's cement customers now use Cemex Go sales platform 23 November 2022
Mexico: Cemex has recorded a total of 50,000 users of its Cemex Go online sales platform since its launch in 2017. Exchanges via the platform account for 93% of the group's global cement customers and 85% of concrete customers. Cemex Go's net promoter score (NPS) customer satisfaction rating rose by 50% between November 2018 and November 2022.
Chief executive officer González Olivieri said "Cemex Go is an important enabler in our transition to a lower carbon industry by improving supply chain logistics, moving to a paperless industry and increasing efficiency throughout the construction sector."
India: Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer and its subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer (India) say they have received a follow-up order from Ultratech Cement for additional mills for new clinker production lines at its Kotputli plant in Madhya Pradesh and its Maihar plant in Rajasthan.
At the Kotputli plant it is planning to supply a MVR 5000 R-4 type mill to grind raw material. This mill can grind approximately 740t/hr to a product fineness of 1.0 % R 212µm with a 4800kW drive. At the Maihar plant a MVR 6000 R-6 type mill will also be supplied to grind raw material. In addition, several MPS 3550 BK type mills will be provided to grind fuel. These mills can grind approximately 45t/hr of pet coke, 90t/hr of coal, or any blend of the two materials. These are equipped with a 1300kW gearbox.
The plant design and the entire customer support will be handled by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India). The core components, such as gearboxes, grinding bowls, the grinding roller suspension system and the grinding rollers, will be supplied from Europe by Gebr. Pfeiffer. The remaining components, such as the foundation parts, the housings, the classifiers and most of the plant components will be provided by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India).
Zementwerk Lübeck operating reduced hours due to energy prices 23 November 2022
Germany: Zementwerk Lübeck is reportedly only operating its grinding plant at night and at the weekend due to high electricity prices. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reports that the cement producer has also been forced to suspend production at times. However, government support is expected to help the plant to continue operation into 2023. NDR also reports that 80% of industrial plants in Schleswig-Holstein are threatened by energy costs. Zementwerk Lübeck operates a 0.3Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Lübeck.
RHI Magnesita to acquire Indian refractory business of Dalmia Bharat Refractories Limited 23 November 2022
India: RHI Magnesita has agreed to buy the India-based refractory business of Dalmia Bharat Refractories (DBR). The acquisition will take place via a share swap agreement in exchange for 27m shares in RHI Magnesita India. The Austria-based refractory manufacturer hopes to grow its presence in the Indian market and benefit from market synergies. DBR employs approximately 1200 people in India. It has a production capacity of over 300,000t/yr of refractory and operates five refractory plants and raw material sites. The acquisition will add production capacities in industrial regions in the south and west of India where RHI Magnesita currently has no assets. No completion date for the transaction has been disclosed.
Stefan Borgas, the chief executive officer of RHI Magnesita, said, “We see material financial and operational benefits from the addition of the Dalmia Bharat Refractories business to our existing network, which will enable us to increasingly serve our customers with a ‘local for local’ approach in India and offer a broader range of products, in particular in the Industrial segment, in which RHI Magnesita is currently under-represented. This transaction demonstrates our ability to continue to grow our business in India where the outlook for the refractory industry is strong, at a time when demand in other geographies is weakening.”