September 2024
Power cuts hits production at Udayapur Cement plant 27 September 2017
Nepal: Regular power cuts have reduced production at the Udayapur Cement plant since mid-September 2017 leading to a loss of US$190,000. The cement producer says that it was doing ‘good business’ so far in the current financial year, according to the Rastriya Samachar Samiti news agency. The company was established in 1987 and it operates a cement plant at Jaljale in Udayapur. It produces cement under the brand name 'Gaida Cement.'
KEC International announces orders for cement plants 27 September 2017
India: KEC International has secured various orders with a value of up to US$10.7m for structural and civil work on cement plants. The package also includes work on a car factory. The orders have been announced as part of a wider group of orders worth US$156m that are mainly in the power transmission, cable and railway industries.
Ciments de Bizerte doubles loss in first half of 2017 26 September 2017
Tunisia: Ciments de Bizerte has nearly doubled its loss to Euro5.7m in the first half of 2017 compared to Euro3m in the same period in 2016. The cement producer’s revenue fell by 8.4% year-on-year and its operating income fell to a loss of Euro2.5m from Euro1.9m, according to the L'Économiste maghrébin magazine. The company operates a single cement plant at Bizerte with a clinker production capacity of 0.9Mt/yr.
Schenck Process launches Multidos VDP-C apron weighfeeder 26 September 2017
Germany: Schenck Process has launched the Multidos VDP-C apron weighfeeder, a new range of medium-sized and compact apron weighfeeders targeted at raw material feeding, hot clinker feeding and similar applications.
The Multidos VDP-C uses an enclosed design to enable a cleaner installation environment with inspection access offered by removable covers. Alternatively, an open design is possible for permanently visible material feed. The kit structure of Multidos VDP-C enables installation in a total of 48 possible geometrical configurations to suit plant requirements. It can be installed on the ground or suspended under a bin.
The chain used on the Multidos VDP-C can tolerate a drive torque four times higher than required. In addition, apron pans accept loads up to six times higher than the nominal load. Apron pans are available for fine grain material and alternative designs for sticky and coarse material. The coarse material apron pans are made of Hardox steel for strength and service life.
Berthold Technologies launches LB 472 bulk flow system 26 September 2017
Germany: Berthold Technologies has launched its new DuoSeries Transmitter LB 472 bulk flow system. It is intended to for use determining mass flow in bulk industries and can be added to conveying systems. The product uses a non-contacting, non-intrusive radiometric belt weigher with no moving parts. This can be installed directly after bunkers, chute outlets or transfer systems. The bulk flow system provides measuring results on the current flowrate and the total produced mass. The DuoSeries Transmitter LB 472 provides a local display of measurement values as well as on-site operation via the integrated touch panel.
Cementos Avellaneda to spend US$230m on upgrade to plants in Argentina 25 September 2017
Argentina: Cementos Avellaneda plans to spend US$230m towards upgrading its La Calera and Olavarría cement plants. The company is a joint venture between Spain's Cementos Molins and Brazil’s Votorantim. US$200m will be used to increase the production capacity of the La Calera plant in San Luis to 1Mt/yr from 0.7Mt/yr by the second half of 2019. US$30m has been targeted to increase the Olavarría plant’s capacity by 0.3Mt/yr. Commissioning is planned for the end of 2017.
Cement importer says Philippines faces shortages to 2020 25 September 2017
Philippines: A gap between local production and demand is expected to lead to a deficit in cement for the next three to four years to 2020. Napoleon Co, president and owner of cement importer Cebu Oversea Hardware, told the Manila Bulletin newspaper that imports from China and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should be able to address the shortfall until new production capacity is built. Co added that the country imported 6Mt of cement in 2016 mainly from China and Vietnam. Similar or higher volumes of imports are expected in 2017.
Cement importers have been lobbying the Department of Trade and Industry to allow pre-shipment inspection and certification of cement. However, local cement producers have opposed the change.
Hydroelectric projects in Nepal becalmed by cement shortage 25 September 2017
Nepal: The Nepal Electricity Authority and the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal say that the new hydroelectric projects are stalling due to a lack of imported cement. The shortage has been caused by new standards set by the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) for imported cement, according to the Himalayan Times. The NBSM made Nepal Standard certification mandatory for imported cement in July 2017. Foreign producers supplying cement to Nepal, principally from India, have to follow quality, packaging and labelling criteria fixed by the NBSM.
Jaypee Cement and Star Cement have received approval from the NBSM to supply cement to the country following the new standard. Three more Indian cement producers have also submitted applications.
Lafarge France to upgrade mill at Havre-Saint-Vigor cement plant 25 September 2017
France: Lafarge France plans to spend Euro14.5m towards upgrading its Havre-Saint-Vigor cement plant. Euro8m will be spent on upgrading the plant’s mill and modernising its dock. The remainder will be spent on changes to the quarry including a new crane and wharf. The quarry at the site will be used to process construction waste from the Greater Paris area.
Cherat Cement orders engines from Wärtsilä 25 September 2017
Pakistan: Cherat Cement has contracted Finland’s Wärtsilä to increase its power output at its Nowshera plant. It has ordered three Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engines capable of operating on both natural gas and heavy fuel oil (HFO). The total electrical output will be approximately 29MW. Wärtsilä will also provide advisors to oversee the installation and commissioning of the engines.
“We need to enlarge our facilities and this we must to do quickly on a tight schedule. Wärtsilä has supported this timetable by agreeing to deliver their generating sets on a very short timetable…” said Azam Faruque, chief executive officer of Cherat Cement. The Nowshera cement plant is also powered by Wärtsilä equipment, consisting of four Wärtsilä 32 engines.
The new generators are scheduled for delivery in March 2018 and the plant is expected to be fully operational by June 2018.