September 2024
Manyara Cement seeks investors to build plant in Tanzania 14 September 2017
Tanzania: Manyara Cement is seeking investors to help it build a 0.58Mt/yr plant in the Hanang District of the Manyara Region. Project Engineer Felix Laizer said the plant would be built in phases, according to the Daily News newspaper. The unit is still in the preparation stage and it has been registered at the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC). Around US$38m will be spent on the first stage of the project. It is undecided at present whether the site will manufacture its own clinker or import it. The project also plans to build a captive power plant in the long term to power its mill.
Ghorahi Cement orders vertical roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer 14 September 2017
Nepal: Ghorahi Cement has ordered a vertical roller mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer for its Kapilvastu Cement Udhyog grinding plant at Sonparwa, Barkalpure in the Kapilvastu District. Ordinary Portland Cement will be ground on a type MVR 3070 C-4 mill with a capacity of 70t/hr. The mill will be equipped with a SLS 2650 BC classifier. The grinding plant can also be used for the grinding of mixed cements with granulated blast-furnace slag or fly ash.
The core components of the MVR mill and a 1250kW gearbox will be supplied by Gebr. Pfeiffer from Europe. The remaining components of the mill and classifier will be supplied by Gebr. Pfeiffer (India), which will also provide most of the components for plant such as handling equipment for feed and take-away, plant filter, plant fan, hot gas generator, motors, frequency converters, proportioning belt scales and so on. The Indian subsidiary will also be responsible for any plant engineering. The scope of supply of Gebr. Pfeiffer also includes monitoring and coordination of erection as well as commissioning of the grinding plant. No value for the order has been disclosed.
Thermax Group wins contract to build power plant for cement plant in UAE 14 September 2017
UAE: India’s Thermax Group has won a contract worth US$43m to build a captive power plant for a cement company in the UAE. The scope of supply for the unnamed customer includes design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and commissioning of the solid fuel based power plant with two circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) boilers. It will also supply emission control equipment and a water treatment plant for the project, which will be commissioned by mid-2019. The order is Thermax’s first in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Driver shortage may affect Polish cement sales 14 September 2017
Poland: A shortage of truck drivers may negatively affect cement sales. Vacancies for drivers have grown to the extent that even migrant workers from the Ukraine are unable to meet demand, according to the Polish News Bulletin newspaper. The exodus of drivers from the Ukraine has also reportedly impacted upon that country’s cement market. Industry sources say that railway transport is unlikely to help the situation due to a lack of loading facilities. Cement production rose by 7% year-on-year to 9.4Mt in 2017. Cement sales are expected to reach 16.5Mt in 2017 and 17.5Mt in 2018.
After the storm 13 September 2017
Weather always seems like an excuse in cement company financial reports. It seems that it can pop up when a producer has nothing else to blame for its poor performance. Except, of course, when there has actually been some bad weather. With this in mind the weather is likely to have a rather larger presence in the next set of results for companies in the Caribbean and Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The storm tore across the region in a rough north-western bearing, reaching Category Five hurricane status on the Saffir–Simpson scale with sustained winds of over 252km/hr. It caused loss of life and mass destruction to property and infrastructure.
Bottom lines flutter in the wind as construction markets upend in the wake of the weather. Yet cement companies have a more direct relationship with extreme weather events. Cement plants themselves are large industrial sites with staff and equipment that are vulnerable to the elements. This is covered by a company’s resilience strategy but it can include things like reducing non-essential staff levels, shutting down production and securing a site. Cemex USA, for example, set up telephone lines to help employees in need of assistance for both Hurricane Harvey in Texas in late August 2017 and Irma this week. Titan America shut down its Florida operations over the weekend ahead of Irma and then started reopening them on 12 September 2017.
To look at one facet of preparing a cement plant shutting a clinker kiln down with adequate notice, like for a maintenance period, is one thing. Yet doing it in an emergency is an entirely different proposition as the kiln generally needs time to cool down. Global Cement discovered what happens when a kiln is simply stopped when it visited the Cemex South Ferriby plant in the UK. The plant suffered a complete electrical outage following a tidal surge at the site. A 22m-long section of one of the kiln shells had to be replaced because it had been distorted by the sudden cooling.
Secondly, the concrete that cement is used to make plays a key role in what the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and others call resilient construction. Typically concrete structures and buildings survive extreme weather events better than other weaker building materials. Although a wide range of other factors such as building design, foundations and roofing construction are also important. Notably, much of the footage that emerged during the storm in Florida was shot from concrete buildings. As Cary Cohrs, former chairman of the PCA put it: "The greenest building is the one still standing." At the time of this push 2013 Cohrs and the PCA were lobbying to strengthen US building codes and standards. It is likely that the association will renew its efforts in the wake of Irma.
With the winds slackening, the clean up operation starts. Cemex USA’s Houston Terminal said it had reopened for business after Harvey despite being two feet under water a week earlier. As reports start to emerge about the scale of the devastation in the region following Hurricane Irma the insured losses have been estimated at US$20 – 65bn by analysts quoted by the Financial Times. Two things are certain though. One, bad weather is likely to make an appearance in the third quarter financial reports and, two, the rebuilding is going to need lots of cement.
Rossen Papazov appointed as country chief for Lafarge South Africa 13 September 2017
South Africa: Lafarge South Africa has appointed Rossen Papazov as its country chief executive officer (CEO). Papazov will join the company with effect from 1 October 2017, according to Business Report. He has been the country head for Holcim in Azerbaijan for the last four years. Prior to this he originally joined Holcim in 2000 as its Business Development Manager for Bulgaria. He has also held roles in Belgium and Romania.
Magnus Ohlsson appointed chief executive officer of Cementa 13 September 2017
Sweden: Magnus Ohlsson has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cementa. Ohlsson has worked for Cementa and its parent company HeidelbergCement in various roles. Since 2014 he has been the Marketing Manager and Vice President of Cementa. He will continue to manage marketing in his new position. He succeeds Jan Gånge who will become the Finance Director and Deputy General Manager for HeidelbergCement Northern Europe.
Blake Moret to become chairman of Rockwell Automation at start of 2018 13 September 2017
US: The board of directors of Rockwell Automation has elected president and chief executive officer (CEO) Blake D Moret as its chairman with effect from 1 January 2018. Moret, aged 54 years, succeeds Keith D Nosbusch, who has served as chairman since 2005 and remains as a director. The company will continue to have an independent lead director.
Moret began his career in 1985 as a sales trainee, and subsequently served in senior positions across the organisation, including international assignments in Europe and Canada. He was promoted to senior vice president of Control Products & Solutions, one of the company’s two business segments, in 2011, and to president and chief executive officer in July 2016.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He serves on the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Board of Directors and Executive Committee and on the boards of other industry and civic organizations and is a member of the Business Roundtable.
Kent Viitanen appointed President of Bearing Operations at SKF 13 September 2017
Sweden: SKF has appointed Kent Viitanen as its President of Bearing Operation. He was previously Senior Vice President, Group People, Communication and Quality.
Viitanen joined SKF in 1988 and has held a number of business unit and factory management roles in Sweden and internationally. The Group Quality function will also be integrated into Bearing Operations. He succeeds Luc Graux, who will take up a new role within Bearing Operations. Carina Bergfelt, in addition to her role as General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Legal and Sustainability, will take on the responsibility for People and Communication.
Jon R Tabor appointed chairman of Allied Mineral Products 13 September 2017
US: Jon R Tabor has been appointed as the chairman of Allied Mineral Products. He succeeds Jon K Tabor who becomes Chairman Emeritus of the refractory producer. Paul Jamieson, Corporate Vice President of Steel and Domestic Foundry, has been promoted to President.
In the role of chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Jon R Tabor will retain responsibility for international and affiliate operations, Research and Development, Strategy, Finance, and the global scope of all other departments. Jamieson will take over Columbus-based Domestic Sales, Domestic Operations and Human Resources and report to Tabor.
Allied Mineral Products acquired the monolithic refractory and precast shapes producer Pryor Giggey in early 2017. It also plans to open a production plant in Russia.