September 2024
Sandvik Rock and Mining division revenue falls slightly in 2016 01 February 2017
Sweden: Sandvik’s Rock and Mining division’s revenue has fallen by 3% year-on-year to Euro3.30bn in 2016 from Euro3.52bn in 2015. Its order intake also fell slightly to Euro3.38bn although it says it rose slightly if currency variations throughout the year are taken into account. Notably, its order intake rose sharply by 19% year-on-year to Euro970m in the fourth quarter of 2016. Its operating profit for 2016 rose by 33% to Euro430m. Overall the engineering company has reported slight declines in revenue and order intake across all of its businesses although this has picked up in the fourth quarter of 2016.
UK: Thermoteknix has announced the launch of its ThermaScope HD kiln and cooler camera Multi-View system at the Global CemFuels Conference 2017 taking place in Barcelona. The new measurement, recording and analysis system for Thermoteknix HD kiln and cooler cameras provides real time screen displays with picture-in-picture layouts to coordinate and continuously record video data and events. A user Interface (UI) has been introduced to maximise the image presentation and to carry out temperature recording, I/O, alarms and analysis in the background. Full OPC compliance gives integration to plant automation and control without the need for custom programming.
An updating time line provides access to past history allowing the user to scroll the kiln and/or cooler video backwards or forwards in time to review, recall or compare fuel changes and events in the pyro process. ThermaScope Multiview software allows the operator to navigate graphically through past events, viewing the kiln process as on-going and illustrated in the timeline.
Multi-View provides the engineer with the ability to trend prospectively or retrospectively any point or area in the image by placing tools on the live (or historic) image to show the effects caused by changes in operational parameters, fuel, combustion, kiln speed, or other factors affecting production and clinker quality.
Australia: Adelaide Brighton has raised concerns about a South Australia state plan to build housing and tourism facilities near to its Birkenhead cement plant in Adelaide. At a public meeting held by the Development Assessment Commission, a local planning body, the cement producer expressed its concerns that building more housing would create more complaints about the plant’s activities, according to the Portside Messenger newspaper. It added that the government should consider building buffers to reduce noise and dust pollution from the site. The local government wants to build a tourism development near Cruickshank’s Beach and the cement plant.
Loesche receives mill order for Haria cement plant in Bangladesh 01 February 2017
Bangladesh: Loesche has received an order to supply a 56.3+3 CS type vertical roller mill for the Aman Group’s Haria 2 cement plant at Narayangonj near Dhaka. The contractor for this order is the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation (CHMC). It follows a previous order by the Aman Group for a Loesche LM 56.3+3 CS mill that was supplied in 2014 for the Haria 1 line. The new mill was supplied in late 2016.
The roller mill for the Haria 2 line has a production capacity of 240t/hour for Portland and composite cement clinker with a fineness of 3200 Blaine or 175t/hour of ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) with a fineness of 4500 Blaine. It has a drive power of 5300kW. In addition to the mill, the scope of supply also specifies additional technical equipment for the grinding plant including a rotary feed, a two-way chute, a metal detector and a permanent magnet drum separator.
Japan: Ube Industries net sales have fallen by 5.8% year-on-year to US$1.49bn for the first nine months of 2016 from US$1.59bn in the same period in 2015. Its operating income fell by 21% to US$109m from US$139m. The cement producer blamed the declines on weak demand for cement, low prices and rising prices of coal in the third quarter despite a strong export market.
Tabuk Cement appoints new chairman 01 February 2017
Saudi Arabia: Tabuk Cement has appointed Saeed Bin Saeed Obaid as its new chairman. He succeeds Khalid Bin Saleh Al-Shathry.
Syed Jamal Shahid retires as a director of Fauji Cement 01 February 2017
Pakistan: Syed Jamal Shahid has retired as a director of Fauji Cement with effect from 19 January 2017. Tahir Ashraf Khan has been appointed as a director of the company with effect from 20 January 2017.
Heribert Breuer retires as managing director of Allmineral 01 February 2017
Germany: Heribert Breuer has retired as the managing director of Allmineral. Breuer was one of the founders of the company in 1988 and he worked for it since then helping to integrate the company into Hazemag. He will be succeeded by Marco Steinberg.
Steinberg previously worked as the Vice President Global Sales & Marketing for MBE Coal & Minerals Technology, which was previously known as KHD Humboldt Wedag Coal & Minerals. His focus in the new position will be to expand the product portfolio of the subsidiary and build on technological advances.
Allmineral manufactures customised processing plants for the raw materials industry. More than 750 installations designed in Duisburg for dry and wet processing of primary and secondary raw materials are currently operating reliably and efficiently around the world.
Austria: Peter Oswald has been appointed as the next chief executive officer (CEO) of Mondi Group. The current CEO, David Hathorn, will retire from the role on 11 May 2017 following the group’s annual general meeting whereupon Oswald will succeed him. Subsequently Hathorn will continue to work for Mondi in an executive capacity until his retirement in February 2018.
Oswald graduated in law from the University of Vienna and in business administration from WU-Vienna Business School. He began his career with Deutsche Bank and automotive company KTM. He joined the Frantschach Group in 1992 as the head of internal audit, later becoming corporate controller. After serving as chief executive of its bag and flexibles business from 1995 to 2001, he was appointed chief executive of Mondi Packaging Europe in 2002, leading its subsequent integration with Frantschach into the new Mondi packaging division. Oswald was appointed chief executive officer of the Europe & International Division in January 2008. He is also currently serving as chairman of the Confederation of European Paper Industries.
Legal officer arrested for causing loss at Malabar Cements 31 January 2017
India: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, a corruption body in the state of Kerala, has arrested Prakash Joseph, a legal officer at Malabar Cements, in relation to a loss of US$0.4m. The state-owned cement producer signed a contract with a company owned by businessman VM Radhakrishnan to sell cement, according to the Hindu newspaper. Staff at Radhakrishnan’s company withdrew a deposit for the deal without the knowledge of Malabar Cements. Prakash Joseph allegedly misinformed his employers about the location of the court handling a legal challenge to the withdrawal. Radhakrishnan has previously been investigated by police in connection to corruption charges at Malabar Cements.