September 2024
Mexichem to acquire another Peruvian company in 2016 09 December 2015
Peru: Mexico's Mexichem has announced plans to acquire a Peruvian company in 2016 in order to participate in a new sector, diversifying its operations to achieve further growth. This will be Mexichem's fourth acquisition in Peru, as it has already purchased Plastisur, Interquimica and Comindustrias del Peru.
Mexichem's national operations are mainly focused on the infrastructure and construction sectors, in which it offers comprehensive solutions via its Plastisur and Pavco brands. Mexichem will also compete within the telecommunications and gas markets in 2016 and it plans to enter the cement industry with the company's existing product portfolio.
The aim in the cement sector is to import and sell fluorite. There is potential in the market as Peruvian companies use a different substance and fluorite can help to improve the mineralisation of cement, as well as reduce fusion temperatures. Mexichem is in talks with several local cement companies and progress is being made with respective tests for the use of this product.
Cold causes a halt to gas supplies for Iranian cement plants 09 December 2015
Iran: The National Iranian Gas Company has stopped supplying gas to a number of cement plants due to a wave of cold sweeping the country.
As gas consumption has peaked in the recent cold days, some cement plants, including those in the west of the country, have stopped receiving gas, according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, Secretary of Iran's Cement Association. He complained that with the shortage of gas, the plants cannot use the heavy fuel oil mazut either because a government law to provide the factories with mazut at the same price as gas has not been implemented. Despite the fact that the cement plants store enough mazut to run for 7 - 10 days, they are not using their reserves because they are not sure if they will receive mazut as the law has stipulated. Sheikhan said that, when the plants stopped working for 20 days under similar circumstances in 2014, the Oil Ministry refused to pay them from the income it had made by economising on gas.
HeidelbergCement’s Burglengenfeld cement plant to be upgraded 09 December 2015
Germany: HeidelbergCement has decided to modernise its Burglengenfeld cement plant in Germany with parts and services from IKN and Gebr. Pfeiffer.
IKN won the contract for the engineering, supply and installation of a complete 4000t/day pyro line, from raw meal feeding to clinker discharge. Included in the scope of supply are integration engineering, supply and installation of add-on components for the raw meal grinding plant. The upgraded plant will feature state-of-the-art technology to comply with the targeted production level and future emission limits.
The new line will consist of a two-string, five-stage preheater tower with inline calciner. IKN's preheater and calciner design will ensure minimum pressure drop at maximum performance and high efficiency. The kiln line will be optimised to use of a variety of alternative fuels. Among several innovative features will be a tertiary air duct damper, which has proven successful in operation for more than three years with outstanding reliability and performance. Another essential component of the plant is IKN's Pendulum Cooler, which is highly reliable and has low maintenance and operational costs. Its design allows recirculating bypass gas into the recuperation zone to boost cooler efficiency.
As part of the modernisation of the kiln line, the four existing MPS vertical roller mills will be replaced after forty years of successful operation. HeidelbergCement has ordered two new Gebr. Pfeiffer MPS 4250 B roller mills as replacements. Each mill is designed to achieve a capacity of 200t/hr of cement raw material ground to a fineness of 12% R90µm. The drive power per mill is 2250kW. Gebr. Pfeiffer will also supply the complete equipment for the external material circulation system as well as the cyclone collectors and mill fans. The supply of the mechanical equipment will be completed by engineering services covering the plant layout and the integration of the process-related ductwork within the existing, complex plant. Raw mill 1 is scheduled to go on stream at the end of 2016 and raw mill 2 is scheduled to start operations in 2017.
HeidelbergCement Romania completes merger of units 08 December 2015
Romania: Germany's HeidelbergCement has completed the merger of the three companies it owns in Romania. The three companies that are now merged under HeidelbergCement are Carpatcement, Carpat Beton and Carpat Agregate.
"The merger process takes into account our strategic position in relation to the economic environment, which is to overcome future challenges in order to use our resources to their full potential and to have a more efficient management of costs," said General Manager Florian Aldea.
HeidelbergCement is one of the leading manufacturers of cement, concrete and aggregates in Romania with three cement plants in Tasca, Chiscadaga and in Fieni. It also owns 19 concrete plants, seven quarries and six gravel aggregates units.
Chile Cemento Polpaico to build 23.5MW photovoltaic park 08 December 2015
Chile: Chile's environmental authorities have approved a plan of Cemento Polpaico for the construction of a 23.5MW photovoltaic (PV) park as part of the country's power grid.
The approval envisages the installation of 243,120 modules near Cemento Polpaico's Cerro Blanco plant in Tiltil, Chacabuco. The solar facility will require an initial investment of US$42m and its energy will be injected into the grid through the existing interconnection with the Punta Peuco substation. The annual output is estimated at 44GWh. The company will need around 112 workers during the construction phase, which could start at the end of April 2016, and up to 10 workers during operation.
Ohorongo dismisses Whale Rock Cement 08 December 2015
Namibia: Ohorongo Cement Company has dismissed the construction of a US$343m plant by competitor Whale Rock Cement as a 'non-entity.'
Ohorongo Cement is, however, worried about the power generation challenges and drought. Marketing and Communications Manager at Ohorongo Cement, Carina Sowden, told local newspaper The Villager that new market players are the least of their fears. "Ohorongo Cement can already provide more than double the cement demand of the Namibian market. The question is raised as to why new investments are not rather focussed on the generation of electricity and energy, and the severe drought the country is currently facing," said Sowden.
"Competition is always a good thing, as long as the playing fields are level. The company has always had competition from both within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) region as well as Angola and Zambia, where there is ample capacity," said Sowden.
In July 2015 Ohorongo Cement announced that it had invested another US$10.3m into a new composite cement plant, including new silo capacity and a packaging line. "Ohorongo Cement can now produce double the entire demand of Namibia and still absorb additional export volumes. All different types of packaging caters for both the local and export market, which includes 50kg bags, different sizes of big bags and bulk cement. Ohorongo Cement is able to produce various other types of consistent high-quality cement to differentiate itself from other cement manufacturers and more importantly, cater for the needs of its customers as well as for bigger projects. Some examples include the construction of the new container terminal in Walvis Bay, as well as the airport runway and wharf at St Helena Island," said Sowden. The new composite cement plant is expected to be completed by early 2016.
Sowden emphasised that as the Namibian economy is expected to see further growth, Ohorongo Cement has ensured in advance that it has the necessary production capacity to sustainably supply cement volumes for Namibia for the future. "This includes additional bigger projects that might materialise in future. The high-quality limestone deposits close to the Ohorongo Cement plant has been rated as the best available in Namibia and will last for more than 300 years," said Sowden.
Whale Rock Cement entered the Namibian market with its Cheetah Cement brand, which led to tough competition with existing cement suppliers, leading to a price war that drove it out of the market. Its new plant will be 245km from Windhoek and will be the second cement plant in Namibia after Ohorongo Cement, which produces 500,000t/yr.
China's CITIC wins contract for US$262m cement plant in Cambodia 07 December 2015
Cambodia/China: China's CITIC Heavy Industries Company has secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from a Cambodian conglomerate to build a US$262m, 5000t/day cement plant in Cambodia.
Under the contract, CITIC will carry out the detailed engineering design of the project, procure all the equipment and materials necessary and then construct a cement plant for Chip Mong Insee Cement Corporation, a subsidiary of Chip Mong Group. It will be "Cambodia's largest single cement line with the most modern and state-of-the-art equipment and technologies from Germany and China," said Aidan Lynam, CEO of Chip Mong Insee Cement Corporation. "It will be a world-class cement plant that produces top quality products for our company, with emission controls which protect the neighbouring environment with the lowest carbon footprint." The plant is a joint venture with Siam City Cement Public Company Limited of Thailand.
Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem said that the contract between the two companies had clearly showed the confidence of investors in Cambodia's political stability and business opportunities. "Cement demand in Cambodia is very high due to the rapid progress of construction industry," he said. "Thus, I believe that this cement plant will be able to meet the demand of cement in Cambodia." It is estimated that domestic cement demand is about 4Mt/yr.
Shanshui’s subsidiary said that Tianrui takeover was illegal 07 December 2015
China: Shanshui Cement's major operating unit, Shandong Shanshui Cement Group, has said in a statement that the Shanshui Cement Board's removal of Management and Directors from Shandong Shanshui by Tianrui Group was illegal as it required government approval. Tianrui, the largest shareholder of Shanshui Cement, took control of the board at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on 1 December 2015, resulting in the removal of Shandong Shanshui management.
South Korea: A new solid recovered fuel (SRF) production facility is now fully operational in Wonju City, South Korea, thanks to global shredding company UNTHA and local partner PERITUS.
Korean waste management specialist Zion has built the SRF manufacturing plant to make smarter use of its residual materials. Now, with the new system in place, pre-sorted construction and demolition waste and commercial and industrial waste, is being shredded to produce a homogenous 50mm fuel for the cement industry.
The UNTHA XR3000C shredder with cutting concept was chosen following a series of trials at UNTHA's Austrian headquarters. Demonstrations showed that the technology could comfortably achieve throughputs of 60-70t/day, with scope to almost double that moving forward. The XR3000C's flexibility also means Zion can achieve a 40-50mm particle size from the single step shredding of plastic bales, which has further boosted the company's SRF production capabilities.
"South Korea may only be in the infancy of its waste-to-energy journey, yet the nation has formed a very sophisticated and disciplined approach to its waste roadmap relatively quickly. Legislation is in place to drive the production of <50mm SRF and the necessary infrastructure is fast evolving to accommodate this," said UNTHA's Head of Business Unit Waste Peter Streinik. "What we see here with Zion, however, is not just a company striving for compliance. They're prioritising energy efficiency, profitability and innovation too, to realise the wider benefits that come with smarter waste management."
Committed to principles akin to Europe's waste hierarchy, Zion extracts as many materials as possible, including bricks, metal, sands, glass and batteries, for re-use or recycling, prior to them entering the SRF manufacturing stream.
"Our family-run business is incredibly passionate about renewable energy, from solar power to alternative fuel production," said Zion's President Geumju Kim. "Now that our new SRF plant is up and running, with state-of-the-art configurable technology in place, the next step is to investigate relationships with different customers. We can satisfy varied specifications, and look forward to improving South Korea's resource agenda."
LafargeHolcim appoints Caroline Hempstead as Head of Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development 07 December 2015
Switzerland: Caroline Hempstead has been appointed as Head of Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development of LafargeHolcim, with effect from 1 December 2015, reporting to CEO Eric Olsen.
Since 2007, Caroline Hempstead has been responsible for the global Corporate Affairs team at pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, where she also chaired the Sustainability Council. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Caroline Hempstead spent 10 years in the oil industry at Royal Dutch Shell managing the reputation of Shell's global downstream businesses in over 100 countries. Caroline Hempstead has also held corporate affairs roles at Inchcape, the London Stock Exchange and Harrods. Caroline Hempstead is a British national and has a degree in French Studies from Manchester University.