September 2024
Cbb inaugurates cement grinding plant in Arica 05 April 2019
Chile: Cbb, formerly known as Cementos Bío Bío, has inaugurated a new 0.2Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Arica. The unit had an investment of US$20m, according to the Diario Financiero newspaper. It is the company’s fifth plant in the country. As part of Cbb’s expansion strategy to target Peru, the new plant may double its production capacity in the future. The cement producer is also planning to build a US$20m plant at the Port of Matarani near Arequipa in Peru for a scheduled commission date in 2020.
Cementos Argos switching to electric trucks in Medellín 05 April 2019
Colombia: Cementos Argos is switching its trucks in Medellín to electric-powered vehicles. The new trucks will be powered by 600v batteries and be capable of carrying 4t of cement, according to the La Republic newspaper. The cement producer is planning to expand the electric-powered trucks to other cities subsequently.
Germany/China: Baltrader Capital has ordered the construction of two cement carriers from China’s Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding, who will deliver the new vessels from end of 2020. The ships will be intended for the European shortsea trade. Following the completion of the order, the Baltrader fleet will comprise 12 cement carriers with pneumatic self-discharging systems.
Each of the sister vessels, CemCoaster and CemClipper, measures 98m in length, 15.6m in width and carries 4650t at 6m draft. They will be equipped with a MaK main engine, allowing a future conversion into dual fuel operation. The ships will then be optionally run on liquid natural gas (LNG) or on marine gasoil.
The ships have been planned and designed in Germany by SDC Ship Design & Consult in cooperation with the project engineering department of the BRISE-Group. Dutch producer Van Aalst Marine & Offshore will supply the automatic self-discharging system, powered alternatively by the main engine’s shaft generator or the auxiliary generators. It can be used for the transportation of loose cement, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and fly-ash. It will have a loading capacity of 500t/hr and unloading capacity of 250t/hr. Additionally, these iceclass 1B ships are equipped with a ballast water treatment system (BWTS).
Aggregate Industries obtains PAS 2080 verification 05 April 2019
UK: Aggregate Industries, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has obtained PAS 2080 verification, a new Carbon Management in Infrastructure specification. PAS 2080 is the world’s first specification for managing whole-life carbon in infrastructure. Developed by the Construction Leadership Council’s Green Construction Board with the British Standards Institute (BSI), it provides a framework and guidance for measuring and managing carbon across the whole value chain.
“We can help designers at Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage to design lower carbon solutions. Our management systems (ISO 14001 and 50001) ensure consistent and reliable data collection, allowing our Carbon Managers to report embodied CO2 to other members of the value chain. Baseline data made available to the value chain allows carbon targets to be set at design phase and for performance to be monitored against these targets during project delivery. This will result in infrastructure with lower embodied carbon,” said Paul McCaffrey, Sustainable Products Manager at Aggregate Industries.
Indonesia: Exports drove Semen Indonesia’s cement sales volume growth in 2018. Its local sales volumes of cement grew by 1.2% year-on-year in 2018 to 27.4Mt from 27.1Mt in 2017 but exports increased by 68% to 3.16Mt from 1.87Mt. Sales volumes at its Thanh Long Cement subsidiary in Vietnam grew by 7.9% to 2.57Mt from 2.39Mt due to a sharp increase in exports. The group’s revenue rose by 10% to US$2.17bn from US$1.96bn. Its net profit nearly doubled to US$218m from US$117m.
Semen Indonesia completed its acquisition of Holcim Indonesia for US$1.75bn in February 2019. Prior to the purchase it had a cement production capacity of 38.2Mt/yr and Holcim Indonesia had a capacity of 14.8Mt/yr.
Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos’ revenue rose by 15% year-on-year to US$3.26bn in 2018 from US$2.82bn in 2017. Its sales volumes of cement increased slightly to 30.9Mt from 30.6Mt. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 51% to US$677m from US$477m. Despite a 1.2% drop in cement demand in Brazil, the group managed to raise its revenue. The cement producer said that its revenue growth in 2018 was affected by markets in Brazil and the US and positive currency depreciation effects.
Cemex Latvia to be renamed as Schwenk Latvija 04 April 2019
Latvia: Cemex Latvia will be renamed as Schwenk Latvija following its acquisition by Germany’s Schwenk in February 2019. In Sweden Cemex’s operations will be renamed to Schwenk Sverige, in Norway to Schwenk Norge and in Finland to Schwenk Suomi, according to the Latvian News Agency.
The Euro340m deal included one 1.7Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Broceni, Latvia, as well as four aggregates quarries, two cement quarries, six ready-mix concrete plants, one marine terminal and one land distribution terminal in that country. The assets divested also include Cemex’s approximate 38% indirect interest in a 1.8Mt/yr cement plant in Akmene in Lithuania. In addition, the exports business to Estonia is also included as part of the divestment.
Spain: Endesa sold 0.3Mt of fly-ash from its Carboneras power plant in Almeria to cement companies in the UK and North America in 2018. The energy company also sold fly-ash to the nearby LafargeHolcim Carboneras cement plant, according to La Voz de Almería newspaper. The company has also sold 30,00t of slag and 60,000t of gypsum from its limestone plant.
Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has completed a new cement silo at its Kochi plant. The upgrade is part of a long-term plan to focus on exports to Southeast Asia. The cement producer intends to establish an overseas business presence outside of Japan.
Cimencam inaugurates Nomayos cement grinding plant 04 April 2019
Cameroon: Cimencam has inaugurated its 0.5Mt/yr Nomayos cement grinding plant. The company also launched a new logo, according to the Ecofin Agency. The new unit will manufacture the company’s MultiX CEM II 32.5 R Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and its Sublime white cement products.
The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim is planning to regain lost market share in the country since Dangote Cement started operating locally. It is planning to build a new kiln at its Figuil integrated plant in Garoua, which is due for commissioning in 2020.