Displaying items by tag: Bags

Nigeria: In a bid to tackle 're-bagging,' which is one of the biggest threats in the cement industry in Nigeria, Dangote Cement has launched an all-out attack on perpetrators.

In the cement industry 're-bagging' refers to the emptying of the original cement bag and refilling with a different adulterated product or commodity. Another common method is to buy cement from shops, grind it, mix it with sand and then put the adulterated commodity into a bag belonging to a reputable cement manufacturer.

Often cement makers end up bearing the brunt of customer dissatisfaction, as they believe the product is from the original source. In the case of damage associated with the product, consumers often attribute it to the firm whose bag has been used for the product.

"There are different forms of what these people are doing," said Devakumar V G Edwin, Dangote's managing director and CEO. "We have an extensive team that is spearheaded by a former police commissioner exclusively on this." According to Edwin, his team is working hard to halt bag thefts by cement plant workers, which facilitate the re-bagging business.

"We have even heard people say that they sell Dangote Cement for US$5.52 – 6.13/bag," said Edwin. "What happens is that our customers often call us and inform us of the situation. Sometimes, they tell us that we are cheating them because of the price someone tells them elsewhere. Once we get the information, we launch into action."

Italy: FLSmidth Ventomatic SpA a supplier of complete plants and single machines for high-accuracy and high-capacity storage, packaging and dispatching of products for the cement and building material industry, has strengthened its position in the minerals and chemical industries through the consolidation of its partnerships Imeco(R) and Italmeccanica, both with long-standing experience in the packaging of powdery and granulated products.

Thanks to these two strong business partnerships, Ventomatic says that it is now in the position to 'design, manufacture and supply' bagging solutions that are specifically designed for the dosing and weighing of cement, dry mortars and other building materials and industrial minerals into valve bags, open mouth bags and fill, form and seal bags.

Egypt: Suez Cement has ordered a bag filter system from Boldrocchi srl for its Helwan Plant. The turnkey contract includes new bag filters, a heat exchanger and fans for the kiln, raw mill and clinker cooler. This will replace the plant's existing baghouse and glaver bed filters.

Previously Italian engineering firm Boldrocchi had signed a contract with the Helwan Plant in 2012 to provide bag filters and fans for the Helwan Plant. Line one was commissioned in November 2013 and Line two is expected to be completed at the end of May 2014.

Ethiopia: A TEC has released progress information on contracts to provide an alternative fuel system, which can process sesame straw and stalks, and a cement big-bag filling station for Messebo Building Materials Production in Mekelle. Both commissions were awarded in the first quarter of 2013 and local manufacturing and the erection will be performed by Mesfin Industrial Engineering PLC, a sister company of Messebo.

Installation of the alternative fuels system will start in the fourth quarter of 2013 with a planned start-up in the first quarter of 2014. Collection and preparation of straw and the production of bales will take place at Kafta Humera. The first phase of the project includes building a baling capacity of 50t/hr and an alternative fuel feeding capacity to the calciner of 10t/hr at the cement plant in Mekelle. A future upgrade, phase two, will scale the system up to a baling capacity of 71t/hr and an alternative fuel feeding capacity of 20t/hr.

The new station for big-bag filling will be installed at the cement plant in Mekelle. The system will consist of three filling stations in modular design. Each station can handle 15 bags/hr. A total number of 45 big-bags/hr with an overall capacity of 90t/hr can be reached. The big-bag filling station will be installed and commissioned at the end of 2013.

UK: MP for Rushcliffe and UK Government Cabinet member Ken Clarke has visited Lafarge Cement UK's Barnstone cement blending plant in Nottinghamshire to officially open a new state-of-the-art cement packer at the site. As well as significantly increasing the plant's output, the packer will also secure the future of some 60 local jobs and provide a boost to the local economy.

Supplying the local market with a range of 26 ready-to-use cements, Barnstone also exports specialist cements to 27 countries. Over recent years Lafarge has invested Euro8.5m at Barnstone, expanding production facilities, refurbishing offices and improving safety.

Clarke said, "I was very impressed by the professionalism of all (those that) I met at the plant. Lafarge should be congratulated for its most recent investment in the area and I'm proud the company has this site in my constituency."

The Barnstone plant manager Chris Stephens said, "While the (UK) construction industry currently faces real challenges, our new sophisticated packer will support new secured business and provide capacity and flexibility for future business."

UAE: The Kuwait-based paper manufacturer Shuaiba Industrial Company has announced the completion of its 100%-owned cement bag plant in Jebel Ali in the UAE. The facility, which has a total cost of US$13.1m will have an annual production capacity of 80 million cement bags. The company used its own funds to finance the plant.