Displaying items by tag: GCW298

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia plans to start commercial operation of its Rembang cement plant in the first half of 2017. Rizkan Chandra, the chief executive, of the state-owned cement producer revealed the company’s plans, despite protests on environmental grounds by local residents, after a meeting with presidential staff in Jakarta, according to the Antara news agency. However the plant is waiting for environmental clearance that is expected to be released in April 2017. Previously a government minister said that the President Joko Widodo was expected to inaugurate the plant in mid-2017. However, in October 2016 the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the protesters and ordered Semen Indonesia to cease its activities.

China: Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials has signed an agreement to sell its 66.7% stake in Yantai Mitsubishi Cement in Shandong to a subsidiary of China National Building Material (CNBM). No value for the sale has been revealed, according to Nikkei. Yantai Mitsubishi has a cement production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr. Mitsubishi Materials will also liquidate two of its Chinese cement admixture producers: one in Shandong and the other in Jiangsu.

The materials producer has blamed the decision on cement production overcapacity in the Chinese market and increasing environmental regulations. Mitsubishi Materials was ordered to halt production three times in 2016. It intends to focus on the US market where infrastructure spending is expected to boost the cement market.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina plans to import about 0.25Mt of clinker with a value of US$16.3m from May 2017 to April 2018. The product will arrive in six separate vessels carrying 41,800t each, according to the El Cronista newspaper. The cement producer says that the imports are intended to cover local demand that it can’t meet with its own production base. The company’s director Carlos Moreno added that the price of imported clinker is ‘competitive.’ The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim has a cement production of 4.8Mt/yr from plants in Campana in Buenos Aires, Malagueño in Córdoba, Puesto Viejo in Jujuy and Las Heras in Mendoza.

China: China Shanshui Cement has obtained an injunction from the High Court in Hong Kong against its former management from posing as current managers, from entering the premises of, removing assets from or soliciting the employees of Shandong Shanshui. The injunction also prevents Mi Jingtian, Zhao Liping, Li Maohuan and Yu Yuchuan from each removing assets up to the value of US$20.5m from Hong Kong. The legal action follows an ‘illegal’ occupation in early April 2017 of the Jinan properties of its Shandong Shanshui subsidiary, during which representatives of Shanshui Cement were accosted by a hostile crowd.

Nigeria: Ashaka Cement’s profit fell by 27% year-on-year to US$6.6m in 2016 from US$9m in 2015. Its revenue fell slightly to US$57m. Its cement deliveries rose by 6.5% to 0.61Mt from 0.57Mt. Lafarge Africa, a part owner of the cement producer, reported that its sales and operating earnings fell in 2016 due to gas shortages, a recession and local currency devaluation.

Germany: Loesche has merged its activities in the combustion systems and drying systems sector into a central location at their main centre under the name Loesche Thermal Applications. Alongside the established hot gas generators, the business incorporates combustion systems for solid, liquid and gaseous fuels as well as complete drying systems for a wide variety of industrial applications, including the cement industry.

By uniting the core competencies in the thermal applications sector, the Loesche group seeks to strengthen its market position. Pooling marketing, project management, purchasing, processing technology and proactive development together with an individual burner test facility at the in-house test centre are also intended to raise efficiency. The business reorganisation will also see the merger of Loesche with A Tec Greco Combustion Systems Europe, a subsidiary that is currently based in Austria.

UK: Fuchs chairman and chief executive officer Stefan Fuchs has officially opened Fuchs Lubricants UK’s new office in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Ralph Rheinboldt and Dagmar Steinert of the Fuchs executive board were also in attendance with UK managing director Richard Halhead. Hanley is the site of the UK manufacturing plant for the Fuchs Group and the Fuchs Global Centre of Excellence for specialist sectors including machining, mining, glass and Silkolene motorcycle oils.

The new offices incorporate a number of energy-efficiency features such as LED lighting, climate control systems and insulation properties. Previous investment has seen solar panels installed within the manufacturing plant capable of 525kWp generating 14% of electricity demand. An open working environment also means that the chief executive officer’s office doubles as an additional meeting space.

Fuchs has also enhanced the Research and Development Technical Centre, which is attached to the new office block. This will create additional capacity for the analytical work carried out in the Service and Quality laboratories. The new test centre will see additional machine tools being installed to enhance the CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) capabilities already in place.