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Displaying items by tag: Maintenance
East African Portland Cement Company to resume full-scale operations at Athi River cement plant
01 August 2023Kenya: East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) says that it is ready to resume full-scale cement production at its 600,000t/yr Athi River cement plant. The Standard newspaper has reported that the plant is currently operating at 50% capacity, following refurbishment. EAPCC replaced a 16m-long section of kiln shell in the plant's clinker line, at a cost of US$3.5m. Managing director Oliver Kirubai said that the company raised the funds through the sale of land located in Athi River.
Kirubai said "Our employees have cut back a lot, in a situation where we have been struggling even to pay their salaries. We are now back on our feet." He added "A number of companies owed us millions of Shillings. They have been ordered to pay us by the government. If they honour the agreement, the problem we are facing will be a thing of the past.”
EAPCC says that it expects the scale-up of production at the Athi River plant to help lower the cost of cement for its customers.
UK: Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Hanson UK successfully replaced a 130t section of the kiln at its 1Mt/yr Ribblesdale cement plant in Lancashire earlier in 2023. The section was 22m long, 4.6m in diameter and ran at a 4° angle. Contractor Ainscough Crane Hire used its heaviest, 800t lattice boom crane, and brought the project from acceptance to completion in 18 months. Engineering firm Grayton was Hanson's service partner for the upgrade.
India: Sanghi Cement has resumed cement production at Sanghipuram cement plant in Gujarat. The producer had suspended operations at the plant since 13 June 2023 amid the deadly landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy. The producer noted that there has been 'some damage' to the plant, and that repairs are on-going.
Cemcor upgrades Cookstown cement plant's bag filter
13 June 2023UK: Cemcor has installed a new US$7.54m bag filter at its Cookstown cement plant in County Tyrone. The system will detect signs of bag damage and isolate the affected row of bags for either online maintenance or, if the damage is minor, resealing with process dust.
The Irish News has reported that managing director David Millar said “We are forward thinking at Cemcor and understood it was time to put our money on the line and invest in the plant's efficiencies and sustainable outputs, to protect the environment around us and future-proof the plant itself."
Trinidad Cement's sales rise in 2022
18 May 2023Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cements' sales were US$309.6m in 2022, up by 9% year-on-year. Group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 19% to US$77.0m. The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian newspaper has reported that the producer recorded a US$16.1m loss during the fourth quarter of the year. The producer attributed this to a weather-related drop in cement demand across its markets, as well as restructuring costs for its Barbados-based subsidiary Arawak Cement.
Trinidad Cement chair David Inglefield and managing director Francisco Aguilera Mendoza said "We will ensure that our operations remain resilient by continuing effective cost management initiatives to maximise value in this challenging economic environment. Additionally, we expect improved productivity and efficiency of our equipment on completion of major planned maintenance in 2023."
Germany: Korfez Eng. is supplying internals for a new Ø 4.40m mill shell being installed for an unnamed cement plant in Eastern Europe. All mill internals for this project have been designed and supplied by Korfez Eng. and Korfez Foundry in Türkiye. The total delivery weight of the Korfez supplied mill internal parts exceeds 150t.
Cuba: Corporación Cementos Cubanos’ has resumed production once more at its Siguaney integrated cement plant in Sancti Spíritus Province. The plant was closed for the last seven months of 2022 due to technical issues. Escambray News has reported that plant manager Gonzalo Reina Aguilar said that imported refractory bricks proved crucial to the successful repair operation. Reina Aguilar also noted a ‘better energy situation’ in the country, ensuring the plant of its ‘necessary allocations’ in future.
Corporación Cementos Cubanos hopes that the return of the Siguaney plant to regular operations will help to ease a shortage of cement in Sancti Spíritus and neighbouring Ciego de Ávila.
Breedon Group issues 10-month trading update
25 November 2022UK: Breedon Group says that it recorded 10-month sales of Euro1.38bn so far in 2022, up by 14% year-on-year from the same period in 2021. The producer completed scheduled maintenance on Kiln 2 of its Hope cement plant in the UK on time and on budget. Throughout the period, it noted 'supportive' trading conditions, with 'resilience' from the majority of its markets in its Great Britain and Ireland regions. In the year's second half to date, Breedon Group's four-month sales grew by 16% year-on-year. The group said that it is on track for record full-year earnings in 2022.
CEO Rob Wood said “Visibility in the trading landscape has been poor for some years now, for a variety of reasons. Against this constantly changing backdrop, our team’s commitment and resolve have delivered quality products and great service to our customers, regardless of the economic or political landscape. For this, we thank them. Their focus and determination in turn continues to deliver for all our stakeholders.” Wood continued “This time last year, we reminded our investors of the agile and entrepreneurial DNA that sets Breedon apart. Our rapid response to changing market conditions, local focus, vertically-integrated business model and disciplined financial framework will again enable us to deliver record results in 2022."
Cahya Mata Sarawak reassures customers amid cement shortage
31 October 2022Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak has informed its customers that its cement despatches will be 'back to normal' by 6 November 2022. The producer's closure of its 1Mt/yr Kuching cement plant for maintenance, followed by unexpected raw materials supply issues, has caused a shortage of cement in western Sarawak State. Bernama Daily Malaysian News has reported that a 14-day delay to raw materials deliveries to the Kuching plant ensued due to heavy rains.
The producer said “We would like to apologise for the shortage of cement, and will strive to ensure a steady supply of cement to all of our customers.”
Cahya Mata Sarawak has successfully maintained regular supply of cement to other areas of Sarawak, including Bintulu, Miri and Sibu, through despatches of cement from its Bintulu grinding plant.
Pakistan: Pakistani cement companies sold 9.61Mt of cement during the first quarter of the 2022 financial year, down by 25% year-on-year from 12.8Mt in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year. Exports declined by 34% to 1.01Mt of cement, from 1.55Mt. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) said that current economic conditions impacted both domestic and export sales.
Separately, the APCMA has expressed its concern over State Bank of Pakistan limits on the use of letters of credit by companies for the purchase of spare parts and other machinery. The association says that present restrictive conditions will create operational difficulties for the industry.