Displaying items by tag: Shutdown

Saudi Arabia: Yamama Cement has temporarily shut down five of its production lines. The lines have a joint clinker production capacity of 5600t/day. The decision was made due to poor market conditions, low demand for cement and high inventory.

US: An on-going mechanical failure is to shut down the Lehigh Cement Redding plant in California for an estimated 14 weeks. The problem with a gearbox has reportedly been occurring since January 2016 and has persisted despite equipment replacements. The cement producer is currently waiting for further replacement parts, according to the Redding Record Searchlight newspaper.

39 workers will also be laid off at the plant. Lehigh previously laid off 40 employees workers at the plant in 2009 due to a fall in construction activity in the market.

India: The Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in Nagpur has barred Murli Industries from selling or mortgaging its assets due to outstanding debts of over US$275m. The nine directors of the company have been asked not to leave the country without prior permission of the tribunal, according to the Times of India. Accusations of financial irregularities have also been levelled at the directors by the tribunal.

Murli Industries runs a cement plant in Chandrapur, Maharashtra that has been described by the Times as ‘practically closed down’. Workers at the unit have not been paid reportedly since the autumn of 2015. Subsequently they have preventing the company from transporting cement or raw materials out of the plant until they are compensated.

India: JK Cement has stopped clinker and cement production at its Muddapur cement plant in Karnataka. It reported finding cracks in a raw material silo.

Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has shut down its clinker kiln for 30 days to start work on a fuel upgrade project. The US$45m project is intended to allow the kiln to use other fuels as well as the fuel oil it currently uses. A further 90-day stoppage period has been scheduled for mid-2016. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

INC’s president Jorge Mendez has reassured the public that the cement supply from his plant will not drop during the maintenance period. INC will continue delivering between 50,000 - 55,000 bags/day. The firm has 86,500t of clinker in stock. In addition the government will also import 200,000t of cement to maintain levels. INC is the country’s sole integrated cement plant.

Nepal: The Hetauda Cement plant has started producing cement again following the lifting of an unofficial fuel blockade by India. The plant was shut after it could not import coal from India in the autumn of 2016. Hetauda resumed production on 11 February 2016, according to the Katmandu Post. Factory officials say the plant lost US$0.9m during the enforced closure.

Saudi Arabia: Hail Cement Company has announced that a scheduled shutdown for its production line for kiln and raw mill maintenance will run from 26 October 2013 to 11 November 2013. The cement mills and packing plant will remain operational throughout this period. The financial impact this shutdown will be reflected in the income statement for the fourth quarter of 2013. The company's commitments to its customers are not expected to be effected.