Displaying items by tag: UK
Hanson could start work on new Padeswood mill in 2017
16 August 2017UK: Hanson Cement, the UK subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, has project that it could start construction of a Euro22m new cement mill at is Padeswood plant in north Wales within 2017. The new vertical roller mill for cement grinding will improve the plant’s efficiency, reduce energy consumption and increase its cement output. It will also ensure the long-term viability of the site, securing around 100 jobs.
Currently the plant’s four ageing cement mills have significantly less capacity than the kiln, which leads to Hanson distributing clinker for grinding at other sites in the country. Hanson is also committed to investing in new rail loading facilities to allow cement to be dispatched by train. This will reduce truck movements.
No new use for Weardale after 15 years
14 August 2017UK: The owner of the former cement plant at Weardale, which has planning permission for a multi-million pound eco village, is working to finding a new use for the land. Lafarge UK sold the former Blue Circle cement plant in 2015, after plans to create a green energy village on the land ground to a halt due to the recession.
Durham County Council said it was still keen to support the development of the site by any interested party. A spokesperson for the owner said, “The owners are continuing to work with the council, who are very supportive, to find a solution for the works site. The new owners believe any solution has to be demand led. Although the planning consent for the eco village is still live, all parties recognise that with an estimated cost of delivery in excess of Euro110m, it was never likely to be built.”
Last Wednesday 9 August 2017 marked the 15th anniversary of the closure in 2002 and councillors and former employees have expressed frustration that the site remained empty, despite millions of pounds being spent developing the eco-village scheme so far.
Vortex Global appoints Pladot as Israeli sales agent
03 August 2017Israel: Vortex Global has appointed Pladot as its new sales agent in Israel. Pladot builds mechanical and hydraulic systems for a variety of industries including packaging, process plants, food and beverage producers and more.
Hope Cement to rebrand as Breedon Cement
20 July 2017UK: Breedon Group will rename Hope Cement as Breedon Cement in August 2017. It said in its half-year report for 2017 that the acquisition of Sherburn’s import terminals had broadened its cement business and that it wanted to bring it all under one group brand.
“I am pleased to report that in the first half of 2017 the former Breedon Aggregates business posted a strong profit improvement and the former Hope Construction Materials business made a robust contribution, even after taking into account the shutdowns of both our cement kilns for planned annual maintenance and upgrade during the first half, which were completed on time and to budget,” said executive chairman Peter Tom. The construction materials group doubled its revenue in the first half of 2017 to Euro368m.
The company also said that it had completed the integration of the former Hope operations and all three divisions now use a common IT platform. It expects to deliver synergies of Euro11m in 2018, ahead of its original schedule.
Michel Andre appointed country president of Cemex UK
12 July 2017UK: Michel Andre has been appointed as the Country President for Cemex UK. He joins the UK subsidiary of the Mexican-based building materials producer after spending seven years as the Country President for Cemex France. Andre has worked for Cemex’s French business for 12 years with roles in strategic planning and its readymix business. Previous to this he worked for Lafarge in the US and France and was employed by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
He has also served as a board member and then president of the Unicem Association France, the National Union of Quarrying and Building Materials Industries. His three-year term finished in June 2017.
Andre succeeds Jesús Gonzalez in the UK post. Gonzalez has been promoted to the executive team in Monterrey, Mexico as Executive Vice President Sustainability and Operations Development. His role covers health and safety, operations and technology, energy, sourcing, research and development and sustainability.
UK: Aggregate Industries has appointed Pablo Libreros as its Growth and Innovation Director. He will be responsible for developing, recommending and delivering growth and innovation opportunities for the business. This will include facilitating greater cross promotion of products both in the UK business and in the wider group.
Libreros joins the UK subsidiary of LafargeHolcim after working for the parent company in Latin America since 2011. Most recently he was the chief executive officer (CEO) for Holcim Costa Rica. Prior to this he held various senior roles, including Logistics Director and Supply Chain Director within the business’ Brazil division. He has also worked in a number of ecological public sector positions in Paris, most notably as an advisor to the Minister for sustainable development in France.
Stephen Eastick re-joins Vortex Global
28 June 2017UK: Stephen Eastick has re-joined Vortex Global. In his new role he will be responsible for the oversight of sales and rep groups throughout Europe. Previously, Eastick was a member of the Vortex Global internal sales team from 2011 to 2015. In that time, he was tasked with managing Asian markets. Most recently, he was employed as an external salesperson for Eclipse Magnetics.
Metso signs distribution agreement with Process Control Equipment to cover UK, Benelux and Spain
28 June 2017Finland: Metso has signed a distribution agreement for its valve products with Process Control Equipment (PCE) to cover the UK, Benelux and Spain. Under the non-exclusive agreement, PCE will add to its current portfolio of Metso's Neles and Jamesbury product families for all process industries in all countries. PCE has been distributing Metso's Jamesbury valves in the UK since 2012.
"The new agreement brings benefits for Metso's customers in UK, Benelux and Spain to ensure better availability and service support for them. The expansion of distributors in these countries will bring additional value, including more local support, local inventories, and faster deliveries of our products," said Kyle Rayhill, Director of Global Distribution, Flow Control, Metso.
UK: Vortex’s Loading Solutions product line has gained Zone 20 (internal) and Zone 21 (external) ATEX certification in the European Union (EU). The certification allows Vortex to broaden its international reach and enter an established European market for loading spouts, chutes and bellows as ATEX certification is required for equipment sold through the EU. The UK’s SGS Baseefa assisted Vortex in gaining certification over a year-long process.
Vortex Loading Solutions are designed to capture fugitive dust, prevent material waste, ensure plant and environmental safety, and minimise maintenance and service expenses for bulk solids applications.
UK: Ecocem Ireland has officially opened its import terminal at Sheerness. The company’s second terminal in the UK is set to supply the construction market in the southeast and London. The unit cost is Euro2.9m to build and it will be able to supply the market with 250,000t/yr of the company’s slag cement products.
It follows the opening of Ecocem’s terminal at Runcorn in early 2016 and it joins facilities in the Ireland, the Netherlands and France.
“Our second investment into the UK in a state of the art import facility demonstrates to the market the need for the low carbon cement alternative and the growing demand from the UK construction industry. We have already engaged in long term agreements with major concrete manufacturers in the UK and will continue to build momentum in the coming months,” said Micheál McKittrick, the managing director of Ecocem Ireland.