Displaying items by tag: Upgrade
Anchorage Port Commission seeks petrol tariff increase to support cement terminal repairs
24 October 2019US: The restoration of Anchorage Petroleum Cement Terminal in Alaska to fully functioning docking capabilities for oil well cement offloading operations after its ruin in an earthquake of 30 November 2018 will cost US$81m. At a special meeting on 23 October 2019, the port Commission voted to petition the Anchorage Assembly for a progressive tariff increase on all petroleum imports over 10 years to US$399/t from US$116/t.
The works are scheduled for completion by January 2021, with the possibility of a reduction in the rate of tariff increase subject to grants received from the state.
Loma Negra to hire 120 for new line at L’Amali plant
17 October 2019Argentina: Loma’s new line at its L’Amali plant in Olavarría Province, involving a kiln, two vertical mills and a bagging and palletising unit, will create 120 jobs, 80 of which will go to plant staff. The company had previously estimated that 220 people would work on the line. In a statement, it emphasised the importance of maximising gender parity in its recruitment process.
Loma Negra estimated that the upgrade will enlarge the plant’s capacity by 40% to 2.4Mt/yr from 1.7Mt/yr. The declaration follows the announced relocation of 45 staff members with the closure of the 1.5Mt/yr integrated Olavarría cement plant, also in Olavarría province.
GyroMetric Systems to supply drive monitoring system to Tarmac Tunstead cement plant in the UK
14 October 2019UK: GyroMetric Systems has signed an agreement to install digital monitoring equipment on a 11kV raw mill drive at Tarmac’s Tunstead cement plant in Derbyshire. Measured digital parameters will include dynamic torque across the coupling, radial displacement of the shaft (and therefore misalignment), and torsional vibrations of the drive system. The data will also provide information on the condition of the gearbox. GyroMetric Systems is controlled by Remote Monitored Systems. No value for the order has been disclosed.
Lehigh Hanson starts construction work on Mitchell plant upgrade
10 October 2019US: Lehigh Hanson has started construction work on a US$600m upgrade to its Mitchell cement plant. The groundbreaking ceremony follows approval of an air permit by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in July 2019, according to WBIW radio. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement is building a new production line to replace the existing three lines at the site. Start-up for the line is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022.
Sibirsky Cement details upgrades at Topkinsky Cement plant
10 October 2019Russia: Sibirsky Cement has issued details of upgrade work at its Topkinsky Cement plant. Cement grinding mill No. 9 was upgraded with replacement housing and updated mill equipment. Minor overhauls have also been made on mills 1 and 2 including work on the gearbox. Restorative work has also been conducted on the rotary kilns 1, 4 and 5 and on all packaging lines.
Pakistan: Gharibwal Cement has blamed reduced exports due to tensions on the Pakistan-Indian border and rising input costs for a reduction in its sales. Its net sales fell by 3% year-on-year to US$72.3m in the year to 30 June 2019 from US$74.5m in the same period in 2018. Its cement dispatches fell by 11.4% to 1.68Mt from 1.89Mt. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 6.5% to US$18.7m from US$20m.
The cement producer said that work on a new 0.15Mt clinker silo is in progress and this is expected to be completed by June 2020. It is also building a rainwater reservoir to capture precipitation for use in the production process. The company operates a 2.1Mt/yr integrated plant at Ismailwal in Punjab Province.
Cemex Philippines orders cement mill from Gebr. Pfeiffer
07 October 2019Philippines: Cemex Philippines has ordered a MVR type mill for cement raw material grinding from Germany’s Gebr. Pfeiffer for a plant in Antipolo. The order also includes a MPS mill to grind coal. Gebr. Pfeiffer said that the order was received through a Chinese general contractor. No value for the order or timescale was disclosed.
Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has signed a six-month technical contract with China’s Riga Company to convert its second production line to produce white cement. The contract was signed to coincide with the arrival of the project team that will handle the conversion. No value for the upgrade has been disclosed.
Kant Cement upgrades packing plant
01 October 2019Kyrgyzstan: Kant Cement has upgraded its packing equipment at its integrated plant. Russia’s Vselug supplied a Turbo K8 filling machine and Germany’s Berg provided compressors, according to Cement and its Applications magazine. The company plans to sell at 60% of its products in 25kg and 50kg following the upgrade.
The plant has also been installing general upgrades at the site, including a new combination burner from Austria’s Unitherm Cemcon in 2018. It is also planning to upgrade an electrical distribution substation by the end of 2019 to reduce interuptions to production.
Fuchs building new materials warehouse in the UK
01 October 2019UK: Fuchs Lubricants is building a new Euro5.5m raw materials warehouse at its headquarters in Staffordshire. Work on the project started in August 2019 and it is due for completion in the second quarter of 2020. Once completed it will ‘significantly’ increased the amount of raw materials the business can store on-site.
The warehouse will have a capacity of approximately 4000 pallet spaces, with ability for automatic or manual storage place allocation. Two wire-guided driverless Very Narrow Aisle trucks will operate in the unit. Warehouse Control and Warehouse Management Systems will streamline the process, with benefits including goods receipt entry and booking, a paperless put away process, inventory support and batch traceability.