Displaying items by tag: grinding plant
Brazil: Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) has agreed to acquire Switzerland-based Holcim’s Brazilian cement business for US$1.03bn. The business’ assets include five integrated cement plants, four grinding plants and 19 ready-mix concrete facilities. Holcim said that the deal strengthens its balance sheet by ‘significantly’ reducing its debt ratio. It will use the proceeds to invest in its solutions and products business, building its recently acquired subsidiary Firestone. Latin America remains a core strategic growth region, according to the company.
Cheif executive officer Jan Jenisch said “This divestment is another step in our transformation to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, giving us the flexibility to continue investing in attractive growth opportunities. We are pleased to have found a responsible buyer with CSN that will develop the Brazilian business over the long term.”
Orissa state government approves grinding plants projects by My Home Industries and Ramco Cements
06 September 2021India: The state government of Orissa has approved cement grinding plant projects proposed by My Home Industries and Ramco Cements. My Home Industries plans to build a new 3Mt/yr grinding plant at Badchana in Jajpur. The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported the value of the producer’s planned investment as US$89.0m. Ramco Cements has proposed a 0.9Mt/yr at Haridaspur in Jajpur. The unit will cost US$26.0m and employ 60 local people.
Anhui Conch’s profit falls due to rising costs and competition
03 September 2021China: Anhui Conch’s operating revenue grew by 8.7% year-on-year to US$12.5bn in the first half of 2021 from US$11.5bn in the same period in 2020. However, its net profit fell by 7% to US$2.32bn from US$2.49bn. The group blamed this on rising raw material prices and ‘fierce’ competition. Anhui Conch reported that its production and sales volumes of cement and clinker increased by 11.5% to 208Mt. By region, sales grew in east, central and south China but fell in the west.
The group said that one clinker production line and two cement grinding units for Hunan Yunfeng Cement had been commissioned during the first half of 2021. Construction work on two grinding projects based in Haimen and Ganzhou also started. Outside of China, work on the group’s Qarshi project in Uzbekistan progressed to the installation of equipment.
India: Dalmia Cement has signed three memoranda of understanding with the state government of Jharkhand. The memoranda provide that the Dalmia Bharat subsidiary will invest US$104m in expanding its cement operations in the state. The producer’s plans consist of a US$68.5m upgrade and capacity expansion to its Bokaro cement grinding plant. The project will increase the existing production line’s capacity to 3.7Mt/yr and add a new grinding line, bringing the total plant’s capacity to 6.3Mt/yr. In addition the cement producer will spend US$34m towards building a solar power plant and the remainder will be spent on setting up a waste management facility.
Ambuja Cement to upgrade Ropar grinding plant
02 August 2021India: Ambuja Cement plans to spend around US$42m on upgrading its Ropar grinding plant in Punjab. The unit will have its capacity increased by 1.5Mt to 4.5Mt/yr by June 2023. It will install a new vertical roller mill and will produce cement using fly ash. The expansion is part of the company’s aim to reach a cement production capacity of 50Mt/yr.
Ghana: Ghacem plans to spend US$100m on building a new cement plant at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The new 1.5Mt/yr unit at Kumasi is intended to serve central and northern regions of the country, according to the Daily Graphic newspaper. The plant will use calcined clay as an additive. Construction is expected to take 18 months with commissioning planned for the first quarter of 2023.
The subsidiary of Germany-based HeidelbergCement is also planning upgrades to its grinding plants at Tema and Takoradi. The work at the Tema will include the addition of a new grinding and packing plant and an upgrade of existing equipment. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Work at Takoradi will then follow afterwards.
India: Ambuja Cement recorded sales of US$930m in the first half of 2021, up by 41% year-on-year from US$659m in the same period in 2020. Cement sales volumes grew by 36% to 13.5Mt from 9.95Mt. Its profit after tax was US$186m, up by 63% from US$114m.
“This performance resulted from strong growth in sales of premium products and successful execution of efficiency improvement programs which has partly been impacted by rising energy and raw material costs. Synergies under the master supply agreement have significantly benefited both Ambuja and ACC as we leverage our national footprint,” said Neeraj Akhoury, the chief executive officer of Holcim in India and the managing director of Ambuja Cement.
The company also announced that its board has approved a 1.5Mt/yr expansion project at its Ropar grinding plant in Punjab.
Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has started operation of a new production line at its Pecém grinding plant in Ceará. The US$38m upgrade brings the production capacity of the site to 1Mt/yr from 0.2Mt/yr previously. The project was suspended temporarily in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The producer also operates the integrated 2.2Mt/yr Sobral plant in Ceará and a terminal in Fortaleza. The production sites the company runs in the state are connected by railway and a further line has been extended to connect the terminal.
CBB slashes Matarani cement grinding plant budget
20 July 2021Peru: Chile-based CBB, formerly Cementos Bío Bío, has reduced the budget for its planned Matarani cement grinding plant near Arequipa by 79% to US$8.95m from US$42.5m. According to the Gestión newspaper, the producer had previously secured and environmental permit for the unit.
India: Shree Cement is on track to commission its 3.0Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Patas in Pune, Maharashtra in September 2021. The plant was originally scheduled for commissioning in late 2020 but this was delayed due to Covid-19 led-disruption. The unit has had an investment of around US$80m and it will source clinker from a group site in Karnataka. The plant is Shree Cement’s first in western India.