Displaying items by tag: logisitics

Germany: HeidelbergCement has invested in a 45% stake in Thoma Bravo’s supply chain software subsidiary Command Alkon. The group says that the companies’ collaboration can help advance heavy building materials supply chains’ digital transformation. It said that this will entail more transparent industry standards for seamless connectivity, improved solutions to customers’ everyday pain points, an increased pace in innovation and an acceleration of sustainability efforts. HeidelbergCement will continue to autonomously operate its proprietary digital product suite HConnect.

Chair Dominik von Achten said “As part of our Beyond 2020strategy, our clear goal is to become the first industrial tech company in our sector.” He added “We have made significant progress in our independently developed HConnect digital customer experience since its development in 2018. The investment in Command Alkon and the partnership with Thoma Bravo now allows us to monetise the hidden potential of our assets and translate it into a new growth path for HeidelbergCement. Together, we will build the digital ecosystem of the future for the heavy building materials industry.”

Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) says it has developed new software in-house to manage its weighbridges. The new system it intended to supply reports in real time about truck and material movements at its plants. Use of the new system started in July 2021.

Germany: Beumer has enlarged its stake in logistics software provider Codept. The company’s product offers warehouse management and fulfilment throughout Europe. The start-up company was founded with the support from the Berlin-based, autonomous company builder Beam, a spin-off of Beumer Group

Managing Director Felix Ostwald said "We are happy to seal a long-term partnership with Beumer. During the past two years we have cooperated successfully and are therefore glad to intensify this cooperation."

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has presented 82 brand new trucks to its distributors to improve product distribution logistics to other retailers. A ceremony was held at the Enugu assembly plant of Shacman Truck following a driver training session, according to the Punch newspaper. The cement producer said that the trucks were presented under its Truck Empowerment Scheme, where distributors pay for the trucks on a 50-month instalment basis.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has appointed Edwin Villas as Senior Vice President Logistics, Bobby Garza as plant manager at its integrated Norzagaray cement plant and Arnold Pepino as Vice President of Operations of its integrated Lugait plant.

Villas was appointed as the Senior Vice President Logistics after serving as officer-in-charge of the department since 2019 concurrent to his role as Vice President for Sales for Greater Manila Region and South Luzon. He previously held senior sales leadership roles and served in procurement and internal audit. Villas is a certified professional for supply management, a certified information system auditor and holds a degree in computer science. He also completed a leadership program at the International Institute of Management Development (IMD) Switzerland.

Garza, Vice President for Operations of the Holcim’s Lugait, Misamis Oriental plant, will lead the Norzagaray, Bulacan plant. Garza is a licensed mining engineer and has attended leadership programs in IMD Switzerland.

Pepino, who was previously the Production Manager at Lugait, succeeds Garza as Vice President of Operations at the site. He started his career in Holcim Philippines as a cadet engineer in 1996. Over the years, he moved to different roles and projects in production, process and manufacturing excellence. In 2017, he was sent by LafargeHolcim Group to plants in Romania and Austria to learn best practices under its ‘Learning Across Borders’ program. Pepino holds a master’s degree in business administration and a computer engineering degree.

Germany: Beumer Group says it is supporting logistics start-up Sparrow Networks with its Beam spin-off company. Sparrow Networks consists of a spare parts pool of interconnected cement industry players. Customers can access the inventory on Sparrow Networks’ digital marketplace. Beam is a Berlin-based start-up company builder, supported by Beumer Group, that focuses on logistics and technical challenges.

Denmark: FLSmidth has reported ‘increasing disruptions to customers’ and its own operations’ and higher costs due to ‘more complex logistics and a weaker fixed cost absorption’ following the coronavirus outbreak. It says that around half of employees are working remotely.

FLSmidth continues its business improvement initiatives launched in 2019 and has implemented a capital expenditure (CAPEX) reduction, salary adjustment postponement and hiring freezes.

Ireland/UK: Quinn Industrial Holdings has installed an automated weighbridge system supplied by Precia Molen at its limestone quarry at Crievehill near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The new weighbridge was completed in June 2019. It includes the company’s VS310CS pour on site surface weighbridge complete with driver operated control systems. Other upgrades at the site include a lorry wheel wash, a new access route and improved security, health and safety measures. Quinn purchased the quarry from Acheson and Glover in late 2018. It is using limestone from the mine to make cement.

China: Cosco Shipping Bulk, part of Cosco Group, has signed a strategic deal with Conch Logistics, the logistics subsidiary of Anhui Conch. The agreement will see the two companies jointly develop in the cement logistics sector, according to Asia Shipping Media. In December 2018 Anhui Conch ordered four 12,500DWT bulk carriers from the Jiangdong Shipyard with delivery scheduled in 2020. Cosco Shipping Bulk operates the largest bulker fleet in the world with total capacity of over 33MDWT.

US: CalPortland has held the official opening of a rapid fill bulk cement loading station at the Oro Grande, California cement plant. The loading station is the final part of an upgrade project that originally started in 2008 when Riverside Cement owned the plant. This included two new cement loadout facilities, two distribution silos and a cement grinding mill. The upgrade cost US$58.5m.

“Our engineering staff and the Oro Grande operations team have developed a truck loadout system that is one of the fastest in the industry. The added rapid fill bulk loading stations will prevent long wait times for our customers by reducing the total number of trucks on each loading station, thereby further contributing to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Allen Hamblen, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CalPortland.