Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement has asked the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to make its competitor Rock Hard Cement pay more than a 5% tariff on imports. It follows a ruling by the council of trade ministers in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in March 2019 that agreed to a classification of Rock Hard Cement’s products in Trinidad leading to duties of up to 5%, according to the Nation newspaper. The case has been referred to the CCJ for final arbitration in June 2019.

China: Sinoma International Engineering has won a prize in the National Quality Engineering Awards organised by the China Construction Enterprise Management Association for its work on the Biskria Cement plant in Algeria. Sinoma supplied a second production line for the plant. It was commissioned in 2018.

Serbia: Elektroprivreda Srbije, a government-owned power company, has completed a Euro14m terminal on the River Danube for its Kostolac B coal-fired power plant. The unit will be use to transport 105,000t/yr of synthetic gypsum and 157,000/yr of fly ash. It will also process limestone. The terminal was built as part of the first phase of a credit arrangement between Serbia and China.

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has expanded its membership to 36 companies with its number of affiliates organisations rising to 15. The new members include Corporacion Moctezuma in Mexico, Unión Andina de Cementos (UNACEM) in Peru, JSW Cement in India and West China Cement in China.

The new affiliates include Oficemen (the Spanish Cement Association), the Cement Manufacturers Association of India, the Japan Cement Association, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association in the US, the European Concrete Platform and the Federacion Iboamericana del Hormigon Premezclado (FIHP) which covers Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula

“The continuing and rapid growth of the association’s membership is very encouraging. With a strong work program now underway it’s important that our authoritative voice represents the growing list of cement and concrete manufacturers committed to our principles of enhancing industry sustainability efforts and driving innovation.” said GCCA chief executive officer (CEO) Benjamin Sporton.

The GCCA was launched in 2018. It aims to represent at least 50% of global cement production capacity.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem has purchased the Testi integrated cement plant at Greve and the Borgo San Dalmazzo and Arquata Scrivia grinding plants in Piedmont from HeidelbergCement’s subsidiaries. The enforceable agreement is expected to be completed by the end of July 2019. No value for the deal has been disclosed. Buzzi Unicem said it was making the acquisitions as part of its plan to strengthen its position in the national market.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland’s Kollenbach cement plant in Beckum has commissioned a Zeppelin Cat 6030 FS hydraulic excavator. The machine is 15m long, 7.5m high and it has an engine power of 1500HP. It will mine at least 470t/hr of limestone from the plant’s quarry. The excavator was purchased due to the height and thickness of the marl layers in the deposit. Material from the quarry will then be transported 2.5km by truck to a stationary primary crusher before use at the cement plant.

Syria: Russian companies have met with representatives of the Syrian Ministry of Industry to discuss restoring and upgrading the Al Arabiya cement plant in Aleppo. During the visit to Syria representatives of the company also held talks about building a new cement plant, Muslimiya, according to the Prime News Agency. Negotiations were also held about renovating a steel plant in Hama province.

Togo: HeidelbergCement is considering investments of up to Euro25m in its local subsidiaries including Cimtogo, Scantogo and Granutogo. Local director general of the company Eric Goulignac outlined the plans, including building and installing a new mill at Cimtogo’s cement grinding plant in Lomé and a photvoltaic (PV) solar energy plant, according to the All Africa news agency. The projects will be considered by the board of HeidelbergCement in the summer before a final decision is made.

Uganda: Hima Cement has agreed to return land it acquired in the Mwello Parish of Tororo District to the local residents due to mistakes made by its land agent. The company’s agent, Optima Mining and Minerals, allegedly purchased land from residents who did not hold the necessary paperwork, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. The agent then intended to apply for a lease on the land from Tororo District Land Board.

Dunstan Ndyaguma, Optima’s managing director, was advised by the commission to obtain a lawyer to learn about the land tenure system in the district. He was also described as a ‘dangerous’ man because he had manipulated local residents in his dealings with them.

Hima Cement, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, wants to build a US$250m new cement plant in the area. It has warned that the project may be moved to Kenya instead due to the difficulties in obtaining land.

China: Tianrui Cement has entered into a clinker supply deal with Ruiping Shilong. It will buy clinker from Ruiping Shilong from 1 April 2019 until 31 December 2021. The price and quantity will be set following negotiations, although a cap of around US$74m/yr has been set. Tianrui Cement’s chairman and his wife hold a significant minority share in Ruiping Shilonga.