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Lucky Cement set to open plant in Democratic Republic of Congo 04 October 2016
Democratic Republic of Congo: Pakistan’s Lucky Cement is set to open its US$270m Nyumba Ya Akiba cement plant in Bas-Congo later in October 2016. The 1.2Mt/yr plant will be operated with Groupe Rawji, a local company, under the name CIMKO. It is financed by the African Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, EKF and by Habib Bank among others, according to Bloomberg.
“We will take care of everything that can hinder your production, unfair competition, fraudulent imports, we will take care of that,” said Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon to CIMKO executives in a show of support for the project at a recent meeting.
Cemex Latam clears interim land rights for Maceo project 04 October 2016
Colombia: Cemex Latam has secured an interim contract with the government for its cement plant project in Maceo, Antioquia. The temporary solution will last until the end of an investigation into the irregular acquisition of the land, tax-free area and mining rights for the factory by Cemex Latam Holdings in 2012, according to the El Espectador newspaper. The company also intends to negotiate an extension of the lease contract, as per its original plans, in order to commence operation of the plant in early 2017.
An internal probe into the land deal found that irregular payments of US$20.5m had been made to Eugenio Diaz Correa, an individual connected to the deal. Cemex has fired Edgar Ramirez, vice president of planning, and Camilo Gonzalez, head of legal department, as part of the investigation and Carlos Jacks, the company's regional director, resigned. Cemex Latam has hired an external audit team and legal representatives in the case that was passed on to the Attorney General's Office of Colombia.
LafargeHolcim installs Schenck Process logistics equipment at two cement plants in Russia 04 October 2016
Russia: Schenck Process has installed two Logiq dispatch automation systems at two LafargeHolcim cement plants at Ferzikovo and Voskresensk. This has resulted in the plants being upgraded to the LafargeHolcim group’s Smart Factory standard.
At Ferzikovo LafargeHolcim is currently engaged in a major investment project for the Russian market. The plant has three incoming and outgoing scales as well as 11 loading stations for loose cement and two bag loading stations. Schenck Process converted the parking lot with registration, the incoming and outgoing scales and all loading points for fully automatic, unmanned operation. Self-service terminals for registration and weighing were installed in the entrance and exit areas. In the loose loading area, a Logiq loading terminal, including the Disomat Tersus weighing electronics with Profibus interface to the PLC and ultrasonic sensors, were installed. In Voskresensk the conversion work included the car park with registration, incoming and outgoing scales, three loading scales and one loading point for packaged goods.
Schenck Process ensured smooth delivery operations at both plants throughout the installation and commissioning process. Incoming silo trucks for loose loading, more than 300/day at Ferzikovo alone, continued to be processed throughout.
Since 2013, Schenck Process has implemented the Logiq dispatch automation system at various plants belonging to the Swiss construction material group, including at 18 cement plants in eastern Europe.
Flexicon opens new office in Germany 03 October 2016
Germany: Flexicon (Europe) has opened a new office to provide factory-direct engineering services and technical sales support to customers throughout Germany.
“The Aschaffenburg location will fuel Flexicon's rapid growth in the region by providing a dedicated German-language staff with full access to corporate resources," said Keith Bourton, Managing Director.
The Aschaffenburg office is headed by Christian Löchler, Regional Sales Manager. He holds an Engineering degree in Plastic Processing Technology from Fachhochschule Darmstadt (University of Applied Sciences), and possesses 20 years of experience in plastics processing, compounding and recycling, most recently as a Sales/Project Engineer for a consultancy specialising in gravimetric and volumetric dosing for granulates, powders and liquids. At Flexicon he will be responsible for building relationships with plant engineers, managers and other equipment specifiers in facilities that handle bulk solid materials across the mineral, food, pharmaceutical, plastics and general chemical industries.
Flexicon specialises in bulk handling equipment. Flexicon (Europe) is located in Whitstable, UK and is a fully owned subsidiary of Flexicon Corporation of Bethlehem, US. In addition to the Kent manufacturing location, Flexicon Corporation owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Brisbane, Australia and Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and maintains factory-direct sales offices in Barcelona in Spain, Santiago in Chile; and Singapore.
Pakistan: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has fined four cement producers for deceptive marketing practices in violation of the Competition Act 2010. Fines of US$1.8m each have been levied on Al-Abbas Cement, Attock Cement, Bestway Cement and Lucky Cement.
A CCP official said that the commission is mandated under the Competition Act 2010 to ensure fair competition in all spheres of commercial and economic activities. The Competition Commission of Pakistan is committed to maintain transparency for enhancing economic efficiency and to protect consumers from anticompetitive practices, including deceptive marketing.