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US: Cemex USA is pleased to announce that six of its cement plants have earned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star certification. The recognition of Cemex USA's plants in Brooksville (Florida), Miami (Florida), Clinchfield (Georgia), Fairborn (Ohio), Louisville (Kentucky) and Victorville (California), demonstrates that these plants perform among the top 25% of similar US plants for energy conservation.
2014 marks the eighth consecutive year of certification for the Clinchfield plant, an achievement realised by only one other cement plant in the US. It is also the fourth consecutive certification for the Miami plant, the third for Brooksville, Victorville and Fairborn plants and the sixth year for the Louisville plant.
Throughout the year, all of the recognised plants put into practice the energy-efficiency principles established by the Energy Star guidelines for energy management that were developed by the EPA. These plants implemented energy conservation and monitoring technologies, promoted energy-efficiency awareness among employees and completed energy-reduction projects.
"Cemex is committed to sustainable practices throughout our operations, including energy-efficiency," said Karl Watson Jr., president of Cemex USA. "We are honoured to again be recognised by the EPA and Energy Star for our commitment to sustainable practices."
Haver Technologies (Tianjin) moves to new location 20 August 2014
China: Haver Technologies in Tianjin (HTT), which provides solutions for packing machines for solid bulk materials and filling machines for liquids and paste products, including silo components, conveyor belts, foreign material screening machines, truck loading systems and palletisers, has moved to a new location in north China to be closer to its customers. HTT's former location in southern China was no longer able to keep pace with the growing demand.
"Our focus was on finding an ideal location with respect to customer closeness, ideal infrastructure, qualified personnel and good suppliers and so we ended up in Tianjin," said Ron Garthoff, managing director of HTT. A large part of the cement industry and numerous companies in the mineral processing technology are already located in this region and China's largest chemical hub is currently being developed there. As a result, HTT guarantees that 95% of its machines can be delivered within 24 hours and that service visits by technicians are conducted as quickly as possible. In Tianjin, HTT benefits from one of China's largest seaports and an international airport, an excellent network of motorways and Beijing airport.
In just 10 months a two-storey office building with space for approximately 45 employees was built. There is also the possibility for a 4500m2 production plant and warehouse. Moreover, the possibility for future expansion was accounted for as another 2000m2 building may be built when needed. The new location is supplemented by a research and development centre that is based on the research and development centre at the German headquarters in Oelde, Germany.
Loesche ThermoProzess GmbH attains welding certification 20 August 2014
Germany: Loesche ThermoProzess GmbH has been certified as a specialised welding company. Certification according to DIN 18800-7: 2008-11, Class D in relation to welding steel constructions was performed by the SLV Duisburg (welding technology training and testing institute) of the GSI (company for international welding technology).
The certificate covers 135 metal-active gas-welding processes with solid wire electrodes (partially mechanised) and 141 tungsten inert gas welding processes (manual) for complete machine and plant construction (serial numbers according to DIN EN ISO 4063). It concerns the base materials S235, S275 and S355 in line with DIN EN 100025 as well as stainless steels from the strength class 235 in line with the relevant approval document from the DIBt (German Institute for Civil Engineering).
"In future, Loesche ThermoProzess GmbH will be even more qualified to provide customers with first-class products, on the next day if necessary, which ensure the smooth operation of production facilities," said Dietmar Leiter, the responsible welding engineer at Loesche ThermoProzess GmbH.
Semen Indonesia wins energy award for biomass use 20 August 2014
Indonesia: Three state cement manufacturers, PT Semen Indonesia, PT Semen Padang and PT Semen Tonasa, have been using biomass as alternative energy source to replace coal and reduce electrical energy in stages.
Semen Indonesia has won an energy award from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry in recognition of its efforts to diversify energy needs by taking advantage of biomass renewable energy as an alternative fuel and to play an active role in developing new technology and innovations in the energy sector.
"The award has confirmed the commitment of Semen Indonesia to implementing a concept of sustainable business," said Semen Indonesia president director Dwi Soetjipto. He added that the cement industry is an energy-intensive industry, which also consumed coal as non-renewable energy. "By taking advantage of biomass, double goals could be achieved: first, conserving the environment and second, increasing the efficiency of operating costs, which will eventually increase in corporate profitability."
The use of biomass has stimulated local economy because it had been obtained from areas around the plants, including Tuban, Lamongan and Bojonegoro Districts in East Java, as well as Rembang District in Central Java.
"The use of biomass has also helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that the impact of global warming can be minimised," said Soetjipto. Semen Indonesia has always increased its use of biomass as an alternative fuel to reduce coal consumption every year, Soetjipto added.
Russia: Stroigaz construction group plans to sell a controlling stake in a cement plant in the Altai region, Siberia. The deal should take place in the first quarter of 2015. Stroigaz holds 75% minus one share in the plant. The plant has a cement production capacity of 300,000t/yr. A strategic investor is expected to boost the plant's capacity. The deal is estimated at Euro22.4-37.3m. Stroigaz had previously held negotiations for the sale of the plant to Germany's HeidelbergCement in 2007, but the deal was not concluded.