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Sanghi Industries to invest US$41.8m in cement business 31 March 2014
India: Sanghi Industries Ltd (SIL) will invest US$41.8m in the next 18 months to increase its cement production capacity by 30%, to acquire ships and construct sea terminals.
Of the US$41.8m, SIL will use US$25.1m to acquire new ships and to construct new sea terminals and the remaining US$16.7m will be used to raise cement production capacity from 2.6Mt/yr to 3.5Mt/yr by the end of 2015.
"Currently, clinker production is higher than cement production at our plant. To correct the mismatch, we are investing US$16.7m to increase the grinding capacity. This will take 14 months before commissioning," said Alok Sanghi, SIL director. The debottlenecking will increase the grinding capacity by 30% of the Abdasa plant in Kutch.
SIL will acquire six vessels in the next five years for the transportation of its products into newer markets to reduce fuel costs and increase distribution capabilities. "We currently charter ships from market for distribution. We will acquire two vessels immediately and then two vessels every 18 months," added Sanghi.
SIL is also in the process of setting up terminals at Navlakhi port in Gujarat and at Mumbai port in Maharashtra. SIL exports 20% of its total production, mainly clinker to the Middle East, Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
SIL has invested over US$334m on the Abdasa plant that began production in 2003."We will have debts of US$75.1m by the end of the current financial year," added Sanghi.
UK: Saxlund International Ltd, a subsidiary of Opcon AB, is preparing to commence construction on the materials handling contract won late in 2013 for Hope Construction Materials' Hope Valley cement plant in Derbyshire, UK.
As part of Hope's move to replace fossil fuels with more sustainable solutions, Saxlund will provide an alternative fuel system for the use of Solid Waste Fuel (SWF). Saxlund's scope includes supplying the design, manufacture and delivery of a push floor storage system, reclaim conveyor, process tower with drum magnet, star screen and feed into the weighing and pneumatic injection system to the main burner on both kilns.
"We've worked hard to expand our portfolio in this sector and to provide clients with some of the best solutions in the market," said Rob Leighton, business development manager for Alternative Fuel Systems at Saxlund. "It's good to work with clients like Hope, who are doing as much as they can to run their businesses as efficiently and sustainably as possible. With increasing costs of fossil fuels and the increasing range of waste-derived fuels available, Hope is keen to use more and more alternative fuels in order to reduce their energy costs and improve environmental performance where possible."
Slovakia: Technology provider A TEC, in collaboration with raw materials company Ferro Duo GmbH and Holcim's Rohožník plant in Slovakia, are now able to provide a complete solution for the recovery of bypass dust in the cement industry for various conditions.
In recent years, A TEC has engaged in technologies for the use of alternative fuels, chlorine bypasses and the re-use and recycling of bypass dust in cooperation with Holcim. Ferro Duo has specialised in the recovery and processing of cement and steel industry dusts and has developed a patented process for treatment and recycling of bypass dust.
Ashaka Cement faults plan to ban 32.5 grade cement 28 March 2014
Nigeria: Ashaka Cement plc has come out against the Nigerian government's plan to ban the production of 32.5 grade cement in Nigeria. The Chairman of Ashaka Cement, Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga, said that rather than ban 32.5 grade cement, it should be produced alongside 42.5 grade cement. This would not only provide consumers with the freedom of choice, but also assist in securing jobs that have already been created through the production of 32.5 grade cement.
There had been arguments that the use of the 32.5 grade cement in the construction sector was a major reason for the increase in building collapse, which resulted in the formation of a technical committee to review cement standardisation by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
"Cement is not responsible for building collapses in Nigeria," said Kwairanga." So much research has already been done and we have seen that building collapse is more related to issues other than the cement itself. It's either from the professionals or consultants that are handling the building jobs, who have not followed the specifications."
Kwairanga added that Ashaka Cement has approved plans to expand its operation with a US$606m investment in cement production in Gombe. The amount would increase the cement production capacity of the company to 2.5Mt/yr. Barring any last minute change, the ground breaking ceremony for the project will be performed by the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan in early April 2014.
Kwairanga said, "We are taking our US$606m investment to the north-eastern state of Gombe. The total value of setting up the 2.5Mt/yr cement plant and a power plant is US$705m.
CBI may probe CCI’s selection process 28 March 2014
India: The selection for the post of chief executive of the Cement Corporation of India (CCI), which is run by the state of New Dehli, has triggered controversy with regards to the preparation of the list of candidates and the criteria for selection, which was allegedly changed to include some names at the last minute. The CBI has taken note of complaints and is expected to order a probe soon.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) issued a list on 11 March 2014 with the names of 15 candidates who has been shortlisted for the interview. After about a week, the PESB released a list of 16 candidates, allegedly flouting its own guidelines on the upper limit on the number of candidates. In the second list an external candidate was added, with no explanation given. The candidate who was seventh on the first list was moved to number one position on the second list. The only internal candidate was allegedly downgraded to the second position on the second list after being put on top of the league on the first list.