Global Cement News

Australia: Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has appointed Michael Kilgariff as its CEO with effect from 6 May 2024. He will succeed Jason Kuchel, who has been working as the interim CEO.

CCAA represents the heavy construction materials industry in Australia. CCAA members operate cement manufacturing and distribution facilities, concrete batching plants, hard rock quarries, and sand and gravel extraction operations throughout Australia.

Kilgariff brings with him over 20 years industry association experience across infrastructure, transport, logistics, and energy sectors. He was the CEO of Roads Australia from 2018 to 2023, the managing director of the Australian Logistics Council from 2009 to 2018 and worked for the Energy Networks Association from 2004 to 2009.

George Agriogiannis, the chair of CCAA said that “Michael Kilgariff’s appointment comes at a critical time for CCAA as it goes through a process of renewal and transformation.” He continued, “The infrastructure industry is undergoing a pivot from transport to energy and social infrastructure, while the building industry is also facing a number of economic and social challenges, including an acute housing shortage. All these sectors require an efficient and sustainable supply chain of heavy construction materials.”

Poland: Heidelberg Materials Polska has appointed Piotr Misz as a Regional Director.

Misz has worked for Heidelberg Materials Group in Poland since 2015. He became the subsidiary’s Head of Regional Sales in 2019. Prior to this he held positions with JD Group and RMC Beton Śląsk managing ready-mix concrete plants. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Opole.

Germany: Vecoplan has appointed Daniel Kessler as the Head of Technology. The role covers product development for the recycling machinery company, as well as issues related to digitalisation and engineering. Kessler has worked for Vecoplan since 2005. He started as a Commissioning Engineer before becoming the Head Of Electrical Department in 2020.

Pakistan: Attock Cement has announced the successful completion of a new production line at its cement plant in Hub, Baluchistan. This additional line is capable of producing 1.28Mt/yr of cement and commenced operation on 16 April 2024.

UK: First Graphene has announced a third trial at Breedon Group’s Hope Cement Works to test an optimised formulation of its PureGRAPH-CEM product under full-scale production conditions. The trial aims to further improve the performance of graphene nanoplatelets in cement production using practical experiences obtained from the previous two trials. The third trial is based on a PureGRAPH grade with a particle size distribution and morphology optimised for use in cement grinding mills, designed for direct addition to the mill without the need for additional equipment. The trial will last eight hours and involves close monitoring of cement fineness during the process. It will use just over 2t of the graphene product in up to 1000t of cement, according to the company. The trial is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2024.