Global Cement News

Poland: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge Poland has ordered a 307t/hr MVR 3750 R-4 vertical roller mill from Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer for its Malogoszcz cement plant in Świętokrzyskievoivodeship. The supplier says that the equipment has a drive power of 2500kW and that it is the first MVR mill to be installed in the country. It said that the producer chose the mill for its reduced energy requirements compared to those of other grinding mills. China-based Nanjing Kisen will execute the order for commissioning in early 2022.

US: Phoenix Industrial will install the raw mill for Denmark-based FLSmidth’s raw mill upgrade of CalPortland’s integrated Mojave cement plant in California. The company said that it will conduct civil, concrete, structural steel, mechanical and electrical work on the project. Mobilisation of crews to the site is due to begin in March 2021 with commissioning scheduled for December 2021. Saxum Engineering is also working on the upgrade.

Colombia: Cementos Argos’ full-year consolidated net sales in 2020 were US$2.52bn, down by 4% year-on-year from US$2.62bn in 2019. The group’s cement volumes declined by 9% to 14.7Mt from 16.1Mt. Net profit for the year was US$21.8m, down by 36% from US$34.1m. Volumes, sales and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined in all three of the group’s regions.

The company said that in the fourth quarter of 2020 the construction sector maintained a ‘positive trend,’ supported by the strong performance of the residential segment. It also recorded a slight improvement in the infrastructure segment. The producer said that warehouses and data centre projects had partially offset the weak performance of the segment, as offices and retail had been the most impacted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief executive officer Juan Esteban Calle, “I would like thank each one of our employees for their full commitment and resilience during 2020. I believe the experience we all lived over the last year will lead us to be even stronger and more prepared to face the opportunities and challenges of the future.”

Fiji: Grinding units in Lami have ceased operations since mid February 2021. The reason for the pause is complaints by community stakeholders about pollution, including clinker spillages on the road from the Port of Suva. The Fiji Times newspaper has reported that plant owners met stakeholders on 23 February 2021.

Environment and Waterways Ministry permanent secretary Joshua Wycliffe said, "The origins of the issue are the transport itself: there was spillage on the way to the cement factories. We have stopped the companies; if it is the transport companies that are breaching, we have stopped them. We are open to someone else doing it provided they have the permits, proper paperwork and also follow the rules and conditions.”

Egypt: Arab Swiss Engineering Company (ASEC) has launched legal action against Misr Beni Suef Cement. The latter terminated the supplier’s technical management contract in mid-February 2021. Arab Finance has reported that the producer alleges that ASEC breached its commitments regarding its Beni Suef cement plant’s production capacity.