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Two views on India
Written by David Perilli, Global Cement
12 December 2018
Research from the Global Carbon Budget (GCB) this week forecasts that fossil CO2 emissions from the Indian cement industry will rise by 13.4% in 2018. This is in stark contrast to the smooth mood music from the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) last week, which stated that the local industry was on track to meet its commitments towards decarbonisation. So what’s going on?
The situation is akin to the fable about the blind men and the elephant. Both the GCB and the CSI are approaching the emissions of the Indian cement industry from different directions. The GCB is using available data (including data from the CSI) to try and estimate what the CO2 emissions are. It takes cement production data using a method adapted from a paper published by Robbie M Andrew of Norway’s CICERO Center for International Climate Research in 2018 and then it takes into account the types of cement being produced and the clinker factor. This is then converted into an estimated clinker production figure and this is then converted into a CO2 figure.
However, the CSI meanwhile actually has direct data from its local members. At the moment these include ACC, Ambuja Cements, CRH, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), HeidelbergCement, Orient Cement, Shree Cement, UltraTech and Votorantim Cimentos. As part of the Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) database it collects production and sustainability related data from its members. However, for reasons of competition, it maintains a year gap before it reports its data. This means that the GCB can report its estimate ahead of the CSI data.
There is nothing to stop the CSI reporting its progress against its targets though. And this is exactly what it has done in India with the recent document outlining progress towards the 2030 targets from the low carbon technology roadmap (LCTR). The headline CSI metric was direct CO2 emission intensity. According to the CSI, this has fallen by 32kgCO2/t cement to 588kgCO2/t cement in 2017 mainly due to an increased uptake of alternative fuel and blended cement production, as well as a reduction in the clinker factor. This is bang on target with its aim of hitting 320kgCO2/t in 2050 (around 560 kgCO2/t in 2020, assuming a linear decrease).
The problem is that cement production growth in India suddenly sped up in 2018. Global Cement estimates that India’s cement production is set to rise by 7% year-on-year to 296Mt in 2018 from 280Mt in 2017. Data from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry shows that cement production rose by nearly 16% year-on-year to 244Mt in the first nine months of 2018 from 211Mt in the same period in 2017. Along these lines the Cement Manufacturers Association of India has forecast growth of 10% in the 2019 financial year to the end of March 2019. It reckons that this is the fastest growth in the sector since the industry slowed down in 2011.
India’s per capita cement consumption is low (222kg/capita) and its urban population is also low (around 30%). That’s a lot of cement that’s going to be used as it shifts to developed global rates and already it’s the globe’s second biggest cement market. The CSI was right to get in there eight years ago. Yet, the question now is can CO2 emissions decrease whilst the market grows? Research in the US suggests that the real reason for emission drops in the 2010s was the economic recession, not policy shifts or changes in the energy mix. If that holds in India then the cement industry will have a hard time reducing its carbon footprint irrespective of the work the CSI has done.
Guy Edwards appointed head of Aggregate Industries
Written by Global Cement staff
12 December 2018
UK: Aggregate Industries UK has appointed Guy Edwards as its chief executive officer (CEO) starting in January 2019. He succeeds François Petry, who was recently appointed Country CEO of Lafarge France and Market Head for France and Belgium.
Edwards holds over 30 years of experience in the construction industry, with 25 years of this in the UK. He is currently CEO for the company’s Aggregates and Construction Materials (ACM) business in the US. Over the years, he has held a variety of senior roles within Aggregate Industries, both in the UK and US. In 2013, Guy served as a UK Executive Committee member responsible for European operations and, in 2014, was named chief operating officer (COO) for the AI US business.
Edwards received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Leeds University in England, graduating with honours in 1988. He has also completed the International Leadership Program at the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.
Tarmac appoints Graeme Bride as plant manager at Aberthaw cement plant
Written by Global Cement staff
12 December 2018
UK: Tarmac has appointed Graeme Bride as the plant manager of its Aberthaw cement plant. He takes over the role from Chris Bradbury, who has been appointed Cement Plant Manager of Tarmac’s Tunstead operations.
Bride, aged 46 years, graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Birmingham and has an MBA from Manchester Business School. He has over 24 years of operational experience gained in the cement, sugar and power generation industries across Europe, Asia and Africa. His most recent role was Health and Safety Director in Lafarge Africa. He holds 19 years cement plant management experience from his time spent working in Nigeria and the Philippines.
Klaus Keysberg appointed chief executive officer of ThyssenKrupp Materials Services
Written by Global Cement staff
12 December 2018
Germany: Klaus Keysberg has been appointed as the chief executive officer of ThyssenKrupp Materials Services, with effect from 1 January 2019. He was previously working as the division’s chief financial officer (CFO). In addition, Ilse Henne will join the board of the business area as chief operating officer (COO).
Keysberg has been a member of the board of the business area since 2011 and CFO since 2014. He is to retain this post until further notice. As CEO, Keysberg will succeed Joachim Limberg, who will retire. Before his appointment as CFO of Materials Services, Keysberg was COO of the business area from 2011 to 2014 and also held various management roles at operating units.
Henne has worked as the CEO of ThyssenKrupp Schulte and the Western Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. She will continue to hold this post until a successor is found.
Schmersal appoints Axel Schneider as new chief technology officer
Written by Global Cement staff
12 December 2018
Germany: Schmersal has appointed Axel Schneider as its new chief technology officer (CTO). The 49-year old is a graduate in electrical engineering. Previously, he worked in senior positions at international companies in the automation and telecommunications industry. He holds experience in product development, network technology and industrial IT systems. Schneider has also completed various additional courses on agile product development and project and change management and is a certified Professional Scrum Product Owner.
As head of the research and development (R&D) Division at the Schmersal Group, Schneider will be responsible for the global coordination and reconciling of development capacities and innovation projects. This includes, among other things, the establishment of group wide R&D standards and the continuous advancement of Schmersal’s global product portfolio.