United States-based Ash Grove Cement Company has appointed Cheng Qi as its technical center director at the firm’s headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. In his new role, Qi, who has a doctorate in civil engineering (with an emphasis on cement and concrete materials), oversees operations of the company’s technical center, a world-class laboratory for research and testing of aggregates, cement, concrete and lime. The technical center was established in the 1960s to offer customised technical service, product