News

Robert Nogaj has been named chief operating officer (COO) of Martin Engineering, the major US-based manufacturer of bulk material handling solutions. Nogaj will be responsible for all facets of the company’s business, including R&D, manufacturing, sales, marketing and finance. With 22 years of experience in bulk materials handling, he has previously served Martin Engineering as vice president of operations from 2001-2015.

“Our mission for the coming years will be to keep streamlining our business for con

Nigeria's Dangote Cement has announced a cut in cement prices to NGN 1,300 (€5.85/US$6.53) per unit from NGN 1,800 before, with the stated intent of making cement affordable for all user segments.

This follows the opening of new production lines totalling 9 million tonnes/year in Ogun and Okpella Edo states.

Regional sales director Johnson Olaniyi said the company will ensure block moulders can get quality cement as part of efforts to thwart building collapses

In the third quarter ended December 2015, India-based JK Lakshmi Cement improved its total income year-on-year from INR 5.63 billion (€74.27 million/US$82.89 million) to INR 6.64 billion.

owever, it swung from a net profit of INR 184.8 million to a net loss of INR 36.70 million.

The company reduced its losses at profit after tax (PAT) level from INR 149.5 million recorded in the July-September 2015 quarter to INR 36.7 million in the period under review.

It saw its loss at profit before tax (PBT) l

JK Cements posted an on-year rise in its total stand-alone income from INR 7.99 billion (€105.43 million/US$117.66 million) to INR 9.03 billion during October-December 2015.

Its stand-alone net profit rose 2% from INR 167.3 million to INR 170.9 million.

Also, total expenses of the India-based company in the period increased from INR 7.39 billion to INR 8.16 billion.

The Portuguese holding company Semapa, with interests in the cement and pulp and paper business, saw profits drop by 27.7% in 2015 to €81.5 million (US$90.96 million).

The performance was affected by the reduction of the stake held in Portucel and increased taxes on profits.

The turnover rose by 6.7% to €2.132 billion and sales overseas reached some €1.611 billion, which accounted for 75.6% of the turnover.

Ebitda was estimated at €478.2 million, a 16.6% rise from 2014.

Saudi Cement is suspending production at a 3,500tonne/day clinker kiln until market conditions improve.

It has also put off plans to replace three existing cement mills with two newer, more productive units, which would have added 600,000tonnes of annual milling capacity.

The company stated that it already has 4 million tonnes of clinker in inventory, so the shut-down should not affect financial results.

The local community of Mon State, Myanmar, has raised concerns over the development of a US$400 million cement facility and an adjoining coal power plant in the state, it is reported.

Local Mawlamyine Cement (MCL), a joint venture of Pacific Link Cement Industries and Siam Cement Group (SCG), is developing that facility, which is due to be launched in the middle of 2016.

However, reports says that local residents claim that MCL has not provided information on the facility to villagers, who fear negati

Dangote Cement in Nigeria has started construction of a 3 million mt cement plant in Okpella, Edo State for US$500 million (€448.02 million), in addition to the 6 million mt project in Itori, Ogun State. The plant uses a standard design and will directly employ over 5,000 people and create thousands more indirect jobs. Group MD and CEO Devakumar V G Edwin said the project will boost Dangote's domestic and international market share and avoid consumption gaps.

FLSmidth has signed an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract with a value of more than €200 million with the Algerian cement producer SARL Amouda Ingineering for the supply of a greenfield cement plant in Algeria.

The plant will be located in El Beida (Laghouat), approximately 400km from the capital Algiers.

The order includes engineering, equipment supplies, construction, commissioning and training. Once completed, the cement plant will have a capacity of 6,000tonnes/day.

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McLanahan Corporation says that as it has grown, it has continued its evaluation of how to best serve its customers around the world.

“After careful evaluation, McLanahan has created a product management and development team, leading to promotions and changes in corporation structure,” says the company.

Cory Jenson, who previously held the position of general manager, environmental, has been promoted to vice president, global product management and development.

In his new role, Jenson oversees a t

LafargeHolcim announced today that Martin Kriegner, currently Area Manager Central Europe, will be appointed Head of India, effective 1 March 2016. He will report to Eric Olsen, Group CEO and succeed Bernard Terver who has decided to retire.

Martin Kriegner joined LafargeHolcim in 1990 and has previously held several senior leadership positions in the Group, including CFO and CEO of the Group operations in Austria as well as Head of Lafarge India and Regional President Cement for Asia. He graduated from

Major UK quarrying sector firms are committed to comprehensive worker engagement in their businesses, senior executives told a recent Institute of Quarrying (IoQ) event dedicated to the subject.

Martin Riley, the Vice President of Tarmac; Tim Hall, CEO of Breedon Aggregates; Cath Pickett, HSE Inspector Midlands & Wales; Ashley Haslett, EPC Head of Operations and SHEAQ; and Professor Richard Hall, University of Derby Director of Research, Innovation & Impact were the expert panellists at the the IoQ Derby

According to the Belarus State Statistics Service, the country's plants produced over 4.64 million tonnes of cement in 2015.

The figure, a decrease of 17.5%, is the first drop since 2000.

Output went down by 6.6% in Q1 year-on-year; by 15.9% in Q2, and by 15.4% in Q3.

The cement products produced include Portland cement, aluminous cement, blast-furnace cement, and similar hydraulic cements.

Maccaferri Central Europe, part of Italy's Maccaferri Industrial Group, has completed the construction of its new 11,000m² production hall in Senica in Slovakia before the planned deadline.

Maccaferri has relocated the production from its existing plant in Brezova pod Bradlom where no expansion of production was possible.

Currently the new plant employs 102 out the total planned 160 workers.

Maccaferri provides tailor-made technical solutions and geosynthetic materials such as gabions for use in co