Africa & The Middle East

Italcementi Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Egypt’s Minister of Investment, Ashraf Salman, to develop a new 320 MW wind energy plant.

South African cement manufacturer PPC Ltd’s Head of Corporate Social Investment, Francie Shonhiwa, received Gold in the ‘Women Helping Women in Business’ category at the 2014 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

El Arish Cement, Egypt, has decided on two further Loesche VRMs for raw meal grinding and two LM 63.3+3 mills for cement grinding.

Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has inaugurated Arkan Building Materials Co.’s new cement plant, which has a cement production capacity of 4.5 million tpa.

Holcim Ltd has announced changes to its senior management in Africa Middle East; Atlas Copco is strengthening its rental channel with two new appointments.

The South African cement producer has announced cement sales volumes and revenue increases in its results for the year ending 30 September.

According to the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade, Iran exported over 8.1 million t of cement and approximately 3.6 million t of clinker during the first seven months of the current calendar year.

Nigeria’s Ashaka Cement Plc posted revenue of N17.3 billion for the first nine months of 2014, a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2013.

Allied Mineral Products has appointed Dickinson Group of Companies as their exclusive agent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The company is investing KES1 billion in an upgrade project on its kiln line and packing plant.

Lafarge is to purchase the remaining 30% stake in Unicem through its affiliate, Nigerian Cement Holdings B.V.

Dangote Cement cut prices on its 32.5-grade and 42.5-grade cement last week and has promised to make sure the reduction is passed along to consumers.

The Omani company is building a new distribution terminal, adding silo capacity and enhancing its cement handling facilities.

Catch up with all the latest news from the global cement industry via our weekly round-up. This week’s key topics include health and safety, as well as new reports and initiatives focused on reducing carbon emissions.

In the second part of this abridged article, Sabine Maier and Rachid Lahbara discuss the implementation of the VAS IT logistics system at Ciments de l’Atlas’ Moroccan plants.