US-based Texas Industries, Inc. has announced that the second kiln line at the Hunter cement plant, New Braunfels, is now operational. Commissioning of the 1.4 million t state-of-the-art kiln commenced in November 2012. TXI now plans to ramp up maintenance and upgrade work on Kiln 1 in order to meet market demands. Kiln 1 is expected to come back online in 1Q14 following the successful completion of the work. The upgrades on Kiln 1 and extra capacity provided by Kiln 2 will increase Hunter cement plant’s capacity to 2.3 million tpa.
Commenting on Kiln 2, TXI's Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jamie Rogers said: “The success of this process is the direct result of the hard work of a dedicated team. The challenges faced when starting up a new kiln line are many, and the teamwork and communication of our people made all the difference.”
“We initially projected a more extended period of downtime for the original line after Kiln 2 was brought into full operational status.However, market conditions in central and south Texas continue to point to sustained recovery and strength, and we simply need the additional capacity earlier than originally thought. It is clear that TXI's mission to serve our customers is best met by utilising all of our capacity in as swift a manner as feasible,” continued Rogers.
Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham.