Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico in December 2015 were about 6.6 million metric tons (Mt), up by 5.6 percent from the level in December 2014, according to the most recent USGS Mineral Industry Survey.
Read MoreYear: 2016
Ash Grove Plant Achieves Energy Star Status
Ash Grove Cement Co.’s Seattle plant earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star certification in 2015, recognizing the plant’s performance in the top 25 percent of cement manufacturing facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meeting the strict energy-efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
Read MoreTitan America Suspends Plant Construction
Titan America LLC announced that project economics no longer support the construction of a cement plant in Castle Hayne, N.C. According to company officials, the evolution of supply and demand balances in the specific regional markets does not support the relatively high cost of constructing a new cement plant.
Read MoreCemex Net Sales Hit $14.1B in 2015
Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. announced that, on a like-to-like basis for the ongoing operations and adjusting for currency fluctuations, consolidated net sales increased by 2 percent during the fourth quarter of 2015 to $3.4 billion, and increased 5 percent for the full year 2015 to $14.1 billion versus the comparable periods in 2014. Operating EBITDA on a like-to-like basis increased…
Read MoreU.S. Demand for Fiber Cement to Reach 2.9 Billion Sq. Ft.
U.S. demand for fiber cement products is forecast to grow 5.8 percent annually through 2019 to 2.9 billion sq. ft., valued at $2.2 billion, according to Fiber Cement, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. Siding is by far the largest application for fiber cement, and demand will benefit from it’s popularity in the…
Read MoreAir Cannons Mitigate Chute Plugging
Martin Engineering used high-performance air cannons to help the Hunter Cement Plant in New Braunfels, Texas, prevent material backup due to a clogging transfer chute. The 2.3 million-tpy plant — owned and operated by Martin Marietta — experiences heavy rains, which dose raw material on its partially covered, tower-mounted D-07 conveyor system. Wet dust and aggregate clog the chute and…
Read MoreBulk Bag Conditioner
The patented Block-Buster Hydraulic Bulk Bag Conditioner from Flexicon conditions bags ranging from short to extra tall using hydraulically-actuated rams that automatically adjust in height during conditioning cycles. The rams of the new design provide approximately 6 ft. of vertical travel, roughly double the range of most conditioners employing scissor lifts to raise the bag, while the fixed-height turntable reduces…
Read MoreBinMaster Heavy-Duty Probe
The BinMaster HD probe is a heavy duty, stainless-steel probe that can be attached to either the PROCAP I or PROCAP II capacitance probes. It comes in a standard 8-ft. length and features a PRO-Shield to guard against false readings from material buildup on the probe. The wide diameter of the probe increases the surface area for maximum sensitivity and…
Read MoreDemystifying Linear Optimization
With The Help Of Linear Optimization, A Cement Manufacturer Maximizes Profit Margins While Seeding Future Growth Opportunities. By Ryan Brown Deciding how best to use limited resources is a universal issue that spares no individual or business. In today’s competitive quarter-to-quarter environment, it’s critically important to your business’s profitability (and longevity) that its people and assets are used most efficiently.…
Read MorePneumatic Conveying
Using Wear-Resistant Rotary And Diverter Valves To Help The Cement Industry Meet Requirements For Handling Abrasive Materials. By Keith Kressley, Gary Werth and Frank Speck
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