CalPortland has awarded a supply contract to FLSmidth for its Mojave plant in California. The scope of supply includes engineering, equipment and installation of a new OK 48-4 Raw Mill with Condition Monitoring System, and an ECS/ProcessExpert system.
The mill shares the same gearbox design as FLSmidth’s OK Cement Mill, which was installed at the plant in 2004. These shared components allow the plant to streamline maintenance and better manage inventory costs by sharing the one spare FLSmidth MAAG WPU-200 assembly.
“The new OK Raw Mill from FLSmidth will increase reliability and efficiency at our Mojave plant,” said Bruce E. Shafer, senior vice president for cement operations at CalPortland. “This mill is a natural choice to continue on the sustainable journey we began years ago.”
The project replaces a 40-plus year old mill that had served its useful life. Moving forward, the objective is to set the stage for the next 40 years. Based on past experience with FLSmidth and a detailed analysis of this specific solution, the plant was comfortable that the OK Raw Mill would deliver the desired efficiency and availability.
“This project demonstrates the full range of our capabilities, with an EPC project that integrates our digital solutions like the ECS/ProcessExpert which will ensure that the mill is working as efficiently as possible. CalPortland’s continued confidence in our OK Mill platform demonstrates the strength of one of our flagship MissionZero offerings,” said Rafael Martinez, vice president, FLSmidth.
Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, both parties committed to seeing this partnership realized.
“This contract illustrates the ongoing need for cement and CalPortland’s long-term commitment and planning. For both companies, it was a unique experience to participate in the complex series of meetings remotely. Despite the inherent challenges, the team had the focus to reach a timely resolution and get moving on a critical project,” said Shafer.
“The contract is good news to a lot of people looking for signs of a recovering economy and new jobs being created,” added Martinez.
The mill is scheduled to be in operation in late 2021.
