Expansion of US gypsum plant
USA. Lafarge is to invest around $120 m to expand the capacity of its state-of-the-art gypsum drywall manufacturing facility in Silver Grove, Kentucky from 900 to 1,600 m sq ft per annum. This is designed to meet growing demand from customers in the north central region of the US and southern Ontario. Construction is expected to begin during the first half of this year and be completed in the second quarter of 2007.
   In November 2004, Lafarge announced a $75 m investment to double capacity of its gypsum drywall manufacturing facility in Buchanan, New York State. By mid-2006, this plant is expected to have a total annual capacity of 650 m sq ft.
   This extension is included in the overall €300 m, announced in June 2005, to increase Lafarge gypsum production capacity worldwide by more than 20 per cent (Great Britain, China, South Korea, Turkey, Romania, etc.) over the next two years. The company says that it is committed to the ongoing construction of 2,900 m sq ft additional annual production capacity in order to meet growth in its markets.
Mon Nov 07 09:54:32 2005

Cement industry orders
Global. FLSmidth has signed a DKK 180m contract with Natal Portland Cement Company (Pty) in South Africa to supply a complete cement plant with a capacity of 1,500 t per day to the Simuma cement plant in the Kwa-Zulu Natal region.The existing production line at Simuma was commissioned by FLSmidth in 1983.
   FLSmidth India will provide low emission technologies for the new clinker line, a critical element of the project because of its location near an urban area. Plant commissioning is expected to be in August 2007.
   In Kuwait, FFE Minerals India has received an order worth $25m from Petroleum Coke Industries Company (PCIC) for a 350,000 t coal anode production facility for aluminium manufacture.
   FLSmidth India has also won a contract worth DKK 230m for a 2.2m t per year cement production line for Binani Cement Ltd to be built in the west of India, the continuation of an existing cement plant which FLSmidth, in cooperation with its former Indian licence holder Larsen & Toubro Ltd, set up for the same customer in 1996. The production line is expected to come on stream in summer of 2007.
   The contract includes mills for raw material and coal grinding, mills for cement grinding and a pyroprocessing system complete with preheater, kiln and the newly developed Multi-Moveable clinker cooler. Also included in the order are mill gears supplied by FLSmidth subsidiary MAAG Gear in Switzerland.
   FLSmidth's Indian project division conducted negotiations for the new production line and will also be responsible for processing the project. This is FLSmidth India's largest project to date and confirms the company’s expectation of a fast growing Indian cement market where its strong local position provides a platform for new business. FLSmidth has had a presence in the market there since 1912.
Wed Nov 02 20:56:14 2005

Speciality rubber business to be sold
UK. Elementis plc is to sell its Linatex speciality rubber business headquartered in Yateley, UK to private equity funds managed by Navis Capital Partners, an Asian-based investment company, for around £17.6 m.
   Linatex, a leading international manufacturer of wet abrasion resistant rubber products and process equipment, recorded an operating profit of £0.2m on sales of £45.9m for the year ended 31 December 2004. It is expected that Elementis will record a one time book loss on the sale of around £7m taking account of transaction costs and net asset levels at the time of the sale.
   Edward Bramson, executive chairman, Elementis, said that the move completed the strategic review of Linatex announced early in 2005 which concluded that the business was non-core and that a sale represented the best option.
Wed Nov 02 22:48:11 2005

Changes to take show forward
UK. Organisers of the PPMA Show at the NEC, Birmingham in September have instigated a number of changes to take the event forward. The exhibition is unique in that it attracts processing, production and packaging personnel from a wide variety of industries - all with a focus on machinery, equipment and systems.
   Acknowledging that the UK environment remains challenging, the Processing & Packaging Machinery Association’s president Mike Randall said that there was a need to listen very carefully to what the market required and remain focussed on delivering an event that gives exhibitors increased return on their investment.
   Reed the exhibition organisers and the PPMA have therefore appointed Ian Crawford as the new show director, a role previously held by Barbara Jackson. Mr Crawford has been with Reed for 18 months during which period he has successfully revitalised the Interplas* exhibition.
   Bookings for the 2006 PPMA show, taking place on the 26 - 28 September 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, are said to have been already confirmed in large numbers, an indicator of the show's success in 2005, says the organisation.
* Interplas 2007 is scheduled to take place on the 15 -18 May 2007 at the NEC, Birmingham
Mon Oct 31 22:23:49 2005

Consortium uses nanoparticle characterisation
Israel. Malvern Instruments has become the primary supplier of systems for nanoparticle characterisation to a consortium of 13 commercial companies and 12 academic research groups in Israel - Nano Functional Materials NFM. The NFM Consortium is supported by Israel's MAGNET program (Office of the Chief Scientist in the Ministry of Trade and Employment, Israel) led by Ilan Peled. Consortium chairman, Dr Fernando de la Vega, said that the consortium is successfully developing new ways to fabricate and use nanoparticles in industrial processes and products and is now completing its third year of activity.
   To date, 20 Malvern Zetasizer Nano systems have been purchased by members of the NFM Consortium for a variety of applications. This system is widely used for measuring particle size, stability characterisation using zeta potential, and molecular weight, both for routine measurements and those at the leading edge of materials research, where materials range from particle dispersions to emulsions and molecules in solution.
   Zetasizer Nano technology provides the necessary sensitivity required for measuring highly dilute proteins and polymers, with the ability to measure inks, pigments and emulsions at high concentrations. It enables particle size measurement over the range 0.6 to 6000 nm, molecular weight measurement from 1 x 103 to 2 x 107 Daltons and the zeta potential of particles from 5 nm to 10 µm.
   Dr Eynat Matzner, NFM Consortium manager said that nano structured functional materials are under development where nano particles are dispersed in a solid or liquid media. The ability to measure not just the prime particle size, but also the dispersion and agglomeration of particles in the matrix, is crucial for development, he said. Adding that, when measuring in liquid media, the Zetasizer is a very valuable tool.
www.malvern.co.uk/zetasizer
For details regarding NFM, please log onto www.nfm.org.il

Compounding systems for Tatarstan
Tartarstan. After several years of working in close association with engineers from one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturing factories, Chronos Richardson has secured a major order from the CIS worth Euros 2.5 m. This covers silica-based tyre compounding systems for the Nizhnekamskschina factory in Tartarstan.
   Situated between the middle of the Volga river and its Kama tributary, Tartarstan extends east to the Ural mountains, deriving a third of its industrial production from oil. Taftnet, one of the largest oil producing enterprises in the Confederation of Independent States, owns the factory which was originally established in the early 1970s using West European technology. A new technical agreement has recently been signed to produce silica blend tyres to the exacting quality standards of the international tyre market.
   Chronos engineers have been closely involved in devising an expansion programme for the factory having first visited the country in 2001. Since then they have worked closely with all partners in the project (NKS and RTI Rubber Technology) to devise the optimum factory development plan. Initially the intention was to retrofit existing mixing lines, but the scheme that has been ordered is for a factory extension to incorporate two new mixing lines, one for Masterbatch compounds and one Final Mix line.
   The scope of the contract includes: carbon black and silica intake, transfer and weighing; polymer weighing and feeding; oils weighing and dosing; dust collection and material re-feed; two semi-automatic small chemical weighing systems with supervisory control.
   “Our vast experience with West European tyre technology and a strong commitment to share and develop our knowledge with Nizhnekamskschina ensured we won this important contract”, commented Regional Sales Manager, John Eaton. He continued, “The first equipment will be delivered in March 2006 and will include globally proven technology along with our latest enhanced products”. The progressive culture demonstrated by Nizhnekamskschina is expected to result in further plant investment.
www.chronosrichardson.com
Thu Oct 27 12:18:25 2005

Wake up call for EU red tape
UK. Following Brussels announcement that it intends to slash more than a third of the current 183 proposals for EU law, Bibby Financial Services is calling on UK Government to follow the EU’s lead and reduce the regulatory burden faced by UK small businesses. The move, part of the EU’s Better Regulation Initiative, aims to ensure that policy making and legislation in the EU is more effective, competition is kept alive and any unnecessary burdens placed on businesses are curtailed.
   “It is clear that while the European Commission has taken a step in the right direction, the UK Government is still some way behind in putting words into action when it comes to cutting red tape. With 71 per cent of UK small business owners and managers citing keeping up with the latest legislation as their greatest challenge for 2005, the Government must listen to the small business voice and fulfill its promises”, said David Robertson, chief executive of Bibby Financial Services.
   Figures from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) indicate that complex legislation has already cost businesses £39bn since 1998. Lewis Sednick, regulations policy adviser at the British Chamber of Commerce warned: “The Government needs to cut regulation and allow owners more freedom to run their businesses. It has been active in stating its objectives to cut regulation but nevertheless there is still more red tape coming in."
• The European Commission is actively seeking the opinions of small business owners and managers on the obstacles created by red tape via an online survey. To enterthedebatevisit:http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/forms/dispatch?form=418&lang=EN
Thu Oct 20 14:28:40 2005

Award for innovative sieve
UK. Fine mesh separation and filtration specialists Russell Finex have won a PPMA award for excellence at the recent PPMA Show in Birmingham, UK, a recognition of their commitment to the development and enhancement of sieving and separation technology.
   For the last ten years, the awards have recognised superiority and innovation in engineering and the Bob Newman Medal in particular is awarded for innovative machinery design by a UK supplier. The prize was awarded for the new Compact Airlock Sieve, launched in March 2005, which has attracted great interest with subsequent sales exceeding all expectations.
   The judging panel, made up of eight impartial experts, agreed that the sieve 'demonstrated a clear improvement in assuring safety'. The novel design evolved as a result of close consultation with top pharmaceutical companies around the world and extensive market research which concluded that the biggest concern for pharmaceutical powder processors was product leakage.
   Meeting ATEX legislation, the revolutionary new design is claimed to be the first real advance in pharmaceutical sieving technology for ten years, the validatable pneumatic clamping system offering big improvements in product containment and operator health and safety. Powders are safely contained, with the screener accurately removing any contamination.
   One application for the unit is the containment of potentially toxic powders whilst still maintaining the high throughput and accuracy levels of the existing Compact Sieve range. Features include operator-friendly design, tool-free assembly and dis-assembly and crevice free and smooth surfaces which simplify cleaning. Options include different materials of construction, various finishes, explosion-proof motors, mesh deblinding systems, etc. Documentation packages are also available to simplify the validation process.
   The award presentation took place on the Russell Finex stand at the PPMA show with the President and Chief Executive of the PPMA in attendance along with special guest, snooker player, Dennis Taylor. Rob O'Connell, Marketing Manager at Russell Finex said that the company was very pleased to have received the award as it reinforced the positive feedback that they had received from customers since the launch earlier this year.
www.russellfinex.com

IMechE belt conveying seminar
UK. Better belt conveying was the title of a recent seminar organised by the IMechE’s Bulk Materials Handling Committee (BMHC). Held at the Institution’s headquarters in London, the event focused on the attendant handling problems associated with conveying bulk materials and powders. One clear message was that these problems can be reduced by adhering to good design principles which in turn could also help improve operational efficiency. The event was chaired by Graham Jones, a consultant in this area and member of the BMHC.
  The speakers covered a range of topics including new British Standards, methods of feeding, carrying and discharging materials, conveyor plant safety, reliability, operation and successful plant upgrades. One keynote presentation by Graham Leason, Bulk Materials Handling Consultant, Tech-A Ltd, outlined the implications of the new BS 8438, which covers the design of troughed belt conveyors and supersedes BS 5934 and BS 2890.
   Lyn Bates of Ajax Equipment Ltd emphasised the importance of “knowing your material” and the need to establish the handling properties of bulk solids, “..the biggest source of disputes in industry”, he said. Brian Rothery, Head of Development and Quality Assurance, Fenner PLC, covered conveyor belt properties and the relevance of current standardisation work.
   Stephen Barker, Marketing Manager, Siemens Automation & Drives PLC looked at innovations in variable speed conveyor control whilst Micheal Tenzer, Key Account Manager, Martin Eng GmbH, dealt with opportunities for improving belt conveying, dealing with safety, maintenance, damage, failure, loading, etc.
   Rob Drohan, Chief Executive, Ace Conveyor Equipment, covered spillage prevention, with Pat Warwick, Parker Universal and Micheal Morris, Parker Plant outlining the company’s capabilities in conveying and concrete plant. The safety aspects of conveying were covered by Helen Turner, Health and Safety Executive, Manufacturing Sector - Quarries group. The final paper of the day was given by Tony Kay, UK Sales Manager, Continental Conveyors, dealing with novel applications for belt conveyors.

Website provides comprehensive linguistic support
Elfab, leading pressure management systems manufacturer, has unveiled its new website, allowing customers to make enquiries, request quotations or place orders in English, French, Italian, German or Spanish, as well as Russian and Chinese.
   Complete information on all current products, including downloadable PDFs, schematic drawings, pressure and flow tables and holder sizes is available with all values given in both metric and imperial units. Details of all Elfab sales contacts worldwide can also be found on the site.
   The facility is backed up by a global freephone number and multi-lingual customer support team, providing all necessary technical support in seven languages plus Dutch, Portuguese and Czech for good measure.
www.elfab.com

Marketing on a small budget
UK. SHAPA, the Solids Handling and Processing Association, is holding a one-day seminar entitled Marketing on a small budget on 3 November 2005 in Lichfield, UK.
   It promises to be a day packed with informative sessions, presented by specialists who are aware of the particular challenges facing UK manufacturers today. There will be the opportunity to hear two SHAPA member companies share their own approaches to marketing.
   The seminar will be of particular interest to both those in top management or at a more junior level.
www.shapa.co.uk

Cabot ceases manufacturing operations in Australia
Australia. Cabot Corp has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cabot Australasia Pty Ltd has ceased manufacturing operations at its Altona carbon black plant.
  The decision, previously announced a year ago, reflects a decline in the domestic carbon black market there with Cabot's major domestic feedstock supplier in Australia stating that it would cease supplying feedstock to the company in 2005.
   Cabot has said that it is committed to its Australian and New Zealand customers and will continue to service the market directly, and through its Australian distributor Multichem and New Zealand distributor Polychem.
Wed Oct 12 09:56:40 2005

Get the right gear
UK. Gears2005 is a technical awareness seminar organised by the British Gears Association which takes place in Manchester, UK on the 17 - 18 November 2005. Covering such areas as transport, automotive, design technology, environment and iron and steel production, it also includes a section devoted to the process industries.
   This segment will be chaired by Nigel Mainwaring, Russell Finex Ltd with topics that include: ATEX & DSEAR for the drives industry - Brian Austick, Product Specialist, AC Motors, ABB Ltd; Belt conveyors - Optimised drive systems - Paul Bancroft, Sales and Marketing Director and Russ Turner, Project Engineering Manager, Continental Conveyor; and Self-aligning gear systems in the materials handling industry -Joachim Ritte, Regional Manager - South, Flender AG, Germany.
Email: admin@bga.org.uk Website: www.gears2005.org.uk
Mon Oct 10 17:40:23 2005

Stainless steel rationalisation
UK. Community, the union representing workers employed by the Outokumpu steel company in Sheffield, say that they are in consultation meetings with the company about the impact of a possible decision to switch orders from the Sheffield site to the Tornio steelworks in Finland. The decision has been prompted by the excess supply of stainless steel as new capacity comes on stream in the far east.
  This could potentially lead to the loss of up to 300 jobs at the Sheffield site in 2006. Although Outokumpu has informed union representatives of their decision and to reduce the number of shifts at the Sheffield plant, they have also confirmed that there will be no redundancies this year and that any plan is based on a worst case scenario should demand not improve.
Mon Oct 10 17:40:39 2005

forward

back