Concrete

What does efficiency look like at cement plantâ€™s loading bay?

Published

4 years ago

March 5, 2021

admin

The expansion of Indian cement industry over the last two decades has been remarkable and the prospects for demand and growth are exceptional. While the industry is focusing on modernisation and sustainability; one area that needs a bit more focus is the packing, loading and dispatch operations. Many plants still operate a semi or even wholly manual packing and loading process and the use of non-laminated HDPE bags is widespread.

Of course, it doesn?? have to be this way. The technology exists to totally modernise the packing, loading and dispatch process. It is already being used in factories around the world. Automation is giving cement plants an opportunity to eliminate bottlenecks in the loading bay. Increase the throughput in the packing plant and, in short, get more high-quality product out to customers. That is the potential of an efficient cement dispatch unit.

FLSmidth has been operating in India for a very long time. We know the market very well and we have had a lot of success here, but we??e also faced some challenges. The biggest of these is the lack of uniformity among empty bag manufacturers and the variation in truck dimensions. Automated truck loaders are typically designed to work within the scope of the dimensions provided by manufacturers, but they rely on those dimensions staying within the established range.

We are big believers in building solutions ??not products. Providing great technology is not enough. It has to work for you, now. So having talked with our Indian cement plant customers, we set about developing a more flexible automatic truck loading equipment.

Indian trucks are a thing of beauty ??not homogeny. Lengths range from 6 to 14 m. Internal widths vary from 2 to 2.5 m. Some have high fixed lateral sides that cannot be removed. All of this poses an interesting challenge to automated truck loading. Add to that the fact that customers wish to keep the same straight bag loading pattern used with manual loading to avoid extra unloading costs. And then the difficulties that come with the (currently extensive) use of HDPE non-laminated bags, which do not typically work so well with automated loading machines as the more internationally used paper and WPP glued valve bags.

Increasing efficiency in packaging and loading operations

In practice, an efficient dispatch operation comprises:

A degree of automation that allows you to significantly optimise human intervention and create a safer and more productive working conditions.
Optimisation of every piece of equipment in terms of output, weighing accuracy and reliability, reducing both the downtime required for maintenance and the number of spare parts needed.
Reduced dust emissions and a cleaner working environment and bag quality.
Optimum bag handling to ensure product is protected.
Ability to satisfy market demand, both in terms of quantity and the preferred means of delivery ??i.e. truck or rail ??with flexibility built in.
Best possible configuration of the loading plant and packing area for the utmost safety, productivity and flexibility.

Intelligent bag loading technology

Using the traditional top bag-loading principle, the CARICATECH??forms the bag layer above the truck and then transfers the layer onto the truck platform. What differentiates the CARICATECH??is that bag layers are formed on a special roller bed and then picked up and positioned on the truck by forks. With the CARICATECH SB model, the loading pattern is adjusted to the truck dimensions automatically to match with manual loading pattern.

Setting loading parameters is easy and intuitive. It is possible to make changes to the loading parameters in real time. But the biggest benefit is the diversity of automatic loading capabilities. It?? possible to handle different bag sizes, pattern configurations (interlocked or not, Fig 1), and loading modes (flat and/or pyramidal loading) with a different number of bags per layer, layer by layer, completely automatically.

The CARICATECH??model for loading interlocked or straight bag layers has already been implemented, where loading bay space is limited and therefore needs to be highly efficient to avoid a bottleneck. This design version can handle up to 3300 bags per hour and is flexible enough to cope with a range of bag types and truck dimensions in use. The loading operation is now completely automated and is controlled remotely with cameras and monitors to supervise, avoiding the need to put an operator in a high-risk condition.

This technology has the ability to revolutionise truck loading in India, enabling higher capacities and faster loading operations than ever before. Moreover, the CARICATECH??is future-proof and will be equally efficient ??in fact, more efficient ??if the market moves away from HDPE non-laminated bags.

For more details:

Ashish Kumar Srivastava

Email: Ashishkumar.Srivastava@Flsmidth.com

Vikesh Singh

Email: Vikesh.Singh@flsmidth.com

Satyender Sehgal

Email: Satyender.sehgal@flsmidth.com

Concrete

Jefferies’ Optimism Fuels Cement Stock Rally

The industry is aiming price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

admin

Cement stocks surged over 5% on Monday, driven by Jefferies’ positive outlook on demand recovery, supported by increased government capital expenditure and favourable price trends.

JK Cement led the rally with a 5.3% jump, while UltraTech Cement rose 3.82%, making it the top performer on the Nifty 50. Dalmia Bharat and Grasim Industries gained over 3% each, with Shree Cement and Ambuja Cement adding 2.77% and 1.32%, respectively.

“Cement stocks have been consolidating without significant upward movement for over a year,” noted Vikas Jain, head of research at Reliance Securities. “The Jefferies report with positive price feedback prompted a revaluation of these stocks today.”

According to Jefferies, cement prices were stable in November, with earlier declines bottoming out. The industry is now targeting price hikes of Rs 10-15 per bag in December.

The brokerage highlighted moderate demand growth in October and November, with recovery expected to strengthen in the fourth quarter, supported by a revival in government infrastructure spending.
Analysts are optimistic about a stronger recovery in the latter half of FY25, driven by anticipated increases in government investments in infrastructure projects.
(ET)

Concrete

Steel Ministry Proposes 25% Safeguard Duty on Steel Imports

The duty aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

admin

The Ministry of Steel has proposed a 25% safeguard duty on certain steel imports to address concerns raised by domestic producers. The proposal emerged during a meeting between Union Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, attended by senior officials and executives from leading steel companies like SAIL, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and AMNS India.

Following the meeting, Goyal highlighted on X the importance of steel and metallurgical coke industries in India’s development, emphasising discussions on boosting production, improving quality, and enhancing global competitiveness. Kumaraswamy echoed the sentiment, pledging collaboration between ministries to create a business-friendly environment for domestic steelmakers.

The safeguard duty proposal aims to counter the impact of rising low-cost steel imports, particularly from free trade agreement (FTA) nations. Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik noted that 62% of steel imports currently enter at zero duty under FTAs, with imports rising to 5.51 million tonnes (MT) during April-September 2024-25, compared to 3.66 MT in the same period last year. Imports from China surged significantly, reaching 1.85 MT, up from 1.02 MT a year ago.

Industry experts, including think tank GTRI, have raised concerns about FTAs, highlighting cases where foreign producers partner with Indian firms to re-import steel at concessional rates. GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava also pointed to challenges like port delays and regulatory hurdles, which strain over 10,000 steel user units in India.

The government’s proposal reflects its commitment to supporting the domestic steel industry while addressing trade imbalances and promoting a self-reliant manufacturing sector.

(ET)

Concrete

India Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Solar Panel Aluminium Frames

Move boosts domestic aluminium industry, curbs low-cost imports

Published

3 weeks ago

December 4, 2024

admin

The Indian government has introduced anti-dumping duties on anodized aluminium frames for solar panels and modules imported from China, a move hailed by the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) as a significant step toward fostering a self-reliant aluminium sector.

The duties, effective for five years, aim to counter the influx of low-cost imports that have hindered domestic manufacturing. According to the Ministry of Finance, Chinese dumping has limited India’s ability to develop local production capabilities.

Ahead of Budget 2025, the aluminium industry has urged the government to introduce stronger trade protections. Key demands include raising import duties on primary and downstream aluminium products from 7.5% to 10% and imposing a uniform 7.5% duty on aluminium scrap to curb the influx of low-quality imports.

India’s heavy reliance on aluminium imports, which now account for 54% of the country’s demand, has resulted in an annual foreign exchange outflow of Rupees 562.91 billion. Scrap imports, doubling over the last decade, have surged to 1,825 KT in FY25, primarily sourced from China, the Middle East, the US, and the UK.

The AAI noted that while advanced economies like the US and China impose strict tariffs and restrictions to protect their aluminium industries, India has become the largest importer of aluminium scrap globally. This trend undermines local producers, who are urging robust measures to enhance the domestic aluminium ecosystem.

With India’s aluminium demand projected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2030, industry leaders emphasize the need for stronger policies to support local production and drive investments in capacity expansion. The anti-dumping duties on solar panel components, they say, are a vital first step in building a sustainable and competitive aluminium sector.