OREANDA-NEWS. EUROCEMENT group is continually modernizing its plants with the aim of increasing the quality of its produce, reducing its energy consumption and improving its environmental friendliness. In 2013, the group invested around 100 million rubles in Katavski Cement. A range of major projects were completed using these funds.

As part of perfecting its production process, in 2013, two cement mills in the cement grinding department were equipped with grinding media made by Vega (India). The use of high strength balls will allow the plant to support high production quality, increase the productivity of its cement mills, increase grinding media operational lifespan, and reduce electricity consumption.

With the aim of providing cement products of impeccable quality, the plant's laboratory was equipped with additional quality control equipment: a gas analyzer, a table-top X-ray fluorescence analyzer, an air classifier and laboratory scales.

The installation of a system of control over operational parameters in 2013 in the clinker burning department provided the plant's personnel with the opportunity to monitor the equipment's operation and manage it from a computer. Additionally, the system automatically archives all data.

With the aim of reducing fuel and energy consumption, funds were invested in the installation of a gas mini-boiler for operation in the administrative and accommodation complex in the summer period. The installation of the boiler will provide a large economic benefit. The self-contained operation of equipment, the output of information onto the technological dispatcher's monitor and the automatic detailing of errors represent other advantages of this project.

Apart from that, the construction of the primary step-down substation of Katavski Cement has been continued. The completion of this project will not only provide a means for the stable operation of all equipment, but also a means of applying energy saving technology in the cement production process.

Katavski Cement pays a lot of attention to the industrial health and safety of its workers. In 2013, several of the plants departments were equipped with an automatic fire alarm system and evacuation control in the case of a fire in the buildings, the operation of which will ensure even safer working conditions for employees.

In 2013, the plant also purchased a clamshell crane made by Uralkran, which will provide uninterrupted service in the materials and cement grinding departments, and also purchased a KamAZ truck and realized other investment projects.

EUROCEMENT group, an international vertically integrated industrial holding company, is Russia's leading producer of building materials.

EUROCEMENT group is ranked among the world's top ten cement companies and brings together 16 cement plants in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as the plant manufactures concrete, concrete goods, the open pits extracting aggregates and industrial construction enterprises.

The production capacity of the Holding Company entities is 40.0 million tonnes of cement and 10 million m3 of concrete. The reserves of aggregates related to carbonate rock extraction with the total actual reserves are more than 2.8 billion tonnes; the extraction of granite with reserves, about 1.8 billion tonnes.

In December 2012, EUROCEMENT group commissioned a new plant producing dry cement in the Voronezh Region, designed to produce 3 million tonnes of cement per year. Incidentally, the percentage of dry cement production went up from 13% to 25% of the annual output of the Holding Company.