Intercem Cairo conference addresses the challenges of a changing industry

Leading independent cement industry conference, Intercem, has again proved to be the ideal platform for Siwertell to share its knowledge and expertise with the market’s stakeholders. Intercem Cairo, held this year in the Egyptian capital between 17th and 19th September, focused on the challenges of a dynamically changing cement market. It was attended by around 350 delegates.

Intercem is a news and information hub for the international cement industry, and one of its 2018 conferences looked at the cement sector across Egypt and continental Africa, focusing interest on the shared issues that cement producers and traders are facing, particularly in relation to increased competition, and the rapid, widespread growth in domestic production.

“Events such as Intercem provide an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and increase connections,” says Emily Brækhus Cueva, Director of Marketing Communications, Siwertell. “By strengthening the links between industry, research and innovation, we are able to transform knowledge. “With our comprehensive portfolio of innovative products and services, upgrades and maintenance service solutions, Siwertell not only helps industry stakeholders remain competitive, but plays its part in meeting the challenges imposed by the accelerated change across the industry.”

Cementing growth through innovation

Siwertell’s Egyptian representative, Osama Youssef Dahroug, was present at the event, along with Jörgen Ojeda, Director of Mobile Unloaders, and Ms Brækhus Cueva.  

Siwertell opted to have a stand at the conference so that its wide-ranging customer base could easily locate company representatives. The company also presented a paper to highlight some of its contributions to operators in the region. The paper, Case Study: Kuwait Portland Cement Company, written by Peter Göransson, Sales Manager at Siwertell, was presented by Ms Brækhus Cueva on Tuesday 18th September, during the afternoon session.

It outlined how the upgrade of Kuwait Portland Cement Co’s Siwertell unloader was an important part in increasing the capacity of its existing cement import terminal in Shuwaikh Port, Kuwait. Its ST 490-F, rail-mounted ship unloader was modified and designed with special features to comply with the extreme climate in Kuwait, where the ambient temperature can reach up to 48°C in summertime. The unit now has a continuous unloading capacity of 800t/h and can accommodate vessels up to 35,000 dwt or a beam of 29.2m.

The project included a unique design feature that enables bulk material to be unloaded directly into trucks from the ship unloader via a truck-loading arrangement underneath the ship unloader’s gantry. Therefore, at peak times, an additional truck-loading line can significantly extend the terminal’s throughput at a very low additional investment.

These features and adaptations are relevant to the issues discussed at Intercem and demonstrate how Siwertell expertise can benefit the region’s rapid, widespread growth in cement production and also tackle some of the challenges of operating in extremely hot climates.