FLSmidth is to supply equipment with a value of approximately US$75m for the modernisation and expansion of Ash Grove Cement Company’s Foreman plant. The upgraded plant will produce 1.7Mta of cement, resulting in a net increase in capacity of nearly 700,000t. The new facility will be located in connection with the existing plant in Arkansas, United States, which was constructed in 1958. Ash Grove Cement Company is North America’s largest U.S.-owned cement manufacturer.

The Foreman plant’s three existing wet-process kilns will be replaced by the most advanced pyro-processing technology available in the form of a ROTAX-2 kiln, an ILC 5-stage preheater with low NOx calciner and a Multi-Movable Cross-bar Cooler. 
 
As a result, fuel consumption will be reduced by an estimated 50% and emission levels will be minimised whilst production capacity will increase 70%. Furthermore, the new grinding technologies to be installed at the plant including an FRM raw mill, an ATOX coal mill and an OK finish grinding mill will ensure high operational reliability and significant energy savings.