Rugby Cement, part of the RMC Group, has re-commissioned Cement Mill 5 at the company’s Rochester plant in Kent to meet growing customer demand in the South East. Following a £1 million investment, the cement mill, which had been non-operational for more than three years, has been fully refurbished and restored to become Rugby’s second largest mill with an approximate capacity of 80tph.
During the 37 months when the mill was non-operational it received no maintenance and a major overhaul was therefore required. Rugby’s UK Cement Division asset development director, Neville Roberts, explained: “The mill was in a poor physical condition, rust had set in, vital parts were missing and the separator was full of holes. But the 20-strong project team rose to the challenge and completed the refurbishment ahead of time, to budget and within an extended project scope. It eased the process that many of them were already familiar with the site and our safety culture.
“Although clinker production ceased at Rochester in year 2000, we are ramping up storage and milling of ordinary Portland bulk and bagged cement at the site to meet changing market conditions, and have recruited more employees to handle the increased output.” As part of the Cement Mill 5 re-commissioning, the project team were tasked with the refurbishment of a new pipeline, the fitting of new compressors, a control system and silencers to reduce noise. The project was completed over a five-month period.
Rugby now has eight cement mills in total and bringing Cement Mill 5 back online means a significant boost to the company’s cement milling capacity in the UK.
