The AFCM 24th Technical Symposium has officially opened at the JW Marriott Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam, before an audience of 400 international cement delegates, including manufacturers and all major suppliers to the industry.
Proceedings were launched this morning with an official opening ceremony and a welcome address by Dr Nguyen Quang Cung, president of the AFCM. Under the theme of “Upgrading technology for sustainable development” the four-day meeting places a special focus on technology innovations, environmental initiatives, enhancing labour productivity, lowering energy consumption and production costs, as well as enhancing competitiveness.
The first session featured two highly-interesting case studies on cement plant projects in the ASEAN region. Rune Hurttia of FLSmidth provided an overview of the successful commissioning of the FLSmidth OK Vertical Roller mill at PT Semen Gresik's Tuban plant site in Indonesia. Following on, Nguyen Quoc Thang of the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) – the country's largest producer – provided an insightful presentation on burning cashew nut shells as an alternative to coal at its Binh Phuoc cement factory.
The conference continues with a host of papers focussing on technological and sustainable development. The expert speaker programme is supported by an extensive international exhibition arena featuring over 40 of the cement industry’s leading machinery suppliers and process technology experts.