CalPortland has awarded a supply contract to FLSmidth for its Mojave raw mill project. The scope of supply includes engineering, equipment and installation of a new OK 48-4 raw mill with a condition monitoring system and an ECS/ProcessExpert system.

"The new OK Raw Mill from FLSmidth will increase reliability and efficiency at our Mojave plant," says Bruce E Shafer, senior vice president for cement operations at CalPortland. "This mill is a natural choice to continue on the sustainable journey we began years ago."

The Mojave plant already operates a 2004 FLSmidth OK cement mill, which means the plant can streamline maintenance and better manage inventory costs, as both mills share the same gearbox design an FLSmidth MAAG WPU-200 assembly.

"CalPortland's continued confidence in our OK Mill platform demonstrates the strength of one of our flagship MissionZero offerings," says Rafael Martinez, vice president FLSmidth Inc.

Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, both parties committed to seeing this partnership realised. "This contract illustrates the ongoing need for cement and CalPortland's long term commitment and planning. For both companies, it was a unique experience to participate in the complex series of meetings remotely. Despite the inherent challenges, the team had the focus to reach a timely resolution and get moving on a critical project." says Mr Shafer. "The contract is good news to a lot of people looking for signs of a recovering economy and new jobs being created," Mr Martinez adds.

The mill is scheduled to be in operation in late 2021.