Schwenk Zement plans to start operation of an additional cement mill and multichamber cement storage silo at its Broceni plant in Latvia at the end of this year.

The completion of the project will enable more efficient use of the existing capacity at the facility, expand the range of cement produced with more environmentally-friendly product types and look towards new export markets.

"We already export about 70 per cent of the cement produced in Brocēni to the Nordic countries and we can confidently say that we are able to meet the requirements of demanding customers for the most environmentally friendly product possible," says Maris Gruzniņš, Schwenk Zement Latvia’s board member and director of cement sales and logistics in the Baltics.

Depending on the type of cement, the mill will have a capacity of up to 170tph and will partly replace existing more energy-intensive mills. The mill will be supplied by Christian Pfeiffer Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Germany.

The multichamber silo will be 60m high and have a capacity of 12,500t. It will be able to store five different types of cement at the same time, significantly increasing delivery capacity and logistics efficiency to customers in the domestic, Baltic and northern European markets. IBAU Hamburg, Germany, will design and install the silo.

The project employs approximately 200 people, ensuring strict health and safety requirements.