SOBOCE recommenced operations at its Warnes cement plant in Bolivia on 14 June after a BOB222m (US$32.1m) investment in new equipment.

The project included a new VRM-based grinding system supplied by Gebr Pfeiffer, and an automatic bagging and palletiser by Claudius Peters. New systems for feeding, transport and storage of raw materials as well as a new electrical substation were also included in the project.

“Investment is our answer to the crisis. The modernisation of the Warnes Plant is a reality today, because the shareholders of the company decided to continue with the project and not suspend the investment despite the conflicts of 2019, the COVID pandemic in 2020 and the delicate economic situation of 2021 ”, explained Juan Mario Ríos, SOBOCE’s general manager.

The project generated more than 300 direct and more than 600 indirect jobs in the civil works, mechanical manufacturing and equipment assembly.