Duna-Dráva Cement completes EUR55m upgrade, Hungary

Duna-Dráva Cement completes EUR55m upgrade, Hungary
23 September 2009


Hungarian cement maker Duna-Dráva Cement Kft, an interest of Germany’s HeidelbergCement Group, has completed a HUF15bn (EUR 55.3m) upgrade project at its Beremend (southwest Hungary) and inaugurated the new buildings and equipment on Tuesday, local newswire MTI reported.

The upgrade took five years of preparations and 21 months of work, said Chairman-CEO János Szarkándi, adding that they have replaced the two 37-year old kiln lines with top-of-the-line, computer-controlled new ones. Duna-Dráva Cement also refurbished its cooling tower, the cementclinker cooler and the dust catch.

Szarkándi emphasised that the Beremend plant has become one of the most cutting-edge cement works of Europe via the modernisation scheme that was financed party from the company’s own resources and partly from loans. After the upgrade the factory’s capacities grew by 15%, its energy efficiency has risen by 10%, the ratio of the use of alternative energy sources leaped by 50% and its emissions dropped by 35%.

HeidelbergCement entered the Hungarian market in 1989. HeidelbergCement’s activities in cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates in Hungary are a joint venture with Schwenk Zement and are carried out by the leading companies Duna-Dráva Cement, TBG Hungária and Dunai Kavicsüzemek.
Published under Cement News