Lafarge North America announced three personnel appointments at its Whitehall plant: Chafik Bentchikou has been promoted to Production Manager; Philippe Marceau has been named Maintenance Manager; and Ken Boie has become the new Quarry/Raw Materials Manager.

As Production Manager at the 800,000-tpy-plus, dry-process plant, Chafik Bentchikou is responsible for running the production department — the largest department in the plant which includes 25 people and all the plant's kilns. Previously, he was the Quarry and Raw Material Manager at the facility.

Philippe Marceau and his team are in charge of maintenance for all the equipment in the plant. He has been with Lafarge for more than six years and was previously a Project Manager at the facility in Montreal.

Ken Boie joined Lafarge to become the plant's new Quarry/Raw Material Manager and is in charge of all three quarries and all raw materials handling. Previously, Boie was field/project engineer for a firm in West Chester, Pa. and worked on projects throughout the U.S. and on gas platforms in the Persian Gulf.

afarge's Whitehall operation is the oldest operating Lehigh Valley cement plant, established in 1899. The plant employs more than 100 people full-time and has operated for more than three years without a lost-time accident. Since 1993, its Tire Derived Fuel Program has reduced plant emissions, conserved nonrenewable coal fuel, and eliminated and recovered energy from 21 million tires. Winner of the Environmental Excellence Award from the American Portland Cement Association, Whitehall is certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council.