The sun was mostly shining on the 33rd International Cement Seminar held recently in Los Angeles (USA).

More than 120 people attended the plant tours, which this year took in Mitsubishi's Cushenbury Plant in the Lucerne Valley in the high desert, and the nearby Victorville Plant owned and operated by Southdown.

There was a great deal of interest in the reclaimed tire program and the use of biosolids at Lucerne Valley. The Mitsubishi staff explained that these waste fuel methods contribute greatly to the reduction of NOx emissions at the plant.

Visitors to the Victorville operation were provided the rare opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the plant. Following a guided tour of the quarry operations, the amount of interest in the processing plant could be measured by the time it took to round everybody up when it was time to leave.

>From the podium The presentations in Los Angeles covered a variety of topics, yet all related to the general themes of the event: globalization, environment, and new technologies.

Robert Rayner, chief operating officer and president of Essroc/Italcementi, began with an excellent paper on the themes that will shape the future of the cement industry. His speech examined the industry's increasing reliance on technology, customer needs-driven business operations, and environmental concerns. He highlighted the importance of professional management as consolidation and globalization make their marks on the industry world-wide.

Dr. George Gouda, a cement specialist with the International Finance Corp. (IFC), raised a few eyebrows with his paper concerning IFC's experience and requirements for financing cement projects. The presentation highlighted the amounts of money the corporation has invested in the cement industry worldwide, and in which areas it would be looking to invest in the future. Dr. Gouda focused on the probable rise in capacity associated with cement plants, energy reduction, new and more efficient plants and equipment, and low capital and project cost. Again the focus was on the truly global nature of our industry.

A regular presenter at the International Cement Seminar, cement specialist Roy Grancher, called on his experience from 30 years in the business to inform delegates on how to maintain continued profitability while working in the North American cement industry. Grancher used examples from 1997 to try and predict the nature of the business in the coming year.

One of the most interesting presentations on the second, more technically themed day, was given by Jesus Sanchez of Cerro Matoso S.A. and Jim Allen of National Refractories concerning the recent relining of a 182-meter-long nickel kiln in Colombia. Many of the techniques outlined in the paper were of interest to cement manufacturers in attendance.

Also on this day, Henry Reid of Jamaican Gypsum and Quarry Ltd. examined the use of anhydrite as a substitute for gypsum in cement.

More than 110 manufacturers in the exhibition area represented most of the leading players in the international cement industry. International visitor numbers were very high as companies from countries such as Germany, UK, and Canada decided to use the exhibition to show their wares to the world.

The next International Cement Seminar will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Nov. 16 to 19, 1998.