October - November 2013
MODERN QUARRYING
9
AROUND THE
INDUSTRY
For 15 years, the North West Province
community of Springbok Pan has not fin-
ished building its only clinic due to the
theft of materials and a lack of funding to
replace these. The clinic has now opened
its doors through a partnership between
Sephaku Cement and the community
situated near its flagship Aganang plant.
Hillhead 2014 selling
out fast
With eight months to go before Hillhead
2014 opens its doors, the show is heading
towards a complete sell out.
“With all themajor players likeTerex,Volvo,
Finning/Cat, JCB, Komatsu, Case, Sandvik,
Phoenix Parker, Hyundai, Bell, Liebherr,
Doosan, Atlas Copco, Bomag, Wirtgen and
McCloskey all rebooking, along with a host of
other Hillhead regulars, there is now very little
outdoor space left for new exhibitors,” warns
event director Jack Berridge.
The show takes place from 24-26 June
2014 at Lafarge Tarmac’s Hillhead Quarry,
near Buxton.
Cement manufacturer PPC Ltd, a key
investor in Rwanda’s only cement pro-
ducer, Cimerwa, has sponsored this year’s
East African Investment Business Summit
in Rwanda to help stimulate infrastruc-
ture development and investment in the
region. The summit, which was hosted by
the Rwanda Development Board (RDB),
took place on November 10 and 11.
“Effective infrastructure develop-
ment needs to be coordinated across
borders and countries and we are proud
to sponsor this event together with the
RDB, to facilitate an East African regional
approach to infrastructure development,”
says Pepe Meijer, PPC International’s MD.
The summit is a gathering of stake-
holders ranging from government, pri-
vate and public sectors as well as industry
associations with an interest in uncover-
ing and showcasing Africa’s potential.
It is a coming together of pioneers and
stakeholders interested in sharing the
economic success stories of Africa in a
PPC sponsors Rwandan summit
country that has consistently demon-
strated resilience on both the political
and economic fronts against the back-
drop of the 1994 genocide.
“Infrastructure development will pro-
vide the foundation of the growth into the
rest of Africa. With infrastructure comes
the ability to trade. The free trade area in
East Africa will give companies access to
over 200-million people. The stable supply
of high quality cement and other building
materials will be key in ensuring this infra-
structure development,”Meijer says.
PPC already has a footprint in Rwanda
having purchased 51% in Rwandan
cement company Cimerwa for over
US$69‑million at the end of last year.
Currently, the plant has a manufacturing
capacity of 100 000 tpa of which PPC is
looking to increase its capacity to around
600 000 tpa. Current demand for cement in
Rwanda is estimated at 350 000 tpa. Based
on Rwanda and the surrounding region’s
positive economic outlook‚ regional
cement demand is projected to continue
to increase for at least the next 10 years.
Rwanda is strategically located in
East Africa, sharing borders with the DRC,
Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. According
to the World Bank, Rwanda is the third-
easiest place to do business in Africa.
These facts make Rwanda a key location
for PPC to continue its expansion in the
region and support infrastructure devel-
opment.
Sephaku Cement to the rescue
The 3 000 people in Springbok Pan
now have a dedicated 235 m
2
clinic, with
nurses on duty from Monday to Friday,
and access to a doctor on a monthly basis.
“Through projects like these, we
would like to help break the cycle of pov-
erty where we operate,” says CE Pieter
Fourie.
