CPI is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of the training providers for 'Cement Professionals Training' at the 2014 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Conference. The title of our training session is 'Process Aspects of Alternative Fuels' and will run on Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon during the conference. We look forward to seeing you there.
MAY 2013
CPI completes new E-learning system
CPI has recently completed an e-learning, interactive self-paced training course for kiln operators for one of its North American clients. The course comprises 3 elements, namely a tutorial, a quiz and an online assignment. The quiz and online assignment are designed to check understanding of the content of the lesson and make it relevant for individual cement plants. The advantage of an online system means that unrestricted numbers of users can access the system at any time, training can commence immediately for any new starters and the training is tailored to be specific to the main equipment and raw materials found on each cement plant. If you would like additional information about our e-learning system, please Contact Us.
OCTOBER 2012
CPI publishes new article in World Cement
Allison Riser has written an article which has been published in the September issue of World Cement Magazine. The article entitled "Investing in People" highlights the unique training needs of control room operators, based on CPI's experiences in developing and presenting training programmes to all levels of cement plant personnel in many parts of the world. Read the Article.
MARCH 2012
Consultec and CPI (Cement Performance International) announce the formation of a strategic partnership to deliver an international full service cement engineering capability
Consultec and CPI are pleased to announce the formation of a single strategic partnership that will leverage the skills and accumulated experience of the two companies to deliver an international full service cement engineering capability to clients in the cement and minerals processing industries.
Consultec, headquartered in Canada, has been offering integrated engineering solutions for cement and mining projects for over 35 years. Together with their subsidiary, Walter Dow Associates, Consultec has developed an international reputation for excellence and innovation in delivering multi-disciplinary engineering around the world. Consultec’s strengths are focused on the conceptual, fundamental and detailed multi-disciplinary engineering design of projects combined with project management, procurement and construction management.
CPI, founded in 2002 and headquartered in the UK, has a unique mix of business and operations people working alongside technical experts to offer cement manufacturers in-depth knowledge and expertise to help optimise their technical and financial performance and deliver increased profitability. CPI’s core skills complement Consultec’s project strengths to include strategic analysis with pre and full feasibility studies. In addition, CPI’s operating experience base allows them to provide technical and operational training on all aspects of cement manufacture and at all levels, from operators to executives, commissioning services for completed projects and on-going operational support to optimise equipment operations. This exciting partnership will enable Consultec CPI to deliver full service cement engineering for the design, construction and operation of cement and other minerals projects from small operational improvements to complete greenfield plants.
Consultec CPI’s combined areas of expertise include:
"The existing skill sets and cultures of our respective companies are an excellent fit and we are confident that this strategic partnership will efficiently expand our portfolio of services to serve our clients more effectively." Allison Riser, President of CPI
"CPI's hands-on process and operations expertise will dovetail nicely with Consultec's practical project delivery services - I am very excited that our new team will be able to offer a more integrated approach to plant design." Alex Ochrym, President of Consultec.
Contact Information:
Alex Ochrym
President
Consultec Ltd
+1.416.236.2426x201
aochrym@consultec.ca
www.consultec.ca
Allison Riser
President
Cement Performance International Ltd
+441634 404585 Contact Us
www.cementperformance.com
JUNE 2010
Alternative Fuels Paper and Presentation from IEEE 2010
At the IEEE conference of 2010 in Colorado Springs, Mark Mutter presented a paper entitled “Procurement Strategies for Alternative Fuels”. The paper details an area that has been rarely studied in the field of Alternative Fuels usage, and has been written based upon the many years of Alternative Fuels Usage within CPI.
CPI has now launched its new "Investment Portfolio" brochure live on its website. The Investment Portfolio is a summary of the services that CPI can provide with real demonstrations of the value that CPI has recently delivered to its customers. Furthermore, a number of CPI clients have provided testimonials for inclusion in the brochure to demonstrate their belief in the value that CPI adds to cement plant operations.
In February 2010 CPI presented a paper at the Global Fuels Conference in Riyadh. The presentation and paper focused on plant optimisation by process information management.
Please click here to read the CPI Training Scope of Services. Despite the current downturn in the market, training should not be forgotten. In fact, there are strong reasons why training should be a key area in 2010, such as:
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Many manufacturers have reduced headcount on cement factories and it is generally the longer serving members of the workforce that have left. As such the industry needs to ensure that those that remain on the plant payroll have the required knowledge to run and optimise the plant.
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Many plants have had extended stops and personnel will lose their day to day operational knowledge, and in such cases refresher training is required.
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For plants that have not reduced headcount, but are considering this as an potential course of action, training of personnel to take more responsibility and ownership of their plant area is essential.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the services described within the document and how CPI can assist in designing and delivering training courses for your company in 2010.
NOVEMBER 2009
CPI publishes new article in World Cement
Mark Mutter has written an article which can be found in the November issue of World Cement Magazine. The article is entitled "Consultant Selection" and focuses on some of the criteria that a cement producer should focus on when using a consultant, as well as an explanation of how to avoid falling into the trap of the "expectation gap". Read the Article.
SEPTEMBER 2009
CPI Alternative Fuels Scope of Services
Please click here to read the CPI Alternative Fuels Scope of Services. Many of the services within the scope have been available from CPI for a number of years, but due to recent additions to the CPI network of experts we have been able to extend our services to cover Alternative Fuels support from concept to commissioning and optimisation.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the services described within the document and how CPI can assist in the implementation of your Alternative Fuels programme.
MAY 2009
CPI at the IEEE
CPI will once again be exhibiting at the IEEE Conference which runs between May 31 and June 4 in Palm Springs, California. Come and meet members of the CPI team on stand number 116. View the conference website.
MARCH 2009
New CPI Interactive Calculator
As mentioned in previous newsletters, CPI has continued to develop the interactive section of the website. Following on from the Variability Calculator, CPI has now launched a Fuel Consumption Calculator. The aim of the tool is to benchmark the fuel consumption of a plant by its process and cooler type. By inputting the plants actual fuel consumption and annual fuel cost, the calculator will provide an estimate of the potential annual saving that could be achieved if the plant was running at benchmark fuel consumption. Click Here to try the Fuel Consumption Calculator.
FEBRUARY 2009
CPI Publishes Article in World Cement
In the February issue of World Cement, Mark Mutter has written an article outlining the CPI methodology for designing training courses for the cement industry. Whilst there are many generic courses available to cement producers, CPI believes that all courses should be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, be Realistic and Timely (SMART). Read the Article.
DECEMBER 2008
Project Support
CPI is involved with a number of on-going projects around the world, providing support in a number of different areas. Yanbu Cement are working with Sinoma on a new 10,000 tpd plant, and CPI is providing technical support in the areas of process, mechanical and electrical engineering. Work is continuing on the 5000 tpd kiln line in Colombia and CPI had completed some inspections in France for the supply of the MV switchgear before shipment.
Training and Commissioning
Training and commissioning are essential parts of any project - once the equipment is installed the personnel need the tools and assistance to learn how to operate their new plant. In North America CPI have been providing support to Italcementi in the form of training for the operators for the new kiln line at Martinsburg. CPI also provided commissioning assistance in the form of one of its Expert Kiln Burners for a new kiln line in Mexico during the final quarter of 2008. If your project - whether a new line or plant upgrade - is nearing completion, please contact us to find out how we can assist you making your commissioning as professional and successful as possible.
OCTOBER 2008
Cement Technology for Executives
In October 2008 CPI delivered its Cement Technology Course for Executives to a group 12 of Directors from the Titan Cement Company.
The purpose of the course was to emphasise the technical aspects of the cement manufacturing process which have the biggest impact upon bottom line, and the technical options that cement plant operators can develop their plants during periods of expansion. As with all of the CPI courses, there was a blend of classroom lectures, course exercises and in this case a business based game for the participants to test their technical knowledge and how this can be implemented in the context of the cement industry. The course was delivered by Murray Hislop and Brian Boon, who both have extensive experience of plant operations, corporate environments as well as the wider cement business.
JULY 2008
Ash Grove Leamington
During the second quarter, CPI associate Barry Smith visited the Ash Grove Leamington plant for a period of two weeks. This was the continuation from a previous visit to the plant and the particular areas of focus included:
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Review of the cooler operation and recommendations for future modifications.
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Recommendations on the set-up of the burner pipe.
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Review of the calciner and front end burner fuel split.
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Control of NOx emissions.
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Recommendations relating to in-process quality control.
During the visit Barry worked with both the Engineering team and the kiln operators to assist in the optimization of the plant.
JUNE 2008
CPI Completes another successful training course
CPI has completed another successful training course at Gatwick, London. Once again the course featured many of the CPI experts and had a true multi-national participation, with delegates from Nigeria, Macedonia, USA, UK and the Czech Republic. The course covered the Optimisation of the Cement Manufacturing Process and some of the comments of the participants can be found below, along with photographs from the course and the visit to London.
"The presenters were able to give me a new line of thought that will enable me to become a better process engineer"
"CPI was able to transform me"
"I would recommend this course to Senior Management and policy making personnel"
"Very good quality and experience of presenters"
"The course outline was professionally arranged and sequential"
APRIL 2008
CPI completes two training courses in Australia
CPI has just completed two training courses in Australia - a Cement Technology Course and a Cement Optimisation course - the latter being similar to the UK based course at Gatwick on the 1st to 5th June, 2008. The course had specifically been for representatives from Adelaide Brighton Cement, Sunstate Cement, Blue Circle Southern Cement and Golden Bay Cement in New Zealand. Some of the feedback received from the course participants is below:
Cement Technology Course
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"Lots of practical experience and situations..real life examples are good from the presenters"
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"Excellent presenters - always ready to explain and answer questions"
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"Thank you foe a great course and I can recommend this course to others at work"
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"Perfect - I am at the start of my career and it is good to learn as much as I can as soon as possible"
Optimisation Course
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"..the presenters were well informed and knowledgeable, with good experience of cement plants"
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"..the presenters passed on the course material in an easy to understand fashion"
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"Thank you for a very good course. It was also very useful to make new contacts in the Industry"
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"..it was good to see the presenters had faced the same issues as I had"
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"..easy to understand, presenters approachable, training material offers practical advice"
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"..it has been a great learning experience and will help me with my job as a process engineer"
MARCH 2008
CPI at the IEEE
CPI will once again be exhibiting at the IEEE Conference which runs between the 18th and 22nd May in Miami. Come and meet members of the CPI team on stand number 619. To view the conference website, please click here.
CPI presents at London Fuels Conference
CPI recently presented a paper at the London Global Fuels Conference. The paper focused on the use of Alternative Fuels - and more specifically the human aspects achieving success in both alternative fuels trials and also aspects of using several alternaive fuels at the same time on a cement works. View the presentation. An article to accompany the presentation will soon be published in the Global Fuels magazine. View all CPI's published papers and presentations
JANUARY 2008
CPI publishes new World Cement article
A new article entitled "Training that Performs" by Peter Dover, CPI Technical Director, has been published in the February edition of World Cement. To read this article, please click here.
DECEMBER 2007
CPI presents paper at CemTech Conference
CPI Technical Marketing Director Mark Mutter presented a paper at the Florida Cemtech conference. The paper focused on the impacts of the variability in the cement manufacturing process, the areas where variability can be introduced or eliminated within the process and the variability calculator that CPI has developed for cement manufacturers to assess their variability.
View the presentation Try CPI's variability calculator
CPI Customer Survey Results
As mentioned in the Q3 Newsletter, all of the results of the CPI Customer Survey have been received and compiled. Many thanks to all of those of you who returned your questionnaire - it has greatly helped CPI to review its strategies and service offerings. To see the full results of the questionnaire please click here.
OCTOBER 2007
Online booking now available for the 2008 Training Course
Online booking is now available for CPI's training course “Optimisation of Cement Manufacturing Operations” running from the 1st-5th June 2008.
SEPTEMBER 2007
CPI announces the dates for 2008 Training Course
Following the successful course at Gatwick in June this year, CPI announces that it will be running an extended 4-day training course at Gatwick from the 1st June (registration) to the 5th June. The extension from 3 to 4 days is following positive feedback from this years participants that they would prefer to go into greater depth with the CPI experts on the areas covered on the course. The course is again being held in the UK so that the number of CPI experts that can be present on the course to meet the participants and assist them with their plant issues can be maximised. The Course title is "Optimisation of Cement Manufacturing Operations".
CPI increases Mechanical Engineering Resources
On the 1st of September CPI welcomed Miguel Munoz to the team as a full time member. Born in Colombia, Miguel is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and will be working on CPI's reliability and maintenance management services, as well as troubleshooting clients mechanical engineering problems. Miguels' previous role was as a Mechanical Engineer at Forjas Bolivar.
AUGUST 2007
CPI Directors attend Buckingham Palace Reception
CPI owners and founders, Allison Riser and Peter Dover, along with Marketing Director Mark Mutter all attended a reception at Buckingham Palace at the end of July. This was part of a series of events organised by the Palace and the Queens Award office to congratulate those who won a Queens Award for Enterprise earlier in the year (CPI won the Award for International trade - see earlier news story). The three Directors were presented to the Queen and Prince Philip and also met Princess Anne, as well as many others from the Royal Household. CPI also has an Awards Ceremony planned in September where they will receive the Queens Award rose bowl from the Lord Lieutenant of Kent. More pictures
JUNE 2007
CPI completes another successful training course
CPI held its "Profitability and Performance from Cement Operations" course at Gatwick in June 2007. The course was a huge success with an international flavour with participants from the UK, Ireland, USA, Peru, Greece and Australia. The course covered the whole cement making process and identified ways and means for cement producers to optimse their plants and therefore their profitability. On the strength of this successful course CPI is already preparing dates for its 2008 course which again will be held in the London area. See below for some of the comments from the participants and also pictures of the training event.
"Overall, a good course providing some unique information and interesting to get an international perspective" Jennifer Colburn - Dragon Cement, USA.
"It was very impressive to have CPI staff available throughout the course to answer questions" Ian Unsworth - Blue Circle Southern Cement, Australia.
"The course was extremely productive and very complete. I am glad I came" Javier Aparicio - Cemento Yura, Peru.
APRIL 2007
CPI wins prestigious award
Cement Performance International (CPI) is proud to announce that it has been awarded "The Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2007". The decision to make the Award is made by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, assisted by an advisory committee and is a public acknowledgement of outstanding achievement in International Trade. The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious Awards for business performance and the Award for International Trade recognises companies that have demonstrated growth in overseas earnings, sustained over not less than three years. CPI is in its fifth year of operations and has year on year increased its overall and international operating revenues, with over 90% of its operating revenues coming from overseas sales. CPI will be presented with the Award later in the year at its offices in Kent and will also attend a reception for award winners at Buckingham Palace. Read More...
To see the award winners please visit the official award website. For more information about The Queens Award's International Trade category, please see here.
MARCH 2007
CPI to exhibit at IEEE Conference in Charleston
This year, for the first time, CPI will be exhibiting at the IEEE Conference in Charleston, from April 29th to May 3rd. The company will be represented by Allison Riser, Mark Mutter and Alan Lorimer. The team can talk to you about the services that we provide and any specific areas relating to your plant or company. We look forward to seeing you there at our booth number 143.
JANUARY 2007
CPI announces dates for its Summer Training Course
The CPI training course "Profitability and Performance from Cement Operations" will run from Monday 4th June (registration evening of Sunday 3rd June) until Wednesday 6th June at the Gatwick Ramada Hotel. Whilst the main focus of the course is the improvment of Cement Plant Operations, there will also be the opportunity to network with other producers and suppliers to the industry (an advantage of face-to-face training when compared to other methods such as on-line modules).