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West China Cement completes conveyor at Ankang plant, expects higher margins

Last updated: 03:28 26 Nov 2009 EST, First published: 04:28 26 Nov 2009 EST

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West China Cement (AIM: WCC) expects its Ankang plant to operate with a higher profit margin after equipping it with a limestone conveyor belt, the completion of which was announced today.

The plant, which is West China’s third production base after Pucheng and Lantian, has produced 1 million tonnes of cement and sold 0.9 million tonnes after the Ankang kiln was fired on 28 December last year, marking the first step in its commissioning. The waste heat recycling plant that is now operating at capacity with the company expecting the whole facility to run at full capacity in the final quarter of this year.

West China said the conveyor belt, which is the second longest of its kind in the world and the longest in China, was operating better than expected after achieving design capacity of 7,000 tonnes. The company is currently working on reducing operating hours and costs as the production line requires 5,600 tonnes of limestone.

“It not only reduces operating costs and capital expenditure in the long run, but it also provides a much more satisfactory solution from environmental and safety perspectives,” said Technical Director at West China Cement, Jianli Wang.

The company simultaneously updated the market on its Hangzhong projects, where the Yangxian plant was now expected to be complete ahead of schedule in Q1 as opposed to Q2 2010, while the Mianxian plant was on schedule with target completion in Q3 2010. The projects are in line with budget.

Shares in the company rose 4.5% on the news this morning.

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