UniCem’s Mfamosing plant beats expectations

The United Cement Company of Nigeria’s (UniCem) state-of-the-art facility located at Mfamosing, 45 kilometres (km) north-east of Calabar, in Akampa Local Government of Cross River State, has continued to beat expectations of key stakeholders and industry watchers, as it remains one of the most modern cement plants in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Real Sector Watch has gathered.

UniCem is the third largest cement maker in the country, behind Dangote Cement and Lafarge WAPCO, which is set to transform into Lafarge Africa. UniCem was formed through the liquidation of erstwhile Calcemco, a state-owned cement company by the Nigerian government.

Since its inauguration in 2009, production in the plant has been on steady increase, from 0.7 million metric tons (mtpa) within the period to 1.8 million (mtpa) by 2013, and then to 2.5 million mtpa in 2014. With the success recorded so far in the plant, the cement maker plans to increase capacity to 5 million mtpa within the shortest possible time, through its second line.

The cement plant was commissioned on May 12, 2009, after a four-year design and construction phase. Test production of cement commenced at the plant in March 2009, and commercial production in May, 2009. In 2010, the plant produced its first million tons of cement. Subsequently, UniCem started the building of a new cement evacuation road leading from our Mfamosing plant directly to the Odukpani junction in the area.

At the plant, there is 5m x 80m kiln with a clinker output of 6,250 tons/day. Drawing the finished product, cement, from the three cement silos (capacity of 20 000 tons each), the four packers in the packing plant are capable of packing 112 tons of cement/hour each, a statement of the company, released to Real Sector Watch, said.

Power is generated on site by three 16 megawatts (mw) Wartsila engines, capable of operating on either fuel or gas. Raw materials required in the production of the cement making process – limestone and marl – are mined at the adjacent quarries to the plant, which are located along a limestone belt, known for solid minerals’ abundance and quality.

One fact that stands this plant out is its ability to produce two types of product grades -32.5R and 42.4N.

“We offer Portland Limestone Cement brands that conform to Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS: 444-1:2003). Our 32.5R Portland Limestone Cement is a multi-purpose product while our 42.5N is specialised product for infrastructure construction (bridge, flyover, roads, high-rise commercial buildings, precast – roofing sheets, panels, etc.),’’ a statement by the company, said, adding that these products were of superior quality in the country and any part of the world.

Olivier Lenoir, CEO, UniCem, said some of the challenges encountered at the plant include high cost of energy, poor infrastructure, absence of harmony in taxes and levies and lack of skilled manpower, among others.