May 2026

The May issue begins with a Regional Report focused on the Chinese cement industry, it’s challenges with overcapacity, and the concept of ‘neijuan.’ This issue also features the World Cement Burner Q&A, with expert insight and analysis from KHD Humboldt Wedag & Unitherm Cemcon. Other topics covered in the issue include: Bagging & Packing, Material Handling, Silo & Storage Clean-Out, Decarbonisation, and condition monitoring.

This month's front cover is brought to you by Unitherm Cemcon.

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REGIONAL REPORT: CHINA

Beijing Breaks The Bottleneck
Alfie Lloyd-Perks, World Cement, explores how China’s cement producers are responding to domestic overcapacity and weak construction demand by restructuring at home and expanding abroad.

BAGGING, PACKING & PALLETISING

Lab-Powered Packaging
Trevor Mitford, Concetti, examines how laboratory-based material analysis is transforming cement packaging from an assumed process into a precisely engineered science.

MATERIAL HANDLING

Improving Splice Joint Reliability
In the first article of a two-part feature, Rob van Oijen, one of Europe’s most highly regarded application engineers, provides valuable guidance on how to improve splice joint reliability.

SILO & STORAGE CLEAN-OUT

The Scanning Silo-ution
Andy Carnan, Mole•Master Services Corporation, explores how remote 3D scanning gives engineering teams safer, more reliable data from inside cement silos.

REFRACTORIES

Robust Refractory Results
Daniel Hansted-Martin and Lars Andersen, HASLE Refractories, present a case study from the Amrize Paulding cement plant in Ohio, examining how a precast modular refractory lining performs under high alternative fuel operation.

BURNER DESIGN

Burner Design Q&A
The World Cement Burner Design Q&A explores the latest developments in burner design and the trends behind them. This year’s edition features insights and analysis from experts at KHD Humboldt Wedag and Unitherm Cemcon.

PRODUCER SHOWCASE

American Cement Ascends
Amrize outlines how domestic production initiatives and capacity expansion at Ste. Genevieve are strengthening supply resilience and supporting growing US construction demand.

DECARBONISING CEMENT PRODUCTION

Securing Scalable SCMs
Dr. Satyanarayana R. Narneni, Carbon Upcycling, explores strategies to secure and scale alternative SCMs from locally available steel slag and clays as conventional sources diminish.

The Electric Era Emerges
Joonas Rauramo, Coolbrook, examines how electrified high-temperature heat is shaping the next phase of cement decarbonisation.

The CCUS Solutions Suite
Dhineshkumar Kandaraj, Honeywell UOP, explains how a portfolio approach, rather than any single carbon capture technology, answers the real question every cement producer now faces.

CONDITION MONITORING

Monitoring: In Principle And Practice
Robert Whetstone, Martin Engineering, explores the realities of implementing remote monitoring in cement operations, highlighting both the benefits and the practical challenges of adoption.