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THE
COMPANY
Grupo Apasco, founded
in 1928, produces and markets cement, premix concrete,
aggregates, and other products and services for the
construction industry. The Swiss Holderbank group, a
world leader in supplying cement, is the majority owner
of the company.
In
1998 Grupo Apasco produced 6.5 million tons of cement
and 2.4 million cubic meters of premix concrete. Company
sales amounted to U.S.$632 million, and it exported
approximately 700,000 tons of cement and clinker. In
that same year, the company had a 23% share of the cement
market and a 25% share of the premix concrete market
in Mexico. Grupo Apasco has a work force of 2,600 employees.
THE
PROCESS
Cement is a hydraulic
compound that results when clinker is pulverized to
a certain grade of fineness. During the grinding process,
natural calcium sulfate and other elements are then
added to it to provide it with certain properties—specifically,
setting and hardening features.
The process includes
the following stages:
-
Mining, in open-pit deposits, of limestone and loam,
which are crushed and ground to make a homogenous
mixture called “raw flour”
-
Calcination of the raw flour in a rotary oven,
which produces an intermediate substance called “clinker”
-
Grinding of clinker, gypsum, and other minerals to create
the final product: cement
CARE
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
With an awareness
of the need to preserve the environment, Grupo Apasco
included this concept in its mission: "We are
fully committed to preservation of the environment and
therefore, all our activities are being carried out
in such a way as to insure our common future".
Because of its relationship
with Holderbank,Grupo Apasco has been involved since
1992 in the commitment assumed under the Charter of
Companies for Sustainable Development of the International
Chamber of Commerce. In accordance with these commitments,
the company adopted environmental principles describing
the basic concepts of its actions, which have become
formalized in its environmental policy. The design of
this policy required an analysis of the different functional
areas of the company.
By
implementing its environmental policy, Grupo Apasco
is contributing to the
-
Use of advanced production technologies
-
Rationalization
of the use of resources
-
Commitment to the development of society
These
contributions highlight Grupo Apasco’s intention to
remain and excel as a company in the long term.
The principles of
its environmental policy require the company to manage
its activities in caring for and protecting the environment
in an orderly fashion. For this reason Grupo Apasco
implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS),
which includes continuous improvement in company performance.
ENVIRONMENTAL
STRATEGY
Decreased
Energy Consumption
From 1990 to 1998,
electric power consumption decreased by 13% and heat
energy consumption fell by 21%. The combined result
provides a total reduction of 20% per ton of cement
produced. In addition, optimization of combustion processes
and the development of new compounded cements have reduced
energy consumption during the same period of time.
The following graph shows the decrease in specific energy
consumption during the past decade:
*Consumo
de energia total por tonelada de cemento = Total Energy
Consumption per Ton of Cement
*KWh/T
de cemento = kWh/t of Cement
*Consumo
eléctrico = Electrical Consumption
*Consumo
termico expresado en unidades electricas = Heat Consumption
Expressed
in Electrical Units
Care
and optimization in energy consumption has provided
Grupo Apasco with both financial and environmental benefits.
In recent years it has received four national awards
for electric power savings, granted by the Federal Electricity
Commission (CFE), at several of its plants.
Prizes Awarded to Grupo Apasco
|
Year
|
Plant
|
Place
|
|
1992
|
Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila
|
First Place
|
|
1993
|
Orizaba, Veracruz
|
First Place
|
|
1996
|
Tecomán, Colima
|
Third Place
|
|
1997
|
Macuspana, Tabasco
|
Second Place
|
Mitigation
of CO2
As
a result of decreased energy consumption during the
1990—98 period, the company has been able to reduce
its CO2 emissions by 6% per ton of cement
produced. The following graph shows these results:
Clean
Production
Among
its action plans, the company encourages strategic thinking
on environmental issues, offering products that include
replacement of natural raw materials, without affecting
the quality and performance of products being supplied
to the market. The following may be mentioned in a generic
fashion:
-
The
addition of pozzolana to cement, slags of blast furnace
coming from the steel industry, and light ash from
thermoelectric generating plants, with results that
include energy savings and a reduction of gas and
particulate emissions to the atmosphere.
-
Decreased
consumption of water and other resources in cement,
premix concrete, and aggregate material production
processes.
-
Improved
use of both land and sea transportation, by replacing
trucks with rail and ship transportation, in order
to decrease specific fuel consumption and the accompanying
emissions of pollutant gases into the atmosphere.
Monitoring
of Environmental Performance
Monitoring
of emissions is performed according to environmental
legislation and standards in effect, in addition to
commitments that have been assumed on an international
level. Regular measurements of emissions are made, and
reports are sent to authorities with jurisdiction.
Training
During
the last five years, the company has invested close
to 4,000 man-hours in environmental training for its
executives, middle management, and staff in general.
Seminars and workshops have been held internationally,
with support from Holderbank. Company employees have
also worked closely with schools, universities, and
government agencies to increase and acquire knowledge
about the environment. Grupo Apasco has been an active
participant in round-table work groups with regional
and federal councils and industrial associations, dealing
with issues such as environmental management and the
handling of industrial wastes. The company encourages
community development by supporting the creation of
Agricultural and Livestock Training Centers (CECAF),
where free group-education plans are provided on agricultural
and stock-raising techniques, including species improvement
and reforestation programs.
FINANCIAL
BENEFITS
The
tangible financial benefits gained from using the abovementioned
strategies amount to approximately U.S.$5 million, as
a part of the company’s effort to optimize electric
power and heat energy use. Intangible benefits include
improvement of Grupo Apasco’s corporate image in the
community, thanks to the implementation of its environmental
policy, its compliance with standards, and its support
programs for the community.
INVESTMENTS
During
the last eight years, Grupo Apasco has invested some
U.S.$80 million in anti-pollution and monitoring facilities.
The company has attempted to adapt to the country's
economic environment by optimizing its operating expenses
related to the environment, which amount to approximately
U.S.$10 million.
CONCLUSIONS
For
Grupo Apasco, conservation and preservation of the environment
is an ongoing commitment that signifies compliance with
established environmental principles through the creation
of programs and action plans requiring encouragement
and support from the organization. Investments require
cost/benefit analyses in order to maintain the company's
long-term competitive performance. Nevertheless, the
group firmly believes that any investment in environmental
improvements will result not only in financial benefits
but in social and environmental benefits that will create
a brighter future.
CONTACT
Ing.
Jacques Bourgon
Grupo
Apasco
Corporate
Director of Cement Operations
Campos
Elíseos 345, Piso 16
Col.
Chapultepec-Polanco
11560
México, D.F., Mexico
Tel.
(52-5) 724-0115
Fax
(52-5) 724-0285
E-mail:
jbourgon@apasco.com.mx
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