ÇEİS (Cement Industry Employers Association) shared its future objectives, along with the results of the Turkish cement sector’s activities performed under the theme “Cement for a Safer Future.” Representing 98 percent of the Turkish cement sector with 32 member companies and their 63 affiliated plants, ÇEİS has been carrying out development and improvement activities in all areas involving the sector from developing production technologies to expanding export markets, from generating durable construction stock to extending durable roads and strong safety barriers, from promoting an occupational health and safety culture to training a qualified workforce, from eco-friendly production to renewable energy usage.
ÇEİS Board Chairman Tufan Ünal says that the Turkish cement sector became the leader in Europe by reaching 77 million metric tons of production in 2016.
“We increased our production by 50 percent in the last 10 years. We are not only the leader in Europe but also one of the top five countries in global cement production. The Turkish cement sector is a promising as well as an established sector. We are building the future of Turkey with infrastructure, road, bridge, and housing projects. We are also acting as the driving force behind mega projects such as the Third Airport, Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, Eurasia Tunnel, and İzmit Bay Bridge – all of which will carry our country into the future. We believe that building a safe future under the motto durable construction, powerful Turkey is our reason for being,” Ünal continued.
A sector not causing current deficit
The Turkish cement sector achieved a turnover of about $2.8 billion with a production of 77 million metric tons in 2016. Producing in accordance with the EU principles and cost- cutting modernization investments, the Turkish cement sector achieved $500 million in its export operations in 2016.
Pointing out that by 2023 about seven million houses are to be reconstructed, Mr. Ünal says that “There will be a considerable amount of cement demand for these projects. Today, our sector is able to meet the entire national needs by using only domestic raw materials. Furthermore, it also engages in export operations. The cement sector does not cause current deficit as it only uses domestic raw materials; on the contrary, it helps reduce the deficit through export. We are proud of being a sector that does not contribute to the deficit and, in fact, does reduce the deficit.”
Employment of 17,000 people is in safe hands
The Turkish cement sector employs 17,000 people at plants throughout the country. The sector, which invested 145 million TL in the field of occupational health and safety in the last 10 years, aims to become the first sector springing to mind when it comes to occupational health and safety.
Tufan Ünal says that they collaborated with the British Safety Council – one of the world’s leading occupational health and safety organizations with its vision of “Zero Work Accident.”
“At ÇEİS, we have so far taken an unprecedented step that no other sector may have taken before. To this end, we have had all of our member company plants audited in cooperation with the British Safety Council. As the Turkish cement sector, despite a 90 percent increase in our clinker production capacity and about a 40 percent increase in our workforce in the last 10 years, we have managed to achieve a decline in the rates used in international occupational accident comparisons and seen a decrease by 30 percent in accident frequency rates and by about 60 percent in accident severity rates,” explained Ünal.
ÇEİS also offers various educational programs to attract qualified personnel to the cement sector. In the last 10 years, the Turkish cement sector invested close to 31 million TL in education.
Every Year A New Eurasia Tunnel
“In accordance with our mission to build a safe future for Turkey, we aim to cover our country with durable roads and strong safety barriers,” says Mr. Ünal who adds that “Today, 90 percent of the US roads are concrete. In the future we will have durable, quality, cost-efficient, high- performance, and eco-friendly concrete roads that prove to be more economic in the long run. In municipality road infrastructures, concrete roads have around 35 percent lower initial investment cost and longer life cycle than asphalt roads. The savings that we can earn by getting rid of the maintenance and repair costs of asphalt roads can help us build a new Eurasia Tunnel every year.”
Pointing out the safety issue regarding the barriers used on dual carriageways, Ünal says that “We believe that concrete barriers should be considered as an alternative in order to achieve safety, as well as resistance to environmental conditions and wear, and we are working to this end.”
The Turkish cement sector invested in 100.7 MW waste heat recovery units at 10 plants with 18 lines in late 2016. An additional five lines with an electricity production capacity of 34.0 MW at four plants are also planned to be commissioned in the next few years. The sector’s installed capacity became close to the annual electricity need of about 400,000 households.
Tufan Ünal further states that they had a meeting with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to widen the extent of the energy produced from waste.
“It is possible to produce and use seven million metric tons of additional fuel from about 28 million metric tons of municipal waste annually generated in our country. With that seven million metric tons of additional fuel, 1.7 million metric tons of CO2 reduction and 80 percent of municipal solid waste reduction will be possible. The waste substitution rate reached about 60 percent in Europe, whereas this rate is only around 4 percent in Turkey. Taking this rate to higher levels will greatly contribute to both the environment and the national economy.”
