Registration for the II level University Master in "Advanced Techniques for the Management of Cement Production Plants" in partnership with the Polytechnic of Turin is open.
Once again this year, Buzzi Unicem participated in the Piedmont Region’s iniative “Fabbriche Aperte” (Open Plant Days) by opening its Robilante plant doors and showcasing the “Discover the value of who creates value” philosophy underlying the event. This philosophy highlights the concept of the plant as a strategic and distinctive productive element in the industrial heritage of Piedmont in the past, present and future.
Approximately 70 people of all ages visited the plant on 8 and 9 November.
After a short classroom presentation on the history of the plant as part of the industrial heritage of Piedmont, visitors enjoyed a guided tour to learn about the various phases of the cement production process.
The video with the visits to the various companies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=940T7CsUJlI&feature=youtu.be
Buzzi Unicem, the Region of Piedmont – Social Welfare Consortium of Cuneo, the Region of Veneto – ULSS (local health unit) 6 Euganea, and the Region of Lazio – CPI Center for Mental Health Center, have signed protocols of understanding to promote policies of social inclusion aimed at increasing the confidence levels of people who may feel socially marginalized.
Buzzi Unicem plays an active role in the course of treatment of disadvantaged people who would like to seek social integration through work. By spending time within our company, the beneficiaries of the program will increase their store of knowledge and skills in the hope that it will lead to a stable job, even outside the company, once the internship has been completed. Each internship is covered by an agreement and an Individual Training Plan, which establishes the terms and timeframes of the internship itself.
Buzzi Unicem has committed to this program to help the beneficiaries become more active in their social life, help them face their everyday life with a new awareness and improve their social and family relationships.
Installation work on the Cleanker Project pilot system at the Buzzi Unicem in Vernasca has begun, with the goal of demonstrating that the CO2 generated during the cement production cycle can be captured, preventing it from being emitted into the atmosphere and ultimately helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The research is being funded as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020, the seven-year Framework Program (2014-2020) aimed at supporting the most promising research, innovation and technology transfer activities in Europe. Involving 12 European and one Chinese partner, the initiative is coordinated by LEAP (Piacenza Environmental Energy Laboratory), a specialized laboratory in the energy and environmental sector and a subsidiary of the Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic of Milan), by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Sacred Heart Catholic University) and companies in the energy industry.
The parties involved are optimistic that this project could have important global repercussions for the cement sector, the reduction of CO2 emissions, and for achieving the ambitious European targets established as a result of the Paris agreement (COP21).
SmartCity was talking about this in the edition on October 7.
Buzzi Unicem and Cesvi are working together again this year so that new unaccompanied foreign minors can benefit from our program that hosts and provides them with integrated socio-employment pathways.
We introduce Komara, who currently works with Zitouny in the machine shop at the Augusta plant, in Sicily. You can read about his story, dreams, and perceptions here.
The video, which was made before he started working at Buzzi Unicem, is part of a documentary series that describe the various stages of the process of integrating the young people. This series is part of the "Towards integration" project developed by Nomadicfaces in conjunction with the Intercultural Center for Help and Guidance C.I.A.O., a space supported by the Marist community in Syracuse to help meet the needs and desire for integration of young immigrants in the province.
One of the goals of research in the construction materials sector is aimed at building infrastructure with a lower environmental impact by developing and continuously optimizing advanced concretes. These advanced concretes can achieve high physical-mechanical performance levels and extend the service life of infrastructure by increasing the durability of the materials, one of the underlying principles in the design of sustainable infrastructure. Durability can be increased by preparing concretes that can counteract the degradation resulting from environmental conditions, such as carbonation-induced corrosion caused by chlorides present in a marine environment or other sources, attacks from freeze-thaw cycles or chemical attacks from substances in the ground or industrial processes. Improving the quality of the materials will lead to reduced maintenance operations, efficient use of resources and greater sustainability.
The goal of the LORCENIS project – in which our R&D departments actively participate – is to develop long lasting advanced and functional concretes for building infrastructure for existing and emerging renewable energy technologies. These concretes will be exposed to extreme environmental conditions like in arctic or desert areas along coastlines or in the deep seas.
For further information, please see the www.lorcenis-eu.com website and read the article published in Portland nr. 76 (www.buzziunicem.com/portland)
Confindustria has developed an initiative aimed at communicating, updating and sharing experiences and good practices through targeted actions that will highlight the opportunities associated with the circular economy model, and implementing the process of sharing experiences so that they can be disseminated and made available throughout the country.
Aimed at companies and management, the goal of the project is to provide information, examples and tools so they can remain up-to-date about the opportunities offered by the circular economy and its potential impact on companies and the entire economic-productive system.
Buzzi Unicem is actively participating in this project and has contributed a case history that can be accessed here.
The circular economy and climate change mitigation are matters that closely involve the cement and concrete sectors, resulting from the implementation of new national and European directives. And these topics were specifically the point of discussion when manufacturers from the Federbeton sector met with representatives from Institutions, the Fondazione per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (Foundation for Sustainable Development), ICESP, ISPRA and ANCI, together with support from the ETH of Zurich, on June 6 at the Senate Library in Rome.
Having been committed to material and energy recovery in their production cycles for many years, manufacturers are ready to meet this challenge, which is crucial for the future of man on the planet, thanks to their ability to give new life to waste materials by transforming them into raw materials and as an alternative to fossil fuels. Nonetheless, they face a number of external obstacles along this path to sustainability, such as legislative differences, mistrust on the part of the territory, lack of symbiosis within the industry.
The goal of the conference organized by Federbeton, sponsored in conjunction with the Circular Economy Network and moderated by Maurizio Melis, was to frame the current situation and present the medium-term outlook, as well as the sector’s commitment to an increasingly sustainable future.
Melis then further explored some of the ideas that emerged from the conference in two episodes of Smart City, on 11 and 12 June (podcasts available in Italian only),and the business newspapers Il Sole 24 Ore has interviewed Antonio Buzzi, COO Cement italy, on the topics discussed during the conference (interview available in Italian only)
33,000 cubic meters of concrete, 94 hours nonstop supply in 3 minutes: watch Unical record breaking pour video!
The Smart City program – Voices and places of innovation on RADIO24 – recently took a look at the world of cement. Producer Maurizio Melis devoted three episodes to the evolution of cement and concrete, including the measures being undertaken to reduce the environmental impact of this industry.
Assisted by Prof. Luigi Coppola from the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Bergamo, Melis illustrated some of the new cement products available today: photocatalytic concretes that break down pollutants, pervious concretes with a porous structure, reinforced concretes for maintenance operations, self-healing concretes containing crystallizing additives, translucent concretes with optical fibers to allow the transmission of light, floating concrete produced with lightweight aggregates and used, for example, to construct offshore turbines, photoluminescent concretes composed of a conglomerate that absorbs light during the day and releases it at night, and last but not least, concrete for large 3D printers that have already been used to construct several multi-story buildings in China.
Cement is an old material but is constantly evolving thanks to continuous investments in research and profitable collaborations with universities.
The three Smart City Podcast episodes:
“Cement, between history and innovation” is the title of the 14th episode of Nautilus, which was broadcast on Rai Scuola during primetime on 17 April. Dedicated entirely to cement and its innovative derivative products, the story included a segment recorded at our Guidonia plant that showed the production process of cement. The report also included many references to the history of this hydraulic binder, which is essential for the growth of our society, cities and infrastructure. Last but not least, it also comprised information about the innovations that have been carried out over the last few years to increase its performance and sustainability.
Producer of the video and interviews: Massimo Bongiorno.
Today Buzzi Unicem SpA has signed an enforceable agreement for the purchase from HeidelbergCement (more precisely from Italsacci SpA, Italcementi SpA, Cemitaly SpA) of three companies respectively holding a cement plant located in Tuscany (Greve in Chianti) and two grinding units in Piedmont (Borgo San Dalmazzo and Arquata Scrivia).
The transaction is part of the plan aimed at strengthening the national market position, in the framework of the rationalization and consolidation process of the production structure that has been underway in Italy for some years. The transaction, all the determining factors being equal, will also have a positive impact on the profitability of the cement division in Italy, thanks to synergies deriving from economies of scale and to sales and logistics optimization. The execution of the agreement is expected by 31 July 2019.
“Think circular, act sustainable” was the title of the conference at the MADE Expo Milan, where Antonio Buzzi, Buzzi Unicem COO Cement Italy, spoke on March 15 as a representative of Federbeton.
With journalist Maria Chiara Voci acting as the moderator, the other participants included Ezio Micelli, an urban planner from the University of Venice IUAV, Simona Faccioli from Remade Italy, and Elena Stoppioni, President of Save the Planet.
Although each participant presented a different point of view during the sessions, they did agree on one aspect, namely that human beings need to be front and center in the fight against climate change.
Looking at the construction industry through an organized, tangible series of processes is perhaps the only way to combine economic sustainability with environmental sustainability, without losing sight of improving the quality of life, building and rehabilitating inviting places that are energy-efficient throughout their entire lifecycle, and rethinking urban spaces as social gathering places.
The eighth edition of the Green Week Festival 2019 was held from 26 February through 3 March.
Sponsored by the Symbola Foundation and Italypost in conjunction with the weekly newspaper Buone Notizie of Corriere della Sera and Egea, the Green Week is an educational and learning opportunity for young people, as well as a cutting-edge showcase for "green thinking" technologies.
As one of the organizations selected to participate, Buzzi Unicem supported the initiative by sharing its values and welcoming the opportunity for a constructive dialogue with stakeholders and other participating companies.
Our participation involved two events that were held separately, the first of which took place during the first days of the Festival when we opened our doors to over 150 researchers and PhD students from Italy at three different production sites, namely Monselice, Fanna and Vernasca. At this event, the participants were able to further their knowledge about production cycle emissions and fallouts on the ground (Monselice), the use of waste-derived fuels as a replacement for fossil fuels (Fanna), and the European Cleanker Project dedicated to testing the calcium looping technology to capture the CO2 emitted by the kiln stack (Vernasca).
The second event held in Trento took place through a series of conferences, symposia and round tables.
At the "Sustainability: the pathway of businesses" session, Antonio Buzzi, COO Cement Italy, explained how Buzzi Unicem constantly strives to seize every opportunity to mitigate the environmental challenges faced by our production sector each day.
La Sicilia, nei primi 10 mesi del 2018 ha registrato 17.257 nuovi arrivi di migranti (fonte Dipartimento Pubblica Sicurezza). Da sola accoglie più del 40% di tutti i Minori Stranieri Non Accompagnati presenti in Italia (fonte Ministero del Lavoro e Politiche Sociali).
Nello stesso periodo, lo stabilimento di Augusta (SR) è stato al centro di un progetto pilota di integrazione e promozione sociale, che ha visto come protagonisti due giovani migranti.
I ragazzi, una volta accolti, hanno avuto l’opportunità di formarsi, di rendersi utili e di apprendere un mestiere, contribuendo alla buona operatività dell’impianto. L’esperienza è stata estremamente positiva ed arricchente per tutti i dipendenti dello stabilimento. I ragazzi sono ora stati inseriti nell’organico dell’azienda ed il progetto proseguirà nel 2019 con nuovi beneficiari.
L’iniziativa, promossa da Cesvi , finanziata e progettata con Buzzi Unicem, fa parte di un progetto più ampio che prevede l’avvio di numerosi percorsi integrati di inserimento socio-lavorativo a favore dei giovani migranti, offrendo opportunità di stage remunerati di 6-12 mesi e percorsi formativi che ne favoriscano l’accesso al mondo del lavoro.
La collaborazione con Cesvi sottolinea la politica di sostegno di Buzzi Unicem alle comunità locali, e la volontà dell’azienda di integrare pienamente le proprie attività con i territori in cui opera, mettendo al servizio le proprie strutture, competenze e capitale umano.
Ecco l’anteprima del reportage “Salire sul mare” dedicato all’impegno di Buzzi Unicem e Cesvi a favore dei MSNA.
On January 15, Buzzi Unicem gave a presentation on the topic of “Bridges” to young students at the Istituto Comprensivo (comprehensive school) in Lugagnano Val d’Arda (Piacenza).
Fabio Bellantoni (Technological Development at Unical) drew from recent and historical events, and also tragic incidents, to highlight how bridges like all other structures must be maintained and recovered based on regulatory and legislative changes that are the result of subsequent discoveries and technical innovations.
The goal of the day was to provide the students with another critical analysis tool so that they would have a better understanding of why it is often not easy or straightforward to identify the reasons for certain events, and determine whether it is right or not to talk about human error or even distinguish culpable behavior.
The students enjoyed the presentation and showed their interest by asking the speaker many questions.
Buzzi Unicem is pleased to participate in events of this kind, which are one of the best ways of communicating simply and thoroughly the technical and scientific information needed to be able to interpret various issues correctly.
