The 30th anniversary of Premix SpA was celebrated on October 16, with over 100 guests in attendance. 
The ceremony kicked off with a video showcasing the 30-year history of the company. The welcome address from Director Vincenzo Di Domenico was followed by presentations from three representatives of the founding members: Buzzi Unicem, Calce La Ferla and TeamNetWork.
Buzzi Unicem was represented by Luigi Buzzi, Group Technical Director, who centered his message on “the importance of the pre-mixed products and ongoing research in that field”.  Speaking on behalf of the La Ferla family, Leone La Ferla recalled “the early moments of the company’s history and its inauguration”. For TeamNetWork, Alessandro Di Stefano focused on “the top priority accorded by the company to its customers, who remain extremely loyal thanks to the quality of the products and service that have always aimed at achieving total customer satisfaction”.  
Last but not least, the President of Premix, Giovanni Caire, highlighted “the early stages of the plant’s construction, personally followed by him, and the continuous improvement of production, with an offering of over 100 products”.  
The ceremony was also attended by the President of Confindustria Siracusa, of which Premix is a member in the Cement, Limestone and Gypsum section. 

The Salonit Anhovo cement plant in Slovenia celebrated its 100th anniversary in September. Founded in May 1921, the plant currently produces approximately 1 million tons of cement per year. 
Salonit Anhovo is determined and transparent in its efforts to develop a path to support the cement industry’s green transition, and investments in the latest technologies will have a positive impact on the company’s environmental footprint and reduction of its emissions metrics in particular. The company plans to introduce new solutions that by 2025 will reduce its carbon footprint by 15% and halve the NOx emissions. 

Editor note: Buzzi Unicem owns 25% of Salonit Ahnovo, 75% of which is controlled by the Wietersdorfer group.

Our manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, TN has once again earned ENERGY STAR® certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency, recognizing its superior energy performance among similar facilities in the industry. In fact, ENERGY STAR certified plants perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide.
This is the 13th consecutive year that this facility has earned the ENERGY STAR recognition. In meeting these strict qualifications, these facilities are saving energy, saving money, and helping protect the environment by using less energy than peer facilities. 
For more than 20 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. Today, thousands of facility owners and managers use ENERGY STAR to improve the energy performance of their buildings and plants.

In 2019, Buzzi Unicem and the Vercelli campus of the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO) entered an agreement to increase the level of expertise in the construction materials sector and work together on developing innovative solutions.
Our company will operate out of the modern spaces on the UPO campus in Vercelli where it will perform research and development activities and chemical, physical and instrumental analyses within a dynamic and stimulating environment, while supporting the cultural and scientific growth of the students and teaching staff. The goal of the agreement is to take advantage of the synergies between the basic research typically performed in academia and the applied research approach of industry. UPO will thus be able to expand its educational offerings in materials science and technology by providing students and researchers with research and work experience within a business environment. 
The name chosen for the new laboratory, Built, is an acronym for Buzzi Unicem Innovation Lab and Technology. The Built brand name is graphically versatile and can be used on many communications media. 
In a market that is increasingly geared towards sustainability, where businesses and consumers are becoming more focused on environmental issues, the construction sector and its entire supply chain are also undergoing a period of transformation. Researchers and students in the new laboratory will work on solutions for reducing the CO2 impacts of cement and concrete, in keeping with the European decarbonization objectives. 

The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, is the premier policy, research, education and market intelligence organization serving America's cement manufacturers. The Association promotes safety, sustainability, and innovation in all aspects of construction, fosters continuous improvement in cement manufacturing and distribution, and generally promotes economic growth and sound infrastructure investment.  
The annual PCA Chairman's Safety Performance Awards recognize outstanding safety performance in the manufacturing of Portland cement. A total of 13 winners were selected from nearly 100 cement facilities across the US found to be the highest performers in safety in 2020. 
For the fourth time in a row, Buzzi Unicem's Chattanooga Plant in Tennessee was one of the plants honored with this award, having completed 226,961 man-hours of work in 2020 without any reportable accidents.

Achieving Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) certification for its “Clayfield Lake Fish Management” project demonstrates the strong commitment of the Chattanooga (TN) plant towards environmental protection.
The project was implemented on plant-owned property located on the Tennessee River about 2.5 kilometers from the facility, with the aim of preserving the ecosystem and increasing the fish population of Clayfield Lake. 
Formerly a clay excavation site, the lake has been restocked with native species and the surrounding area cleared of invasive shrubs and planted with new trees. 
Plant employees are permitted to fish on the lake on certain days of the year, at which time data such as the length and weight of the fish species in the lake are recorded to help determine the best course of action to improve the lake habitat and the health of the fish population. 
The Wildlife Habitat Council promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and educational activities. WHC Conservation Certification programs take corporate sustainability goals and translate them into tangible, measurable actions, and build collaboration between company employees, other conservation organizations, government agencies and communities in the area. 
WHC supports educational activities for wildlife habitat conservation in 47 states in the USA and 28 countries.  

SLK Cement won a large contract in late 2020 to supply oil well cement (OWC) to AO Vostsibneftegaz, a subsidiary of the Rosneft group.
The PZT I-G-CC-1-type OWC was used to reinforce the new wells in the Yurubcheno-Tokhomsk oilfield in the Krasnoyarsk region. The OWC was shipped by rail in open freight cars to Karabula station and from there transported by road to the customer. 
SLK Cement’s line of OWC products meets international standards and is highly regarded by the major oil companies throughout the world. 
The oilfields in the Tyumensk region as well as those in the autonomous districts of Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamal-Nenets are the main target markets for OWC. Thanks to its well-known high quality, the OWC produced at Suchoi Log is also sold outside the Ural region. 

Buzzi Unicem is pleased to present Highlights, a magazine that integrates a summary of the financial data with the main sustainability-related topics.
The opening chapter is the message to the shareholders from the Chairman Veronica Buzzi that describes the results achieved in 2020, which were satisfactory despite the problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The message continues with an interesting discussion on the Research and Development projects aimed at improving our carbon footprint. These include the fine tuning of innovative cement and concrete, the inauguration of the CLEANKER installation at Vernasca and the start-up of the Catch4Climate project. 
The overview follows with a summary of the company’s key economic and financial indicators, including market capitalization, stock performance and operating structure, and concludes with a focus on sustainable development, outlining the policies and targets. 
The second half of the magazine provides a more detailed analysis of the data for each region, highlighting their market trends, cement consumption, revenues, margins and capital expenditures. 
The goal of Highlights is to offer a comprehensive summary of the information that is available in greater detail in the full reports already published in the dedicated section of this site. 

The SATURNO project was awarded the first prize in the category "Green Economy - cooperation between public and private sector" as part of the IR20 initiative (Piedmont Innovation and Research 2020). Among the candidates, 98 companies, start-ups, public and private research institutions and laboratories presented their flagship projects in the "Green economy" and "Health economy" categories. The award ceremony took place on Monday, 24 May, in the prestigious setting of the Egyptian Museum, hosted by Marco Berry and streamed live on the corporate website and on the Facebook channel of the Piedmont Region. The award, in its first edition, was strongly desired by the Piedmont Region as a tool for enhancing the Piedmontese entrepreneurial system of innovation and research.

The SATURNO project (Organic waste and carbon dioxide transformed into fuel, fertilizers and chemicals; concrete application of circular economy) aims to develop a circular bioeconomy chain at urban level through the creation of new processes and products starting from the OFMSW (Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes), with particular attention to the recovery and reuse of CO2. The project, scheduled to last 30 months and launched in July 2019, involves 24 partners including academics and public or private research institutions.

Buzzi Unicem participates in the SATURNO project in two different research areas: on the one hand, it is concerned with exploring the possible use of the plastic fraction separated from the OFMSW as a fuel in the production of clinker; on the other hand, it will participate in some steady-state tests to evaluate the effectiveness of CO2 capture systems developed during the project.
For more information on the SATURNO project visit https://saturnobioeconomia.it/.

Buzzi Unicem publishes the 2020 edition of the Sustainability Report, which provides a detailed account of economic, environmental and social indicators, as well as an update on objectives and targets, in line with the policies promoted by the company. 
From an economic standpoint, the financial results show an improvement on the levels achieved in 2019, despite the difficulties related to the health emergency. On the environmental side, the document reports a significant reduction in absolute CO2 emissions, both direct and indirect, while social performance highlights the results of good practices in terms of health and safety at work and confirms the downward trend in workplace accidents in recent years.
In addition, in order to mitigate the problems linked to the health emergency, the company decided to help people in difficulty in the countries hosting the Group's plants by donating over € 3 million to provide tangible help, in collaboration with various non-profit organizations.
Overall, the report shows how the culture of sustainability is an integral part of the company's strategic and operational decisions, from planning objectives to measuring progress and defining future challenges.

On April 16, with the authorization of the Brazilian antitrust authority (CADE) and according to the agreement disclosed on 26 October 2020, Companhia Nacional de Cimento (CNC) has purchased all the businesses of the CRH group operating in Brazil. Buzzi Unicem owns a 50% stake of CNC in a joint venture with Grupo Ricardo Brennand. 
The CRH business operating in Brazil consists of three full-cycle cement plants – located in Matozinhos, Arcos (Minas Gerais) and in Cantagalo (Rio de Janeiro) - and two grinding facilities – located in Santa Luzia and Arcos (Minas Gerais). The acquisition will result in a significant strengthening of the joint venture, which, by the way, is also operating in the same market area with the Sete Lagoas plant. In 2020, CRH Brasil sold approximately 2.8 million tons of cement.

“At the latest PCA Board of Directors meeting,  PCA unanimously elected Dave Nepereny to be an Honorary Member in recognition of the valued contributions made to the Association.  Over his several decades of involvement in PCA, Dave very successfully served in many strategic and vital positions, including Chairman of the PCA Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Benefits and Compensation Committee, Administrative Council, Market Development Council and several other committees.  In addition, Dave also served a member of the Board of Directors for both PCA and their sister organization, the CTL Group.
Election to honorary membership in PCA is reserved only for those who, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, have rendered outstanding service to the cement industry and the Association. With his dedication to the industry and leadership skills, Dave epitomizes those who receive this distinguished recognition.”

The Festus Plant (Missouri) continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship by achieving recertification from the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) for its Forestry Management Program.  The Forestry Management Program is conducted on 2263 acres of plant property and has been certified by the WHC since 2014.  This Program undertakes activities to protect and enhance the property’s natural forestry resources, which include enhancing wildlife habitat for a wide range of species, improving plant species composition by managing regeneration, and protecting the natural forestry resources. 
 “The Festus Plant Parcel is recognized as meeting the strict requirements of WHC Conservation Certification,” said Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC. “Companies achieving WHC Conservation Certification, like Buzzi Unicem USA, are environmental leaders, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them.”
Wildlife Habitat Council promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. WHC Conservation Certification programs take corporate sustainability goals and objectives and translate them into tangible and measurable on-the-ground actions. WHC-assisted wildlife habitat and conservation education programs are found in 47 states and 28 countries.

With the arrival of a locomotive and several wagons from RheinCargo, Dyckerhoff’s logistics partner, after about 15 years, the railway connection at the Amöneburg plant was officially reactivated.
The late 19th century tracks already present in the northern area of the plant where the white cement production facilities are located were put back into operation and the relevant level crossing outside the plant on the state road to Wiesbaden was returned to working order. 
Now that the industrial spur has been restored, the cement plant operators can count on another means of transportation. 
The low water levels of the river Rhine two years ago made us realize the importance of having an alternative means of transport which, in this case, is also environmentally friendly. 
Using rivers and railways for transporting bulk freight also actively helps lighten the load of road transport.

From a few months, the main types of cement produced at the Korkino plant are now available in 35 kg paper bags. The goal of the local business is to facilitate the loading operations, to increase workplace safety and to better fulfill the customer needs. 
This new “lightweight” offering will reduce physical effort and increase the level of risk prevention while the bags are being handled. The weight of the packaged product has been determined in accordance with occupational safety regulations. 
The Korkino plant is using this new format for the FESTMARK 500 (CEM I 42.5N) and BLOCKMARK 500 (CEM II/B-Sh 42.5N) cements. The plant’s product range also includes CEM I 52.5N, CEM I 32.5H and CEM II/A-Sh 42.5N cements.