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CEMENT AMERICAS • Fall 2014 • www.cementamericas.com 8 CEMENTSCOPE "With our Continuous Improvement Program we are changing the business culture at our production sites," stated Dr. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement. "Our staff at the cement plants will be trained in entrepreneurial thinking in order to identify improvement poten- tials and implement them with creative ideas. In this way, we want to secure the efficiency gains from our previous projects while further im- proving our production processes systematically." The Continuous Improvement Program, which has been tested at three pilot sites in Europe since the beginning of 2014, has already led to result im- provements of almost 4 million euros ($5.5 million). Due to the great success and high acceptance by the employees, CIP was implemented worldwide start- ing last month. Demand Boosts Dominican Cement Market Dominican Republic's Cement Pro- ducers Association (ADOCEM) antici- pates a 15 percent market growth by year-end while urging initiatives to promote the mortgage market, which in its view will spur the sector's fur- ther development, reports Dominican Today. The country is currently wit- nessing a rise in local cement de- mand that is 25 percent higher than the same period a year ago. Adocem President Carlos González re- vealed the figures during the presenta- tion of the organization's annual report and acknowledged that the results were due to government initiatives fo- cused on building 10,000 new class- rooms per year, and investment in infrastructure across the country. González, who is also president of Cemex Dominicana, said the invest- ment of the companies in the sector tops $1.2 billion, "not counting the ad- ditional amounts invested annually to maintain the levels of production and efficiency optimal conditions." According to diariolibre.com, González added that the investment catapulted the Dominican Republic from a net ce- ment importer to self-sufficiency and exporter of 30 percent of its production. Felipe Mata Vizcaya, a contract laborer with six months of experience was killed Feb. 21, while attempting to access an elevator at Kosmos Cement Co., Louisville, Ky. Vizcaya went to the fourth floor of the old finish mill to get a bucket. When Vizcaya was leaving, he opened the hoistway door on the fourth floor landing, stepped into the elevator shaft, and fell 51 ft. to the top of the elevator car located on the ground floor. MSHA has concluded that the accident occurred due to management's failure to ensure that procedures were established to designate a competent person to ex- amine workplaces, including the elevator, once each shift for hazards that could ad- versely affect the safety of persons who used the elevator. Consequently, defective conditions related to the safe operation of the elevator were not corrected in a timely manner. The fourth floor hoistway landing door's worn condition caused the mechanical interlock to malfunction, al- lowing the door to open when the eleva- tor car was not present. MSHA Releases Fatal Accident Report ASTM International has partnered with the Slag Cement Association (SCA) to de- velop new Product Category Rules (PCR) for slag cement. This PCR establishes the criteria for developing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for slag ce- ment used in concrete, mortar and other construction applications. "The Slag Cement Association has long understood the potential environmental benefit of the use of slag cement, a re- covered material," said John Melander, executive director of SCA, and an ASTM member. "This PCR provides a standard- ized method for developing and dissemi- nating verifiable information about the environmental impact of slag cement." ASTM International's document develop- ment system uniquely positions us as an ideal venue for the development of PCRs. "In choosing to partner with ASTM Inter- national as program operator, SCA recog- nized ASTM's long history of development ASTM Publishes New Product Category Rules for Cement Industry