Steel giant Lanwa ventures into cement

 Lanwa Sanstha Cement Chairman Nandana Lokuwithana and Hambantota International Port Group CEO Johnson Liu exchange the agreements signed in Colombo last week 

• Upcoming plant in Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone to produce entire range of blended cement 
• Signs deal with Hambantota International Port for 2.4 km conveyor belt connecting to plant 
• Plant with capacity of 3 m metric tons per annum to start production in January

Steel giant Lanwa is foraying into the cement market with a manufacturing plant at the Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone, while last week it struck two agreements with the Hambantota International Port towards operationalising the new venture.

One of the agreements was connecting the Lanwa Sanstha Cement Corporation Ltd.’s 3 million-ton per annum plant at the Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone to the Hambantota International Port (HIP) via a 2.4 km-long conveyor belt.

Another was to grant a licence to Lanwa Sanstha Cement to operate two Lanwa-owned ship unloaders in the jetty area allocated to the company at the port. 

The conveyor belt dedicated for transportation of raw material from port to plant with increased efficiency assures no wastage and zero pollution, setting a precedent for other manufacturing enterprises to preserve nature by working smarter. An environmentally friendly, dust-free, overhead enclosed conveyor belt can transport 1,200 tons per hour.

 A ship with the capacity of 60,000 tons can be unloaded within three days with the state-of-the-art infrastructure. 

The Board of Investment approved-Lanwa Sanstha Cement will deploy the latest technology where all mixing will be carried out with the latest European technology, while many of the other equipment used throughout the production process has been customised by world-renowned pioneers in innovation. Packaging is being done using state-of-the-art technology for improved efficiency and minimal wastage. 

The manufacturing facility features a fully automated Stacker Reclaimer Yard and two Bridge Type Ship Unloaders, a breakthrough in cargo handling shifting from labour-intensive to tech-oriented, aligning local industry with global trends. Lanwa Sanstha Cement will have a storage capacity the equivalent of three cargo ships. All these features are new to Sri Lanka and only available at a handful of such facilities regionally. 

Lanwa Sanstha Cement is expected to meet the requirements of all major construction projects locally, including Port City and expressways once commissioned, manufacturing the entire gamut of blended cement products including Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Slag Cement (PSC) & Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) and Blended Hydraulic Cement (BHC).

Lanwa Sanstha Cement Chairman Nandana Lokuwithana said: “This plant is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka utilising cutting-edge European technology to yield optimum outcomes while being environmentally conscious through continuous monitoring. 

“We are delighted that we have been able to collaborate with Hambantota International Port Group Ltd. to take the manufacturing process to the next level. Also, we hope that this will be a positive inception for the benefit of the construction industry of our motherland.” 

Lanwa Sanstha Cement is a sister company of Sri Lanka’s foremost manufacturer of steel, Ceylon Steel Corporation Ltd., which manufactures a host of products including QT bars, Hot Dipped Galvanized pipes (GI pipes), BOX bars, Round Tubes, Wire Nails, MS rods, purlins and meshes, under the ‘Lanwa’ brand. 

A respected entrepreneur of international standing, Lokuwithana also heads the Onyx Group in the UAE, Marriot Al Jadaf Hotel in Dubai, Marangoni Industrial Tyres Lanka Ltd. and Ferntino Tyre Corporation Ltd. in Horana.

See full story Sri Lanka’s latest venture into cement manufacturing connects with Hambantota Port