EUROCEMENT group (the biggest cement manufacturer in the CIS and 9th biggest in the world) signed a series of contracts with companies from the groups SINOMA, CNBM and SINOMACH , for the supply of equipment worth a combined total of more than half a billion dollars, within the context of a project, on a scale that has never seen before, involving the construction of modern cement manufacturing plants. The plants will use the energy-efficient, environmentally friendly 'dry' process to manufacture a total of 17 million tonnes of cement a year in 6 Russian regions (the Leningrad, Ryazan, Bryansk, Arkhangelsk, Ulyanovsk and Samara Regions).

A grand signing ceremony was held in Shanghai, attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. Once the programme has been introduced, the holding company will be able to increase the proportion of cement that is manufactured using the 'dry' process to 100% by 2018.

The transition to this technology will lead to a doubling of energy efficiency in manufacturing, increase workforce productivity by 3.5 times and reduce the impact on the environment by 2.5 times (by comparison with the regulatory figures). By the time the programme reaches its conclusion in 2018, 63% of all cement manufactured in the Russian Federation will be made using the 'dry' process.