DG Khan Cement Works General Manager Khalid Mahmood said on Friday that cleanliness is an important aspect of our manufacturing process and we undertake significant efforts to ensure that our plant's operations have minimal environmental impact.
In addition to enhancing local vegetation and foliage around the factory through horticulture, our plant is ISO 14001:2004 certified, a standard that relates to environmental management systems and their implementation, he added. He stated this while briefing a media delegation visiting the company's Khairpur (Chakwal) plant to witness cement-manufacturing practices, power generation through renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
"The cement plant is one of the largest cement production facilities of its kind in Pakistan. In addition to cement-producing units, it also houses a paper-printing mill that produces cement bags for itself and other manufacturers. The plant generates its own power through an on-site plant and also harnesses energy from traditional and non-traditional power sources such as refuse derived fuel, waste heat recovery and gas," he mentioned.
He further said the facility has the capacity to produce daily more than 6,500 tonnes of cement and manufactures two cement varieties: "the ordinary Portland and the sulphate resistant cement", which are sold locally and exported to countries such as the United States, Britain, India, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The plant is ISO certified and fulfils the requirements of "quality management systems" and "environmental management systems" as per ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004, he added.
Khalid further stated it has also been registered with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency's Self-Monitoring and Reporting programme and monitored monthly through a PEPA accredited third party agency. He claimed that the plant's cleanliness had been locally and globally lauded and was even ranked the second "most beautiful factory" in the World by Global Cement Magazine in February 2011.
"The plant generates up to 82.34 megawatts of its own power through a power plant on site and has the capacity to adapt to multiple power sources. A waste heat recovery unit harnesses exhaust gases emitted to the atmosphere through the stacks of the clinker cooler and kiln pre-heater.
The plant has been able to replace 19 megawatts of carbon intensive grid electricity through this process," he added. He said poultry waste, agricultural waste, RDF, tires and other industrial waste is also incinerated on-site at temperatures between 1,500-1,600 degrees Celsius, allowing the plant to use the waste as a source of renewable energy, a process that results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The delegation also visited a medical dispensary being operated by the company, where local residents could get free quality medical and laboratory services. The plant had also established a dedicated water supply to ensure the residents had access to clean and potable water.
A special ambulance service was also being provided by the plant to factory staff and local residents. About employment opportunities generated by the plant, Khalid said, "At the plant, we have a permanent staff of more than 400 employees. Additionally, more than 250 employees work with us on a contractual basis. A majority of our factory staff are recruited from the local community who we invest in and develop through training."
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