Institute calls for monitoring of cement factories

Matawal told Daily Trust in Abuja that regular monitoring of the factories will make them comply with specifications and standards.“There should be a very clear guideline for regulations and that can be instituted simply. “The regulators in the industry should come together and go on monitoring visits, on a regular basis, to the factories.“I’m not […]

Matawal told Daily Trust in Abuja that regular monitoring of the factories will make them comply with specifications and standards.
“There should be a very clear guideline for regulations and that can be instituted simply.
“The regulators in the industry should come together and go on monitoring visits, on a regular basis, to the factories.
“I’m not saying it should be in one or two years, it may be every five years. A cement company should be visited at least once by a team of experts.
“This is a fundamental issue that has to do with application and not theory,’’ he said.
The director-general said laboratory testing is important to back up manufacturers’ claims on the quality of their cement.
Matawal enjoined all cement manufacturers to always outline detailed information about their cement, its class and strength on the bags.
“Cement is in five categories of classes while the strength varies from 32.5, 42.5 and 52.5 Newton per square millimeter (N/mm²) as stipulated by the Nigerian Industrial Standards.  
“The problem we see is that cement companies do not give out their specifications. They make it some sort of trade secret, which is unnecessary.
“The bag should contain the class and grade of strength. When the specification is clearly stated, people will be guided on the application.’’
He stressed the need for cement manufacturers to be guided by the chemical composition required to arrive at a certain strength or class of cement.
Matawal disclosed that NBRRI has sponsored a post-graduate study on 14 cement brands as part of the institute’s efforts to ensure standards in the building industry.