In February 2004 anticipating a period of resurgent demand in the domestic market,
Bestway Group decided to expand its operations through setting up a 1.8 million
tonnes per annum cement plant near Village Tatral of District Chakwal, Punjab Province,
Pakistan. This was the Group's second greenfield development project at a cost of
US$ 140.0 million. Land for the plant site was acquired in June 2004. The plant
specifications were compiled by Bestway's engineers who selected the best available
equipment.
In April 2005, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Shaukat Aziz performed the groundbreaking
ceremony for the plant. Civil works for Bestway Chakwal - I were initiated in January
2005, the Kiln was fired in May 2006 and the plant went into production in June
2006, which is a local cement industry record. In July 2006, the President of Pakistan
General Pervez Musharraf performed the official inauguration of Bestway Chakwal
- I.
During the planning and construction phase the Company took all the necessary steps
to guarantee that the plant and machinery not only met the local and international
environmental standards but also exceeded them.
Bestway Cement has planted in excess of 10,000 trees at the plant site and surrounding
areas. These are in addition to horticultural gardens and landscaped lawns that
have been developed in the plant's immediate vicinity.
The cement produced at Chakwal - I is of the highest quality with compression strength
for 28 days at 8,000-PSI far exceeding industry standard of 5,500-PSI level. Chakwal
- I has led to the direct and indirect creation of jobs for more than 2,500 people,
thereby injecting a new lease of life in one of the most economically dispossessed
part of Pakistan. It is also envisaged that the new plant would contribute US$ 50.0
million per annum to the public exchequer in the form of duties and taxes.
Bestway were facing problems regarding their automation system and therefore needed
the help of Technical Support of Sensys in order to find an optimal and cost effective
solution. Sensys TechMAX team not only provided them with the right solution but
also designed a complete backup plan ensuring that the system remained completely
error proof.
“We were facing a few problems regarding automation and we were finding it really
difficult to find the required solutions. We turned to Sensys Technical Team and
I must appreciate the fact that they took the initiative and delivered us the solution
which at times looked impossible. They have really helped us out of a difficult
situation and I am grateful to Sensys and their technical staff (TechMAX). We are
definitely looking forward to form a strong business relationship with Sensys”
Irshad Mir,
General Manager,
Bestway Chakwal.
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