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US companies catch new wave of cooperation

By Li Jing, Zhang Qi and Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-08 14:43

Geometria, a company that specializes in the coverage and storage of bulk materials, is now expecting to duplicate such works of architecture in China's cement and power plants.

Houston, Texas-based Geometrica provides dome structures that work as space frames and take advantage of 3-dimensional structural behavior. They are built of prefabricated lightweight and strong galvanized steel or aluminum tubes that can be assembled on the site.

Established in 1992, the company has completed projects on virtually every continent, including the record-setting Nemak domes, the largest industrial domes in the world built for Nemak, an aluminum foundry in northern Mexico. In his first trip to China, Francisco Castano, the chief executive officer of Geometrica and holder of several structural patents, says that the company is exploring business opportunities in China.

"With Geometrica domes, industries such as power plants, cement plants and mines will be able to stock bulk materials indoors, while keeping the environment neatly protected from dust," Castano tells China Business Weekly.

In China, such bulk materials are traditionally stored outdoors. For instance, coal in power plants is traditionally stockpiled on the ground and left uncovered, with a wind-proof wall constructed 2 or 3 m away from the piling site to prevent the spread of dust.

"It is true that the cost for Geometrica dome structures is higher than this traditional stocking method," says Castano, "but I believe there are more and more companies in China paying attention to their environmental impacts."

In its weeklong exploration trip in China, Castano says he will travel around Beijing, Dalian and Shanghai to talk with potential Chinese customers, such as Sinoma, or China National Materials Group.

Geometrica hopes to nurture the market in China, as the company has done in other developing countries, such as Chile and Cambodia.

"The cost is not that expensive actually, thanks to the mature technologies," says Castano. "It's not only a storehouse, it's a piece of art."

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