Business Segments

Cement is manufactured through a large-scale, complex and capital-intensive industrial process. At the core of the production process is the rotary kiln, in which limestone and clay are heated to around 1,450 degrees Celsius and the semifinished product clinker is created by sintering. In the cement mill, gypsum is added to the clinker and the mixture is ground to a fine powder - traditional Portland cement. Holcim offers customers a range of cements for different applications.

Aggregates include crushed stone, gravel and sand. Production centres around quarrying, preparing and sorting the raw material. Aggregates are mainly used in the manufacture of ready-mix concrete and for the roading market.

Globally, concrete is the second most consumed commodity by volume after water. One cubic metre consists of approximately 300 kilograms of cement, 150 litres of water and 2 tonnes of aggregates.

Lime has a wide range of agricultural and industrial uses including steel manufacturing, roading, gold mining water treatment, pulp and paper, for dairy races and application to farmland.