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Holcim
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  About Us
Segment overview
Cement
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 wide range of cementitious materials and also develops customized blends for special applications. To produce these, other highgrade materials such as granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, pozzolan and limestone are added in order to modify the properties of the cement.
Consolidated key figures for cement in 2007

Production capacity cement in million t 197.8
Cement and grinding plants 151
Cement sales in million t 149.6
Net sales* in million CHF 17,223
Operating profit* in million CHF 4,385
Personnel 57,671

*Includes all other cementitious materials.

Consolidated key figures for cement 2007 per region*

Europe 34.3 million t
North America 116.4 million t
Latin America 26.6 million t
Africa Middle East 14.5 million t
Asia Pacific 64.9 million t

* Intra-region sales.

Aggregates
Aggregates include crushed stone, gravel and sand. Production centers around quarrying, preparing and sorting the raw material. Aggregates are mainly used in the manufacture of ready-mix concrete, concrete products and asphalt as well as for road building and railway tracks. The recycling of aggregates from concrete demolition material is gaining in importance at Holcim.
Consolidated key figures for aggregates in 2007

Aggregates plants 405
Sales of aggregates in million t 187.9
Net sales in million CHF 3,190
Operating profit in million CHF 304
Personnel 7,000

Consolidated key figures for aggregates 2007 per region

Europe 108.8 million t
North America 56.9 million t
Latin America 12.5 million t
Africa Middle East 5.7 million t
Asia Pacific 4.0 million t


Other construction materials and services
Globally, concrete is the second most consumed commodity by volume after water. One cubic meter consists of approximately 300 kilograms of cement, 150 liters of water and 2 tonnes of aggregates. Asphalt is a bituminous construction material used primarily for road paving. By weight, asphalt consists mainly of aggregates of differing grain size. Essentially, Holcim’s service also includes construction services and international trading.
Consolidated key figures for other construction materials and services in 2007

Ready-mix concrete plants 1,105
Asphalt plants 149
Sales of ready-mix concrete in million cbm 45.2
Sales of asphalt in million t 14.8
Net sales in million CHF 9,535
Operating profit in million CHF 335
Personnel 24,567

Related information
At a glance
Mission statement
Regional overview
Segment overview
Our history
Global locations
Global locations Find our worldwide locations
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Our production processes
Our production processes See how we produce cement, aggregates, and concrete
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