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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.
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Consolidated key figures for cement in 2007
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Production capacity cement in million t |
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197.8 |
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Cement and grinding plants |
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151 |
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Cement sales in million t |
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149.6 |
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Net sales* in million CHF |
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17,223 |
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Operating profit* in million CHF |
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4,385 |
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Personnel |
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57,671 |
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*Includes all other cementitious materials.
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Consolidated key figures for cement 2007 per region*
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Europe |
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34.3 million t |
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North America |
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116.4 million t |
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Latin America |
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26.6 million t |
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Africa Middle East |
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14.5 million t |
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Asia Pacific |
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64.9 million t |
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* Intra-region sales.
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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.
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Consolidated key figures for aggregates in 2007
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Aggregates plants |
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405 |
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Sales of aggregates in million t |
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187.9 |
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Net sales in million CHF |
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3,190 |
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Operating profit in million CHF |
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304 |
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Personnel |
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7,000 |
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Consolidated key figures for aggregates 2007 per region
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Europe |
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108.8 million t |
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North America |
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56.9 million t |
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Latin America |
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12.5 million t |
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Africa Middle East |
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5.7 million t |
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Asia Pacific |
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4.0 million t |
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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.
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Consolidated key figures for other construction materials and services in 2007
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Ready-mix concrete plants |
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1,105 |
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Asphalt plants |
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149 |
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Sales of ready-mix concrete in million cbm |
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45.2 |
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Sales of asphalt in million t |
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14.8 |
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Net sales in million CHF |
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9,535 |
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Operating profit in million CHF |
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335 |
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Personnel |
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24,567 |
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Related information |
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| Segment overview
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Global locations |
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Find our worldwide locations
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Our production processes |
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See how we produce cement, aggregates, and concrete
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