Holcim is one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed

stone, sand and gravel). They also supply ready-mix concrete and asphalt, and
provide related services. Founded in 1912, the company expanded into France
and then throughout Europe and Middle East during the 1920s. They expanded in
the Americas during the 1950s and went public in 1958. The company continued
to expand in Latin America and added Asian divisions during the 1970s and 1980s.
A series of mergers and buyouts made Holcim one of the two largest cement
manufacturers worldwide by 2014, roughly tied with rival Lafarge. In April 2014,
the two companies agreed to a US$60 billion "merger of equals". The deal will
face regulatory scrutiny and likely will take more than one year to complete.
As of 2014, Holcim does business in more than 70 different countries and
employees 71,000 people. The company is the market leader in cement
production in Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Latin
America.
On April 7, 2014, Holcim and Lafarge announced they had agreed to terms on a
"merger of equals" valued at nearly $60 billion. The merger would entail Lafarge
stock being converted into Holcim stock on a 1:1 basis. Former Holcim
shareholders would own 53% of LafargeHolcim. The new company would be
based in Switzerland and have a manufacturing capacity of 427 million tons a
year, which would vastly exceed the 227 million ton capacity of current industry
leader Anhui Conch. Lafarge Chief Executive Officer Bruno Lafont will lead the new
company, while Holcim's Wolfgang Reitzle will be chairman. Executives from both
companies said the deal will save the new company 1.4 billion euros (US$1.9

billion) annually and create "the most advanced group in the building materials
industry."

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,
Consolidated key figures for cement in 2013
Production capacity cement in million t
Cement and grinding plants

206.2
142

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.

Sales of cement in million t

138.9

Consolidated key figures for aggregates in 2013

Net sales in million CHF1
Aggregates plants

426

Operating EBITDA in million CHF1

Sales of aggregates in million t

154.5

Personnel
Net sales in million CHF

2,428

12,939
3,252
47,179

Operating EBITDA in million CHF

448

Personnel

5,812

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.
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 2013
Ready-mix concrete plants

1,100

Asphalt plants

91

Sales of ready-mix concrete in million m3

39.5

Sales of asphalt in million t

8.9

Net sales in million CHF

6,812

Operating EBITDA in million CHF

195

Personnel

17,376

PRODUCTS OF CEMENT MANUFACTURED BY HOLCIM

Holcim C 1157 Portland Limestone Cement:
The primary ingredients of Holcim C 1157 Portland Limestone Cement are calcium
sili- cate based clinker, limestone and gypsum. These are ground to a fine powder
that, when mixed with water, sets and hardens into a solid monolithic mass. The
hydration of calcium silicates forms a gel-like material called calcium silicate
hydrate.
TYPES

Type HE

High Early Strength

Type MS

Moderate Sulfate Resistance

Type HS

High Sulfate Resistance

Type MH

Moderate Heat of Hydration

Type LH

Low Heat of Hydration

Holcim C 1157 Portland Limestone Cement is produced to meet the applicable

requirements of ASTM C 1157 for one or more of Types GU, HE, MS, HS, MH and
LH. Some cements may meet several specification requirements. Contact the
manufacturer for details.

Holcim Fly Ash, Class C and Class F:

Holcim Fly Ash can be a tan or gray color, depending on the type of coal source;
its appearance resembles cement. It is primarily silicate glass containing silica,
alumina, iron and calcium. Minor constituents are magne- sium, sulphur, sodium,
potassium and carbon. Fly ash is the by-product of the combustion of pulverized
coal at power generating plants. Exact chemical composition of fly ash is largely
determined by the coal used. Upon ignition in the furnace, most of the volatile
matter and carbon in the coal are burned off. During com- bustion, the coals
mineral constituents (such as clay, feldspar, quartz and shale) fuse in suspen- sion
and are carried away from the combustion chamber by the exhaust gas. The fused

mate- rial cools and solidifies into spherical particles called fly ash. This is then
collected from the exhaust gas by electrostatic precipitators or bag filters. The fly
ash collected from exhaust gasses needs no further processing for use in blended
cement or concrete. Most particles of fly ash are spherical. The particle size of fly
ash varies from one micron to as large as 100 microns (typical particle size is
under 20 microns). Specific gravity can range between 2.2 and 2.8, depending on
the type of fly ash.

TYPES
Fly ash is categorized by ASTM C 618 and AASHTO M 295 as Class C or Class F.
Class C fly ashes contain greater amounts of calcium (usually greater than 10% to
as much as 30% CaO). Class C fly ashes are both pozzolanic and cementitious and,
when exposed to water, react and harden.
Class F fly ashes often contain less than 10% CaO, and may have a higher carbon
content than Class C fly ashes.

Holcim GranCem Slag Cement:

The primary ingredient of GranCem Slag Cement is granulated blast-furnace slag
(GBFS) that is ground to a fine powder. When mixed with water and portland
cement (the traditional way that GranCem Slag Cement is used), the concrete sets
and hardens into a solid monolithic mass. The hydration reaction forms a gel-like
material called calcium silicate hydrate. Holcim GranCem Slag Cement is produced
to meet the requirements of ASTM C 989 and
AASHTO M 302. All Holcim manufacturing is quality controlled to ensure optimum
product performance and uniformity.

Holcim Portland Cement:

The primary ingredients of Holcim Portland Cement are calcium silicate based
clinker and gypsum ground to a fine powder that, when mixed with water, sets
and hardens into a solid monolithic mass. The hydration of cal- cium silicates
forms a gel-like material called calcium silicate hydrate. All Holcim manufacturing
is quality con- trolled to ensure product performance and uniformity.

TYPES
Type I - Normal
Type II Moderate Sulfate Resistance
Type II (MH) Moderate Heat of Hydration and Moderate Sulfate Resistance
Type III High Early Strength
Type V High Sulfate Resistance

Holcim Portland/Slag Blended Cement:

The primary ingredients of Holcim Portland/ Slag Blended Cement are portland
cement or clinker, granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS), and gypsum, ground to a
fine powder that, when mixed with water, sets and hardens into a solid
monolithic mass. The hydration of calcium silicates forms a gel-like material
called calcium silicate hydrate. All Holcim Portland/Slag Blended Cement
manufacturing is quality controlled to ensure product performance and
uniformity.
TYPES
Holcim Portland/Slag Blended Cement is pro- duced to meet the requirements of
ASTM C 595 and AASHTO M 240 for portland/slag blended cements.

Holcim Cement-Lime:
Holcim Cement-Lime is a combination of cement and Type S hydrated mason's
lime that meets the requirements of ASTM C 207. The above ingredients are
combined and processed at Holcim manufacturing facilities under controlled
conditions to ensure uniform performance.
TYPES
Holcim Cement-Lime is available in Type N, Type S or Type M.

Holcim Mortamix Masonry Cement:

Holcim Mortamix Masonry Cement is a combination of portland cement,
plasticizers, ground limestone and air entraining additives. The above ingredients
are combined and processed at Holcim manufacturing facilities under controlled
conditions to ensure uniform performance.
TYPES
Holcim Mortamix Masonry Cement is produced to meet ASTM C 91 Type N, Type
S or Type M strength levels to be used, respectively, in preparing Type N, S or M
mortar that conforms to ASTM Standard Specification C 270. While climate
conditions, exposure and engineering requirements must be
considered, Type N mortar, 5 MPa (750 psi), is recommended for above-grade
interior and exterior load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls. Types S and M
mortars are higher compressive strength of 12 and 17 MPA (1800 and 2500 psi),
respectively, and are recommended for walls below-grade and load-bearing walls
where higher compressive strengths are needed.

Holcim Mortamix Rainbow Custom Color Masonry Cement:

Holcim Mortamix Rainbow Custom ColorMasonry Cement is manufactured from
portland cement, plasticizers, water retaining materials, air entraining additives
and pig- ments. The pigments are inorganic oxides. The above ingredients are
combined and processed at Holcim manufacturing facilities under controlled
conditions to ensure uniform performance.