Cemex

Cemex SA de CV is the world's third largest manufacturer of cement and the world's leading supplier of ready-mix concrete. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey and has operations extending around the world, including production facilities in 20 countries in North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

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Cemex was founded with the opening of Cementos Hidalgo, in 1906. Meanwhile, Cementos Portland Monterrey began operations in 1920, and in 1931, the two companies merged, becoming Cementos Mexicanos, now Cemex. In the 1960s, Cemex grew significantly with the obtaining of several more plants throughout Mexico. In 1976, the company went public on the Mexican stock exchange, and that same year, became the largest cement producer in Mexico with the purchase of three plants from Cementos Guadalajara. In 1982, the company made significant progress in overseas markets, doubling its exports. Further acquisitions of Mexican cement companies were made in 1987 and 1989, making Cemex one of the ten largest cement companies in the world. In 1992, Cemex began its push into international production with the purchase of Spain's two largest cement companies. Venezuela's largest cement company was acquired by Cemex in 1994, and plants were purchased the same year in the United States and in Panama. In 1995 Cemex acquired a cement comapany in the Dominican Republic, and with the purchase of a majority stake in a Colombian cement company in 1996, Cemex became the third largest cement company in the world. In 1997-1999, the company expanded its scope to include Asia and Africa, making major purchases in the Philippines, Indonesia and Egypt, as well as Costa Rica. The acquisition of U.S. based Southdown made Cemex the largest cement company in North America, and further international purchases were made in the following two years – a Thai company in 2001, and in 2002, a Puerto Rican company. On March 1, 2005, Cemex completed its $5.8 billion acquisition of the London-based RMC Group, which made Cemex the worldwide leader in ready-mix concrete production and increasing its exposure to European markets. With the acquisition, the company expects its annual cement production to increase to 97 million tons, and could see its annual sales grow to $15 billion, just shy of the market leader, Lafarge , which has sales of $17 billion.

Cement: In the general sense, a cement (Latin caementum) is any material with adhesive properties. The term cement is also commonly used to refer more specifically to powdered materials which develop strong adhesive qualities when combined with water. These materials are more properly known as hydraulic ce...

Ready-mix concrete: Ready-mix concrete is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory according to a set recipe, and then delievered to a worksite, often by truck. This results in a precise mixture, allowing specialty concrete mixtures to be developed and implemented on construction sites. The first ready-mi...

Mexico: The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or M?xico; regarding the use of the variant spelling M?jico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. It is the nort...