Holcim Philippines Inc., one the leading cement producers in the country, said it completed the P2.7-billion the expansion of its Davao facility that will boost the plant’s annual production to 2.2 million MT.
HPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Thursday the expansion involved the activation of a finish mill and installation of a new pipe for loading cement to the silos from the pier eco-hoppers to improve dust emissions, and an overhead crane.
Cold commissioning started in April while full production began on June 20. The improvements will add 700,000 metric tons to the annual cement production of the plant.
The expansion forms part of the company’s overall plan to raise the group’s total output to 12 million MT by 2020 and improve operations to better support the positive growth of Mindanao.
The company in March launched in Davao City its new blended cement product Solido, which is designed to outperform Ordinary Portland Cement in terms of strength and durability for infrastructure applications.
To improve technical services to partners taking on infrastructure projects, Holcim opened last year in Davao its first construction laboratory outside Metro Manila.
“Our company is determined to continue supporting the development of Davao and the rest of Mindanao. These initiatives strengthen our ability to contribute to the progress of the region at this time of robust growth,” said HPI president and chief executive John Stull.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the Davao Region was among the country’s top performing economies, with an average growth of 9.6 percent from 2016 to 2018 compared with the national expansion rate of 6.6 percent during the same period.
“The strong economic expansion of the region and the entire Mindanao is seen to continue as the government steps up investments in infrastructure to spur development,” HPI said.
HPI also has cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, and Misamis Oriental, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions.
HPI, the local unit of Switzerland-based cement giant LafargeHolcim, is being acquired by conglomerate San Miguel Corp. for $1.85 billion.
The deal is currently being reviewed by Philippine Competition Commission, the country’s anti-trust body.