Vicat Cement
Encyclopedia
Vicat SA is a French
company manufacturing cement
, aggregates
and ready-mix concrete
in four continents.
, who invented artificial cement in 1817. His cement plant was at Genevrey-de-Vif south of Grenoble
(Isère
). It used an argillaceous limestone
that Joseph Vicat had established as suitable by chemical analysis. The company expanded in 1922 with the construction of a plant at Montalieu nearby.
In 1968, HeidelbergCement
bought a stake in the company, which eventually grew to 35%. Major expansion began in 1968 with the construction of another plant in the Grenoble area and with a program of acquisitions throughout France. In 1974, overseas investment began with the acquisition of National Cement at Ragland, Alabama
. Further acquisitions followed in California
, Turkey
, Senegal
, Switzerland
, Egypt
and Kazakhstan
. HeidelbergCement sold its share of the company in 2007.
Today, the company claims a cement manufacturing capacity of 21 million tonnes per annum (2007), from 12 integrated cement plants and one clinker
grinding plant.
In France:
In Egypt:
In Italy (grinding only):
In Senegal:
In Switzerland:
In Turkey:
In USA:
They also make "Ciment Prompt" - a fast-setting natural cement, at La Perelle, by burning at moderate temperature an unground argillaceous limestone obtained from an underground mine in the Chartreuse Mountains
.
The company makes 9.7 million cubic metres per annum (2007) of ready-mix concrete in four countries. The company has also bought stake in the Indian company Sagar Cements Ltd
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
company manufacturing cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, aggregates
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
and ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a work site, by truck mounted transit mixers . This results in a precise mixture, allowing specialty concrete mixtures to be developed and implemented on...
in four continents.
History
The company was established in 1853 by Joseph Vicat (1821-1902), son of Louis VicatLouis Vicat
Louis Vicat French engineer.He graduated from École Polytechnique 1804 and École des Ponts et Chaussées 1806....
, who invented artificial cement in 1817. His cement plant was at Genevrey-de-Vif south of Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
(Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
). It used an argillaceous limestone
Argillaceous minerals
Argillaceous minerals may appear silvery upon optical reflection and are minerals containing substantial amounts of clay-like components . Argillaceous components are fine-grained aluminosilicates, and more particularly clay minerals such as kaolinite, montmorillonite-smectite, illite, and...
that Joseph Vicat had established as suitable by chemical analysis. The company expanded in 1922 with the construction of a plant at Montalieu nearby.
In 1968, HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement
HeidelbergCement is a German cement and building materials company. It is currently the world's third largest cement producer, the market leader in aggregates and fourth in ready-mix concrete. In 2010 the company produced around 78 million tonnes of cement...
bought a stake in the company, which eventually grew to 35%. Major expansion began in 1968 with the construction of another plant in the Grenoble area and with a program of acquisitions throughout France. In 1974, overseas investment began with the acquisition of National Cement at Ragland, Alabama
Ragland, Alabama
Ragland is a town in St. Clair County, Alabama, United States southeast of Ashville. At the 2000 census the population was 1,918. It is part of the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area. An F4 tornado struck southwest from here at 10:55 in the morning on Palm Sunday March 27, 1994...
. Further acquisitions followed in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. HeidelbergCement sold its share of the company in 2007.
Today, the company claims a cement manufacturing capacity of 21 million tonnes per annum (2007), from 12 integrated cement plants and one clinker
Clinker (cement)
thumb|200px|right|Typical clinker nodulesthumb|200px|right|Hot clinkerIn the manufacture of Portland cement, clinker is lumps or nodules, usually 3-25 mm in diameter, produced by sintering limestone and alumino-silicate during the cement kiln stage.-Uses:...
grinding plant.
In France:
- Créchy, AllierAllierAllier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
, at 46°15′01"N 3°25′27"E - La Grave de Peille, Alpes Maritimes, at 43°47′39"N 7°22′26"E
- Montalieu, Isère, at 45°48′16"N 5°25′19"E
- Saint-Égrève, Isère, at 45°13′50"N 5°40′4"E
- Xeuilley, Meurthe-et-MoselleMeurthe-et-MoselleMeurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
, at 48°33′45"N 6°6′36"E
In Egypt:
- Arish, North Sinai, at 30°43′21"N 33°47′12"E
In Italy (grinding only):
- OristanoOristanoOristano is a town and comune, capital of the Province of Oristano, on the island of Sardinia, Italy. It has approximately 32,500 inhabitants.Its economy is mainly based on fishing, agriculture and, to a certain extent, tourism.-History:...
, SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, at 39°52′N 8°33′E
In Senegal:
- RufisqueRufisqueRufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
, DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, at 14°42′29"N 17°14′55"W
In Switzerland:
- Reuchenette, BerneCanton of BerneThe Canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons by both surface area and population. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south...
, at 47°11′7"N 7°14′54"E
In Turkey:
- Elmadağ, AnkaraAnkara ProvinceAnkara Province in central Turkey is the location of the country's capital, the city of Ankara.Ankara also gave its name to the Ottoman Empire's Ankara Province which covered a larger area than the current province.- Geography :...
, at 39°56′41"N 33°11′31"E - KonyaKonyaKonya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, at 37°56′23"N 32°32′4"E
In USA:
- Lebec, CaliforniaLebec, CaliforniaLebec is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Kern County, California. It is one of the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, and the home of the Tejon Ranch Company. Lebec is south of Bakersfield. The population was 1,468 in the 2010 census, up from 1,224 in...
, at 34°49′12"N 118°44′59"W - Ragland, Alabama, at 33°44′04"N 86°9′14"W
They also make "Ciment Prompt" - a fast-setting natural cement, at La Perelle, by burning at moderate temperature an unground argillaceous limestone obtained from an underground mine in the Chartreuse Mountains
Chartreuse Mountains
The Chartreuse Mountains is a mountain range in eastern France, stretching to the north from the city of Grenoble to the Lac du Bourget. It is the southernmost range in the Jura Mountains and belongs to the French Prealps....
.
The company makes 9.7 million cubic metres per annum (2007) of ready-mix concrete in four countries. The company has also bought stake in the Indian company Sagar Cements Ltd