Advancing sustainable products: Heidelberg Materials converts cement plant to a slag grinding facility in Indiana, USA

Heidelberg Materials announces the successful conversion of its cement plant in Speed, Indiana, USA, to a slag grinding facility to better support the increased demand for sustainable products in the fast-growing Midwest market.

Following last year's opening of its new state-of-the-art cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana, Heidelberg Materials ceased portland cement production at its manufacturing site in Speed, Indiana, and invested in modifying the facility to produce slag cement from domestically sourced slag granules. Replacing a portion of conventional portland cement with slag cement in a concrete mix significantly lowers its environmental impact. The Speed site, which has an annual grinding capacity of more than 400,000 tonnes, also serves as a distribution hub for cement produced at the Mitchell plant as well as a broad range of specialty cementitious products.

The adjustments made at the Speed plant reflect Heidelberg Materials' strong commitment to achieving net-zero emissions in North America. Recently, the company has been selected for funding of up to US$500 million by the US Department of Energy to advance industrial-scale carbon capture, transport, and storage at its Mitchell cement plant. At the Edmonton cement plant in Alberta, Canada, Heidelberg Materials is currently developing the world's first full-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage solution in the cement industry.

Heidelberg Materials follows an ambitious global climate strategy, aiming to generate 50% of its revenue from sustainable products that are either low-carbon or circular by 2030. The company plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

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Following last year's opening of its new state-of-the-art cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana, Heidelberg Materials invested in modifying the Speed facility to produce slag cement from domestically sourced slag granules. Credits: Heidelberg Materials North America

• About Heidelberg Materials
• Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions with leading market positions in cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete. We are represented in around 50 countries with around 51,000 employees at almost 3,000 locations. At the centre of our actions lies the responsibility for the environment. As the front runner on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the building materials industry, we are working on sustainable building materials and solutions for the future. We enable new opportunities for our customers through digitalisation.