CEMEX celebrates 110 years of building a better future
Global building solutions company CEMEX marks another milestone in its history by turning 110 years old. Its local subsidiary CEMEX Holdings Philippines (CHP) joins the celebration with a renewed commitment to continue its tradition of excellence in building a better future for employees, customers, shareholders, and communities.s
CEMEX continues to promote growth, innovation, and sustainability since it was established in Mexico in 1906. From a lean group of 120 employees and only one cement plant producing 20,000 tons of cement annually, CEMEX now has almost 50,000 employees, 56 cement plants, and more than 1,600 ready-mix plants in over 50 countries producing 93 million tons of cement a year. CEMEX started its operations in Asia with the acquisition of Rizal Cement Corporation in the Philippines in 1997.
CEMEX Holdings Philippines President Mr. Pedro Palomino provided his opening remarks thanking all the staff and employees for their dedication and hardwork as they celebrate the 110th year milestone of the global building solutions company CEMEX
“Over the past 110 years, we have evolved from a local cement producer into a leading global building solutions company, integrating the best practices and talent around the world,” said CHP Chairman and President Pedro Palomino. “This is all thanks to the dedication of those who have been and are now part of our organization. Our rich experience is our greatest achievement in our continuous evolution towards building a better future.”
Palomino said the company will continue to be customer-centric, providing value in the market, and developing integrated, cost-effective, and tailor-made building solutions. Its research and development will also always strive to anticipate society’s trends and people’s needs in order to create a sustainable solution.
One of CEMEX’s latest innovations is Promptis, a 24-hour concrete pavement solution accredited by DPWH to be used for nationwide road projects across the country
CEMEX is a global leader in innovation. Recently, its 24-hour concrete solution called Promptis was accredited by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with D.O. 61 Series of 2016 or the “Standard Specification on the Use of Promptis as Concrete Accelerating Admixture to One-Day Portland Cement Concrete Pavement.” Simply put, a road paved with Promptis can now be accessed after 24-hours or even less.
Being a global leader in innovation, CEMEX continues to introduce latest housing and concrete solutions such as its cast in place system, a modern technology making housing construction quicker and Aquacrete, a permeable concrete seen as a solution to suppress road flooding through the small voids and channels created in the concrete
CEMEX also has a cast-in-place technology for fast and efficient housing construction. The process uses formworks which are assembled on site. Upon assembly, a concrete mix is poured into the formworks to produce the desired shape of walls, bay windows, stairs, and other architectural features. This method completes a monolithic concrete structure without plastering works, making housing construction quicker than the traditional system which uses column-beam frames and concrete hollow blocks.
Another stellar innovation of CEMEX is the Aquacrete. It is a permeable concrete ideal for roads, carparks, sidewalks, and homes. By combining selected aggregates, CEMEX cement, and a proprietary admixture, small voids and channels were created in the concrete to make it permeable but still structurally strong and load bearing. For instance, a parking lot or sidewalk built from Aquacrete could act as a giant drainage. The voids and channels are so small that no trash gets through to clog it. Water would be able to flow better to the canals and into storm drains thus suppressing the potential for a flood.
In addition, CEMEX prides itself with its own practices of sustainable operations through energy optimization to mitigate the impact of global warming. CHP’s subsidiaries Solid Cement Corporation and Apo Cement Corporation were recently endorsed by SGS Philippines as the first cement plants in the country to be recommended for ISO 50001 or the Energy Management System. It is also noteworthy to mention that Solid Cement Plant has a 6-megawatt waste-heat-to-electricity facility that captures the excess heat of the cement production facilities to generate usable electricity.
CEMEX believes in the culture of “malasakit” (care) for its employees. In fact, Apo Cement Corporation had won the Employer of the Year Award conferred by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) in 2014 for the company’s exemplary practices in people management and development.
The global leader is also a supporter of environmental stewardship and community development. CEMEX Philippines Foundation’s flagship environmental program is called Adopt-a-Wildlife-Species. This is a trailblazing program that contributes to the protection of endangered species or habitat. To date, CEMEX Philippines Foundation has helped in the protection of Butanding or whale shark, Negros bleeding heart, tarsier, and Philippine eagle habitat. In 2012, the company was recognized as the Most Outstanding Corporation in the Practice of CSR by the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI).
In essence, CEMEX’s worldwide corporate social responsibility efforts and inclusive business programs already benefitted 9.7 million people and targets to make it more than 15 million by year 2020.
CEMEX Holdings Philippines joins the 110th milestone celebration of global parent company CEMEX as they renew their commitment to continue to develop sustainable building solutions for their customers
“Today, we look forward to the journey ahead with enthusiasm and pride because I sincerely believe that we have the best people, culture, opportunities, and technology. All of these are the reasons why we are confident in our path towards a sustainable growth,” said Palomino.
CHP conducted the CEMEX 110th anniversary celebration in all its major sites nationwide.
CHP offers a broad product mix of building solutions to the Philippine market. Its subsidiaries, Apo Cement Corporation and Solid Cement Corporation, produce and market cement and other building materials in the country. These cement manufacturing subsidiaries carry the well established cement brands APO and Rizal. Visit www.cemexholdingsphilippines.com for news and updates or like and follow CEMEX Holdings Philippines on Facebook and Instagram. For partnerships, contact the Public Affairs Unit at (632) 849 3600.