Cemex SA de CV is a major provider of cement and concrete products worldwide. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company has grown to become a leader in the cement industry. Today, while their headquarters is in Monterrey, Mexico, their operations extend around the world, with production facilities in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, the United States, Egypt, the Philippines, Thailand, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Latvia, Poland and the United Kingdom.

History

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 Phillipines, Indonesia and Egypt, as well as Costa Rica. The acquisition of U.S. based Southdown, Inc. 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. Recently, in March 2005 it finished it's acquisition of London-based RMC Group, the world's largest Ready-Mix producer. With the acquisition, Cemex produces an estimated 97 million tons of cement, making it the second largest cement company in the world. The company also became the largest ready mix company in the world.

Today

As of late 2003, Cemex had annual cement production capability of 82 million tons and over 25,000 employees. Lorenzo Zambrano is the current chairman and chief executive officer. About one-third of the company's sales come from its Mexico operations, a quarter from its plants in the U.S., 15% from Spain, and smaller percentages from its plants around the world.

Continuing in its path of acquisitions, Cemex announced, in late 2004, a $5.8 billion deal to purchase RMC Group, a construction supplies company based in the United Kingdom. With the acquisition, Cemex could see its annual sales grow to $15 billion, just shy of the market leader, Lafarge (NYSE: LF), which has sales of $17 billion.

External links

• Cemex
• Yahoo.com Company Profile