CEMENT, one of the world’s oldest and foremost construction materials for roads and buildings, both commercial and residential, is St. Lawrence Cement’s core product. The company operates four cement plants and numerous other facilities to serve 15,000 customers in Canada and on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

The Mississauga cement plant, which began operations in 1956, remains the company’s largest facility and marketing headquarters for Ontario. Its operations began with two wet process kilns producing a total capacity of 850 tonnes of cement per day (tpd). In 1968, a pre-heater kiln was added resulting in a total production capacity of 3,000 tpd. Since then, additions and improvements have included:

• a 3,500 hp mill moved from the company’s Beauport, Quebec plant (1971);
• one of the largest cement mills in North America (1974);
• a storage hall to handle the raw materials such as coal and clinker (limestone and sand after processing through the kiln at temperatures reaching a high of 1450° C);
• a bag warehouse able to store some 150,000 bags of a variety of finished products, and
• a 1.6 km long enclosed reversible belt conveyor system, to bring raw materials from a ship loading dock on Lake Ontario to the plant, and clinker or cement from the plant to the loading dock.

St. Lawrence Cement is 61 percent owned by Holderbank Financière Glaris Ltd., a Swiss company, through its U.S. subsidiary Holnam Inc. Besides the Mississauga plant, the company’s Canadian operations include a cement plant in Joliette, Quebec and 13 cement distribution terminals, one mineral components distribution terminal, 46 ready-mix concrete plants, 22 quarries and sand pits and two construction companies. These assets are located in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

In the United States, the company operates two cement plants, one in Catskill, NY, and another in Hagerstown, MD. Its U.S. operations also include nine cement distribution terminals and sources and markets fly ash and ground slag, both mineral components. In mid-1999, upgrades to the two Canadian plants have increased production capacity by 180,000 tonnes. As for the U.S. operations, plans are underway for the construction of a two million tonnes cement plant in Greenport, N.Y.

Throughout the years, St. Lawrence Cement has launched a number of marketing initiatives to meet the growing needs of customers. They include high silicafume cement (HSF) cementitious slag and a new line of masonry cements. Technical experts are available, both at the plant and in the field, to answer customer inquiries and to assist with innovative solutions while ensuring that all industry codes and standards are maintained. These specialists are part of the 2,500 people employed by St. Lawrence Cement, 1,400 in Ontario, 800 in Quebec and the Maritimes and 300 in the United States.

While St. Lawrence Cement’s products and services make a positive contribution to society, the company recognizes the environmental implications of its activities as well as its responsibility to conserve clear air, pure water, and natural resources. Its commitment to address environmental concerns is carefully spelled out in the 1998 Report on Environmental Responsibility.

St. Lawrence Cement’s President and CEO, Patrick Dolberg, clearly states that the company’s goal is to exceed environmental regulations “because it is the right thing to do.”

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Numerous steps have been or are being taken to exceed regulations. In 1998, an investment of $15 million on four new bag houses was made at the Joliette plant in Quebec. These are sophisticated filtering systems that capture particulates, reducing emissions to levels eight times lower than current provincial government norms. It also stepped up its use of alternative fuels, from 18.7 per cent in 1997 to 25.8 per cent in 1998. Another $100,000 investment was made in an environmental management database system, to track sites and archive information.

More recently, two environmentally significant expansion projects have been undertaken, one in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and another in Camden, New Jersey. These new facilities will produce a performance enhancing cementitious material from a by-product of iron and steel manufacturing. In addition to recycling material, the new plants will save annually 1.6 million tonnes of limestone – a non-renewable resource.

St. Lawrence Cement is proud of its philanthropic contributions to local community organizations. The Mississauga Symphony, the Oakville Arts Council, Erindale College, and the Oakville Waterfront Festival are just a few examples of the many groups St. Lawrence Cement supports both through financial means and volunteers. St. Lawrence Cement is a proud, responsible corporate citizen of the Mississauga/Oakville community.

Throughout the years, St. Lawrence Cement’s Ontario group (Dufferin Construction, Dufferin Aggregates, Dufferin-Custom Concrete Group, and Boehmers) have participated in a number of high-profile projects in the Toronto market area. The most recent achievements include: the Pearson Airport, the Metro Convention Centre, the Windsor Casino, the Air Canada Centre, Highway 407, and the Queen Elizabeth Way.