Heidelberg Materials takes over historic US cement company in US$600m deal

Heidelberg Materials

BUILDING conglomerate Heidelberg Materials has acquired US legacy cement producer Giant Cement Company in a deal worth US$600m.

Heidelberg’s North American division will take over operations of Giant’s integrated cement plant at its base in Harleyville, South Carolina, as well as its distribution and import terminals in Georgia.

Giant runs a waste-derived fuel business which Heidelberg is keen integrate into its operations in its ongoing push for less carbon-intensive processing in its material production.

A giant impact

Giant has been operating since 1883, previously going under the name of American Improved Cements Company.

The firm was the first cement company in South Carolina in 1949, with its Harleyville cement plant producing around 800,000 t/y of Portland and masonry cement.

Through its Giant Resource Recovery (GRR!) business, the company also recycles hazardous and non-hazardous liquids, solids, steel drums, and a “100% recycling process for aerosols”.

Giant converts this waste into fuel and transports it to their speciality kilns to be used in the production of cement.

At its Harleyville plant, the company conserves the equivalent of around 70,000 t/y of fossil fuel using its waste-derived fuel process.

Heidelberg’s decarbonisation efforts

Heidelberg has also employed several low-carbon solutions to decarbonise its cement sector, including waste-derived fuel.

Recently the company announced the revamp of its cement plant in Alberta, Canada, which can now replace 50% of its fossil fuel use with low carbon alternative fuels sourced from municipal, construction, and demolition waste.

Heidelberg says that with the acquisition of Giant, it expects the company to become a “front-runner on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the construction industry”.

Chris Ward, CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America, said: “We are excited to expand our supply network on the East Coast to better serve our broad customer base and we expect strong synergies with the Giant Resource Recovery fuel recycling business.”