Heidelberg Materials North America is pleased to announce the successful conversion of its Speed, Indiana, cement plant to a slag grinding facility to better support the increased demand for more sustainable cementitious products in in the 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. The Speed site also serves as a distribution hub for cement produced at the Mitchell plant as well as a broad range of specialty cementitious products.
The company recently supplied its first major project, the construction of a high rise building in Indianapolis, with slag cement from the repurposed Speed plant. The project’s ready mixed concrete supplier, Irving Materials, Inc. (IMI), incorporated 1,700 tons of slag cement in the concrete used for the structure’s foundation. Using slag cement in a concrete mix significantly lowers its environmental impact and it also provides lower heat of hydration, improved durability, easier workability and higher long-term strength.
“We are excited to now have the ability to supply our customers with slag cement from our existing facility in Speed, Indiana,” Toby Knott, Vice President of Cement Sales for Heidelberg Materials North America’s Midwest Region. “With the growing acceptance of slag cement usage in publicly and privately funded construction projects, this is a great opportunity to enhance and strengthen our sustainable product offerings in this dynamic market.”
“Heidelberg Materials North America’s investment in the Speed facility is reflective of our commitment to supporting sustainable and resilient construction projects in the Midwest and throughout the U.S. and Canada,” said Toby Lee, President of the company’s Midwest Region. “It is also yet another milestone in our journey to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by 2030 and grow our portfolio of more sustainable products, technologies and customer-focused solutions.”
