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In the United States, we have a balanced and vertically integrated business portfolio. We are the United States' largest supplier of cement and ready-mix concrete, as well as an important producer of aggregates, concrete blocks, and other building materials.
| Cement Production Capacity (mmt/year) |
17.5 |
| Cement Plants |
14 |
| Cement Plants (minority participation) |
4 |
| Ready-Mix Plants |
536 |
| Aggregates Quarries |
102 |
| Land Distribution Centers |
43 |
| Marine Terminals |
11 |
| Data as of December 31, 2008 |
Demand for cement is derived from demand for ready-mix concrete and concrete products, which, in turn, is based on construction activity. The three main components of the US construction industry are the residential, industrial-and-commercial, and public sectors.
We constructed a second kiln at our Balcones plant in New Braunfels, Texas. The new kiln, which was completed in the third quarter of 2008, increased the plant's total production capacity to approximately 2.2 million tons per year.
We are currently implementing an alternate fuels program to gradually replace coal with more economic fuels such as petroleum coke and tires. By retrofitting our cement plants to handle alternate fuels, we have improved our operating flexibility and reduced our vulnerability to potential energy price spikes.
We also are taking significant actions to optimize the efficiency and productivity of our ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and concrete-block operations, including capacity adjustments and rationalizations.
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