Lafarge expanding plant capacity

MANILA, Philippines—Cement manufacturer Lafarge Republic Inc. (LRI) is investing in a new grinding mill in its Norzagaray plant to boost production capacity in anticipation of a robust growth in demand amid a growing economy.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday, LRI said the new grinding mill would have a capacity to produce 850,000 tons of cement per year. The mill is scheduled for commissioning in the second quarter of 2015.

The investment was approved by LRI’s board of directors in a recent meeting.

“The (Norzagaray) mill will supplement the new mill in the Teresa plant (in Brgy. Dulumbayan, Teresa, Rizal) which was approved by the board in May 2013, with target commissioning date of Jan. 2015,” the company said in the disclosure.

The company implements measures to boost capacity to be able to keep up with the continuing growth of the domestic market demand for cement.

LRI is an affiliate of international building materials manufacturer Lafarge.—Doris C. Dumlao