Aggregate Industries (AI) has become the focal point for cement output and distribution in the UK for LafargeHolcim following the transfer of ownership of some Lafarge cement assets last year. Joe Hudson, managing director of AI’s Cement and Concrete Products division, speaks to ICR about why becoming a cement producer and supplier was the final “piece of the jigsaw” for the company and how the additions will enhance its portfolio.
As part of last year’s global merger between Lafarge and Holcim, some of the legacy Lafarge Tarmac assets in the UK were transferred to Holcim-owned building materials producer Aggregate Industries (AI). These assets included cement plants in Cauldon, Staffordshire, and Cookstown, County Tyrone, along with a quarry at Cauldon Low and a cement terminal at Belfast Docks. This transition means that, for the first time, AI’s portfolio of operations now includes the capacity for cement production and supply.
AI’s new Cement & Concrete Products division is led by Joe Hudson who has a long history of working in a number of key functional and operational roles across Lafarge, having been there since 2001. As Group Senior VP for Organisation & Development at Lafarge, Joe was heavily involved in preparations for the LH merger and has previous experience of running a cement business having worked as MD/CEO for Lafarge Cement Wapco Plc in Nigeria. Here, he explains to ICR the strategic importance of cement to AI’s business, along with the wider benefits of being part of the new LafargeHolcim group.
