Holcim completes Yocsina closure

LafargeHolcim has announced the definitive closure of the Yocsina plant in Córdoba’s Industrial Zone, Argentina, to focus its activity in Malagueño from 31 March 2021.

In a note sent to the National Securities Commission, Holcim reported: “As of March 31, 2021, the company will unify all its cement grinding operations at the Córdoba industrial zone, located in the town of Malagueño, at the plant which bears the name of said town and is part of said industrial zone, discontinuing the grinding operations of its Yocsina plant.”

The company attributes the decision as “part of the investment plan duly approved by the company's board of directors to carry out the reactivation of a new kiln and the construction of a new mill at the referred Malagueño plant, whose start-up will take place during the first quarter of 2021, thus integrating in a single plant all of the company's operations in the Córdoba Industrial Zone,” the statement added. "The aforementioned project will imply an increase in the cement production capacity of the Córdoba Industrial Zone of 730,000tpa, and the Company's cement production capacity of 4.77Mta, increasing to 5.5Mta, allowing to supply the projected demand of the Argentine market and accompany the development of the country's private and public works.”

Founded in 1963, the Yocsina plant saw the shutdown of its pyroprocessing line in 2012 as the technology used in cement production was out of date. The plant continued to function as a grinding and dispatching units.