Heidelberg Materials has been present in the United States since 1977, when it purchased the Lehigh Cement Company. Founded in 1897, the Lehigh Cement Company began as a single-mill operation producing portland cement in Ormrod, Pennsylvania. Heidelberg Materials acquired its Canadian operations in 1993 and Hanson PLC in 2007. Today, the businesses in North America are collectively known as Heidelberg Materials. With its broad geographic footprint and wide range of products, Heidelberg Materials is well positioned to supply construction projects throughout the United States and Canada.
The acquisition of the Italcementi Group in the second half of 2016 further strengthened Heidelberg Materials' presence in the USA with its subsidiary Essroc. Set up in 1866 as Coplay Cement, the company started producing cement in 1872. The name changed into Essroc in 1989. Today, all the Essroc business lines now operate as Heidelberg Materials.
Heidelberg Materials serves its cement customers in the US through 13 strategically located cement plants and a strong distribution terminal network. The company manufactures and distributes gray cement, white cement, custom coloured cement, and slag cement. While the majority of our cement is used in the production of ready-mixed concrete, it is also used in the manufacturing of precast concrete products, pipes and blocks, and by the oil well industry.
As part of the acquisition of Hanson plc in 2007, Heidelberg Materials gained a dense network of sand, gravel, and hard stone production sites in the United States. With facilities located in key markets throughout the country, our plants serve these markets through an effective logistics network of distribution terminals, railcars, and barges. The Hanson deal also gave the company a strong ready-mixed concrete presence in the USA as well as a number of asphalt production sites.
