INSEE Cement lays foundation stone for Galle’s first vertical cement grinding plant

Entering an important new phase in the company’s history, INSEE Cement laid the foundation stone and commenced building a $ 14 million vertical cement grinding plant in Galle recently. 

The foundation stone was placed by Deputy Minister of Port and Shipping Nishantha Muthuhettigama and Residence Manager of Galle Sujeewa Wimalasiri together with officials from INSEE Cement. 

INSEE Cement CEO Nandana Ekanayake said: “The new plant will be the first vertical cement grinding plant in the Southern Province and also for the company. It is the company’s first big investment since the acquisition in Sri Lanka by Siam City Cement Public Company. This is another milestone in our ambitious mission to build and contribute to the nation’s future prosperity.”

The plant will be completed by 2018 and will have an annual capacity of 450,000 tonnes of cement. The company will further invest $ 3 million in initiatives to safeguard the surrounding environment with assistance from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.   

The BOI, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Police, Sri Lanka Navy, Environment Authority and local authorities will also play an important role in providing close collaboration and guidance for this important endeavour that will result in increased production volumes, contributing to the national economy.  A 20-member cross-functional team at INSEE Cement, combining business operations such as manufacturing, quality, marketing, logistics and procurement, sustainable development, HR, finance and external affairs joined together to kick-start the project, scheduled to commence operations on 1 June next year. Technical consultants for the project are CemCon AG, a Swiss company which will provide support in machine selection, onsite factory acceptance testing as well as pre-installation and post commissioning testing.  

The new plant will open up employment opportunities for over 100 people during the construction phase while over 50 persons in the vicinity will gain full-time or contract employment once the plant is completed. INSEE Cement or Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd. is a member of the Siam City Cement Public Company Ltd. (SCCC), a leading cement manufacturer in Southeast Asia founded in 1969 in Thailand. INSEE Cement manufactures INSEE branded Sanstha, Mahaweli Marine, Mahaweli Marine Plus, INSEE Rapid Flow, INSEE Rapid Flow Plus and INSEE Extra cement. INSEE Cement is the first certified ‘Green Cement’ in Sri Lanka with Green Labeling certification awarded by the Green Building Council. The company is the only fully-integrated cement manufacturer in Sri Lanka.