Everything begins with the mining of the limestone, the main raw material in cement. The material is extracted from the quarries, crushed and stored in the pre-homogenization piles. At this stage, the first samples are collected for analysis and the chemical composition of the limestone is determined, including the calcium, silicon, iron and aluminum contents.

The limestone is mixed with clay and specific additives, such as iron ores, aluminum or co-processed substitute materials, ground, and then its reduced to a very fine powder known as raw meal. A filter installed in the mill prevents dust emissions to the atmosphere at this stage. The raw meal is then stocked in special homogenization silos until it is fed to the rotary kiln.

Before entering the rotary kiln, the meal goes through a pre-calciner tower with cyclones where it is heated by hot gases from a kiln that can reach up to 1,450°C. This ensures the raw meal enters the kiln at an approximate temperature of 900°C. The material created at this stage is called clinker, an intermediate product which constitutes the basis for cement.

To finalize the clinker production process, the material coming out of the kiln is sent to a cooler where its temperature is reduced to under 100°C. A filter installed at the outlet of the equipment liberates the air from the cooling process to the atmosphere free of pollutants. At this stage, further samples are collected and the clinker is transported to silos and hoppers where it is stored with the other additive materials that go into the cement: gypsum, limestone, pozzolan or slag. The percentage of each one of these additives will determine the type of cement.

After cement grinding, the cement is stored in silos, where it remains until it is bagged or commercialized in bulk, dispatched by truck, rail or barges.