Lugait Cement plant upgrades to meet Mindanao's rising demand

Holcim Philippines, Inc (LafargeHolcim group) is preparing to start work on the modernisation of its Lugait Cement plant in Misamis Oriental as it expects continued growth in Mindanao demand.

Mindanao's cement demand comes not just from the two primary cities of Davao and Cagayan de Oro, but also from Zamboanga, Dipolog, Butuan, and other secondary cities.

"For so long, Visayas demand has always been bigger than Mindanao’s. But for the last three years, we are now bigger than Visayas," said William Sumalinog, Holcim Philippines' senior vice-president for sales.

"We (Mindanao) are now… maybe one million (cement bags) higher per month or 12m bags more in annual consumption than Visayas," he added.

Nationwide, Luzon accounts for about 65 per cent of the company’s sales while the remaining 35 per cent comes from Visayas and Mindanao combined.