Lehigh Hanson Inc 'tops-off' the steel section of its Mitchell stack

Lehigh Hanson Inc (HeidelbergCement) is pleased to announce the placement of the final section of steel for the stack at its new state-of-the-art Lehigh Cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana, USA. The Lehigh plant hosted a ‘topping out’ ceremony on Friday, 22 July 2022, where Lehigh employees, representatives from the construction team, contractors and local dignitaries signed the steel section before it was hoisted to top out the stack. 

A ‘topping out’ ceremony is a long-standing tradition of construction workers, particularly steel workers, to commemorate the completion of a building’s structure, specifically the placement of the final steel. In keeping with the tradition, as the stack section was being lifted, an American flag was unfurled on the structure.

 “With today’s topping out ceremony, we are another step closer to realising the completion of this monumental project,” said Tracy Crowther, Lehigh cement plant manager. “Thanks to the efforts and support of our employees, contractors, vendors, trade workers and the Mitchell community, this amazing new plant will be ready to begin production in the very near future.”

In October 2019, the company broke ground on the construction of the new plant in Mitchell that will replace the existing facility. Following a delay caused by COVID-19, construction resumed in September 2020 at an accelerated pace. The new facility is expected to be commissioned in early 2023.

The new Mitchell cement plant will allow for a substantial increase in production capacity while significantly reducing energy usage, fuel consumption and emissions per ton of cement produced through modern equipment and the latest in cement production technology.