Ozinga broke ground recently on an East Chicago plant that's being billed as North America’s largest low-carbon cement mill.
The nearly century old Ozinga, which supplies concrete around the Midwest and in Florida, will be able to make 1 million tons of low-carbon cement in East Chicago annually. It will boast one of North America's largest vertical roller mills.
"Ozinga's significant investment in East Chicago isn't just about building a plant," Mayor Anthony C opeland said. "it's about building a stronger, greener future for our community, creating jobs, and solidifying our city's role in sustainable industry."
Ozinga, which has locations in Gary, Crown Point, Portage and other Northwest Indiana communities, is not disclosing the exact investment in the plant. It plans to create about 150 jobs, counting both temporary construction jobs and full-time positions. The company employs more than 2,500 people across the country.
“This is the kind of investment that strengthens communities and provides real opportunity for local families,” Copeland said.
The fifth-generation family-owned Ozinga, which is based in south suburban Mokena, said the facility will have direct access to rail, truck and maritime shipping via Lake Michigan. It will serve customers across North America. The hope is to take some business from the 30 million tons imported nearly every year.
“This facility is more than a plant. It’s a commitment to the future of American manufacturing, to sustainable building, and to strengthening American communities for generations to come," Ozinga CEO Marty Ozinga said.
It sees lessening dependence on imported concrete as an environmental benefit that will cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
Concrete is used to build roads, bridges, homes, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure. A key ingredient, Portland cement, accounts for an estimated 7% of the world's carbon emissions.
Ozinga aims to make low-carbon cement in East Chicago as part of an effort to get to net zero by 2030. It will make slag cement with 80% less embodied carbon, offsetting more than 700,000 metric tons of carbon emissions a year.
The company's low-carbon concrete helped reduced embodied carbon by 64% at the new Amazon Web Services data center in New Carlisle, which it describes as a new industry benchmark.
The plant will feature a roller mill billed as the largest of its kind in North America, manufactured by German machinery company Gebr. Pfeiffer custom-built the massive mill, which has six different rollers, increasing both throughput and efficiency.
“This isn’t just a plant — it’s a technological milestone,” said Timothy Burden, President of Gebr. Pfeiffer Americas. “The MVR5300-C6 sets a new benchmark for sustainable cement production.”
The goal is to have the new cement plant up and running by next year.
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