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ROCK products • DECEMBER 2014 www.rockproducts.com 68 Dixon, Ill., Mayor Jim Burke said repre‐ sentatives from St. Marys Cement ap‐ proached him five months ago to discuss restarting manufacturing oper‐ ations in the town, reported www.sauk‐ valley.com. About 90 employees lost their jobs when St. Marys ceased oper‐ ations almost six years ago. A few work‐ ers remained to oversee the plant's use as a distribution terminal. Mayor Burke said talks were in very early stages, so he was surprised to see the company's recent classified ad in Sauk Valley Media publications looking for more than 65 workers. "We're optimistic, and it would be a great thing to have the plant up and running again," Burke said. "But honestly, I saw the ad and thought they might be jumping the gun." Restarting operations would require a large capital investment, and the company is looking for help. "We're working with them to see if there are incentives to make it all work," explained Burke. "We would like to get Sen. Dick Durbin involved as we look at state options." The company had attributed the clos‐ ing to a deteriorating economy and rising energy costs, but the Environ‐ mental Protection Agency may have also played a role. The EPA fined St. Marys Cement and co‐owner St. Bar‐ bara Cement $800,000 for violations of the Clean Air Act. In addition, the settlement called for the companies to spend nearly $2 million to upgrade pollution control on three of its four kilns. The fourth kiln had to be re‐ placed or shut down. EPA said the companies illegally modified the kilns at the Dixon plant in a manner that increased harmful sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. In addition to failing to install the proper pollution‐control equipment, the companies were cited for failing to get the proper permit before making modifications. St. Marys Cement Considers Reopening Illinois Plant Cemex to Resume Tepeaca Plant Expansion Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. announced the restart of the Tepeaca, Mexico, ce‐ ment plant expansion. By 2017 the total production capacity will reach 7.6 million tpy. Total investment is estimated to be approximately $650 million. The additional investment, in order to add 4.4 million tpy to the current capacity, will be $200 million, since the company had already invested close to $450 million by 2008. "We are encouraged by our indus‐ try's positive outlook in Mexico. With this investment, Cemex reaf‐ firms its confidence in the country's future," said Rogelio Zambrano, Cemex's chairman of the board. "We are proud to contribute to our coun‐ try's development." This investment will allow Cemex to better serve the Mexican market in that region. Additionally, the expan‐ sion is expected to generate 1,500 jobs during the construction phase and about 100 direct and 240 indi‐ rect jobs once operations begin. "This expansion will allow us to bet‐ ter serve our customers' needs in a very dynamic region of Mexico," said Fernando A. Gonzalez, Cemex CEO. "Tepeaca will become an iconic fa‐ cility in our industry, using the lat‐ est technology, setting standards for quality, efficiency, safety and envi‐ ronmental performance." The announcement was made dur‐ ing a ceremony at the facility, lo‐ cated in the Mexican state of Puebla, with the attendance of Ildefonso Guajardo, Mexico's Secretary of Economy; Rafael Moreno, Governor of Puebla; Amelio Flores, Mayor of Cuautinchan; Rogelio Zambrano; Fernando A. Gonzalez; and Juan Romero, president of Cemex Mexico. Grupo Argos S.A. Cements Efficiencies with MicroStrategy MicroStrategy Inc., a provider of en‐ terprise software platforms, an‐ nounced that Colombia‐based Grupo Argos S.A., parent company of Cementos Argos, has deployed its analytics. After a comprehensive review of the mobile and cloud solutions in the marketplace, Grupo Argos selected