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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Spain-Based Calucem Plans New Orleans, Louisiana, Operations

08/04/2022
Specialty cement manufacturer and subsidiary of Spain-based Cementos Molins, Calucem will enter the U.S. market by establishing a manufacturing facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The $35 million project is expected to create 70 jobs.

The company plans to develop the facility at a nine-acre site on the Industrial Canal. Operations are set to begin in the third quarter of 2023.

“Calucem is taking on a new investment that will support our growth and diversification in the U.S. and ensure that we continue to offer high-value products to our global customers,” Calucem President and CEO Yuri Bouwhuis said. “Our choice of Louisiana for our first all-new manufacturing project in the U.S. is due to the availability of strategic raw materials such as limestone and natural gas, access to waterways and skilled labor, and the long history of using specialty cement products in the U.S.”

To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered a competitive incentive package featuring the comprehensive solutions of LED FastStart, which was recently named the nation’s No. 1 state workforce development program for the 13th year in a row.

The package also includes a performance-based $700,000 award through the Economic Development Award Program to support site infrastructure improvements. In addition, the company is expected to participate in the Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.

"These good-paying jobs will make a big difference for the community of New Orleans East, and the presence of a major international company like Calucem will be a boon for our entire state," Governor John Bel Edwards said. "Calucem is the latest company to recognize the quality of our nation-leading workforce development programs and Louisiana's unrivaled shipping infrastructure. Our state has many more strategic locations like the site Calucem selected, and our work to grow and diversify our economy and create jobs will continue."

Calucem is the world’s second-largest producer of calcium aluminate cement, a high-performance product popular in a variety of commercial and industrial uses. Cementos Molins, Calucem’s parent company, is based in Madrid with facilities in 12 countries on four continents. The Louisiana project will create its third calcium aluminate production center, joining Barcelona, Spain, and Pula, Croatia.

“This is a rewarding project announcement, as Calucem brings new jobs and foreign dollars to New Orleans East,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. “The $35 million investment and 70 direct jobs will put an underutilized site into production, create local opportunity and help provide a high-demand product for the nation.”

Calucem said the project is contingent on New Orleans City Council approval of a payment in lieu of taxes agreement, or PILOT.

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