Compañía de Cementos Argos S.A.

Compañía de Cementos Argos S.A.

Founded	1934
Area served	Colombia, the United States, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela
Key people	Gonzalo Alberto Perez Rojas (President of Board of Directors); José Alberto Vélez (President of the Management Team)
Products	Concrete, Cement & Lime
Operating income	In 2007 USD over $5 billion
Net income	In 2007 USD 1,800,000,000
Employees	5000 +
Website	http://www.argos.com.co

Argos is a leader in the Colombian cement industry, with 51 percent of market participation; it is the fourth largest cement producer in Latin America, and the only producer of white cement in Colombia. Argos has investments in Panama, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is the sixth largest concrete producer in the United States and it also exports cement and clinker to 27 countries around the world.

Argos has four ports in the U.S. and four in Colombia as well as two in Venezuela, one in Panama, on in the Dominican Republic and one in Haiti. In Colombia, Argos is the largest transporter of land cargo. Argos has 14 cement producing plants, of which 11 are located in Colombia and the rest are in Panama, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Four of the 11 Colombian plants are located in the northern area of Colombia and are dedicated to exportation, while for domestic demand there are 7 plants located in the Departments of Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Valle, Boyacá, and Santander.

While Colombia is Argos largest cement producer, the United States is where Argos has its largest concrete production capacity (8.9 million cubic meters per year). There are 134 cement production plants and 1,350 mixers. Argo’s cement production capacity in Colombia is only 1.7 million cubic meters per year, with 40 plants and 230 mixers. [1]

Company History

Argos was founded in Medellín, Colombia on February 27th, 1934, by Claudino Arango Jaramillo, Rafael and Jorge Arango Carrasquilla, Carlos Sevillano Gómez, Leopoldo Arango Ceballos and Carlos Ochoa Velez. In 1936, the factory began production and it issued its first dividend in 1938. After its association with Cementos del Nare, Argos began creating companies in various western regions of Colombia: Cementos del Valle in 1938, del Caribe in 1944, el Cairo in 1946, de Caldas in 19555, Tolcemento in 1972, Colclinker in 1974, and Cementos Ríoclaro in 1982. In the 1990s, Argo purchased stock participation in Cementos Paz del Rio.

Argos purchased Corporación de Cemento Andino in Venezuela, in 1998. Subsequently Argo established alliances to make investments in the Dominican Republic, Panama and Haiti. In 2005, Argo merged all of its cement producing companies in Colombia and purchased Southern Star Concrete and Concrete Express in the U.S. The following year, it purchased Ready Mixed Concrete Company in the US and merged its concrete producing companies in Colombia and then purchased the cement and concrete assets of Cementos Andino and Concrecem in Colombia. [2]

Corporate Accountability

Environment

Argos has planted over 10,000 hectares for reforestation and 1,400 hectares were reforested during 2007. Argos has a environmental program designed to minimize the negative impacts of productive units by using modern environmental control equipment and by having an extensive reforesting production in Colombia.[3]

Social Responsibility Initiatives

Argos develops various programs to promote the welfare of their employees, their families and the communities of their areas of influence. Argos makes annual contributions of over $5million US dollars to the community which benefits over 600,000 people. [4]

Contact Information

Compañía de Cementos Argos S.A.
Calle 7D # 43A – 99
Medellín, Colombia
Tel: +57-4-319-8700
Fax: +57-4-319-8740
Customer Service: 01-8000-527-467
Suppliers: 01-8000-510-190

Resources

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