Germany: Heidelberg Materials has announced that it will permanently close its 0.4Mt/yr-capacity Paderborn cement plant in North Rhine-Westphalia due to a ‘significant’ decline in cement sales driven by weak construction demand in Germany in the current economic conditions. The company said that the measure forms part of its ongoing optimisation of its European production network and a shift towards clinker-reduced cements produced across its sites. It said that as customers can now source clinker-reduced cements from the company’s sites throughout the country, the Paderborn plant is ‘losing its unique position’ within the group.
The closure affects 53 employees. The company said it is developing ‘socially responsible’ solutions in close consultation with the workers’ council, including transfers to nearby plants such as Geseke and Ennigerloh into positions created through early retirement programmes.
The activities of subsidiary Mineralik in the Paderborn quarry and operation of the local ready-mix concrete plant will continue. The Paderborn plant operated the smallest rotary kiln in Heidelberg Materials’ German operations and, since 2022, it had been used to produce Ternocem low-carbon cement in trial operation. Further development of Ternocem will continue at another site in the future.
