The word CEMENT & originated from the Latin CAEMENTU, which in ancient Rome designated a natural stone rock area not square (cracked). The product & quot; the basic component for the concrete. In the middle of 1830 the English Joseph Aspdin patented the process of manufacturing a binder that resulted from the mixture, calcined in certain and definite proportions of calc and clay. The result was one- which, because of its color and characteristics similar to an abundant stone on the island of Portland, has been termed Portland cement.

In Brazil, the first initiatives for cement manufacturing took place at the end of the 19th century. The year 1926 was a milestone for the cement industry in Brazil, with the inauguration of the Companhia Brasileira de Cimento Portland, in Perus. From then on the cement starts or is to be produced in Brazil on an industrial scale. In 1933, national production began to overtake imports.

After 2 & war, Brazil entered a process of industrial development and its infrastructure. Per capita consumption of cement jumped from 12.9 kg / inhab / year in 1935 to 22.3 kg / hab / year at the end of the war and to no less than 67.7 kg / inhab / year in 1962. Between 1945 and in 1955 the sector inaugurated 16 new plants, and since then the country has become self-sufficient in the consumption of cement.

The decade of 60 was a simple period for the Brazilian economy and, consequently, for the cement industry. The idleness of the industry was 17% and the center came to change at the end of the decade with the resumption of economic growth.

The economic miracle happened in the 1970s as a result of government investments in infrastructure works. The cement industry has received a consider - able standard to increase its productive capacity and inaugurate new units throughout the country. In all, there were 22 new cement plants installed in the country at that time. However the oil crisis, at the end of the decade, prevented the continuation of this growth.

During the 1980s, Brazil experienced crises never seen before, worldwide recession and the consequent drop in investment resulted in a period of low activity in civil construction. Cement companies came to operate with idle capacity of 55%.

The creation of the Real Plan has brought about a stabilization of the economy and an increase in the purchasing power of the popula- tion. The impact was immediate, boosting the cement market for two-year growth. In 1999 cement consumption reached a record level of 40 million tonnes. Starting in the year 2000, the results of the sector began to weaken in the face of economic percents. The ensuing economic crises and the term of the exchange parity caused the Real to devalue, reaching consumption in full.

From 2004, with the regulatory framework of civil construction, the incentive & real estate construction, wage growth, credit expansion, interest reduction and the capitalization of developers and builders, construction activity civilization showed a strong growth and, consequently, the cement indus- try. Year after year cement consumption hit record high, reaching 69.3 million tons in 2012.