Cementos Molins, founded in 1928 by Mr. Juan Molins Parera, aimed to continue exploiting the quarries and producing limestone and natural cement in Pallejà, Vallirana and Sant Vicenç dels Horts, near Barcelona. Mr. Joaquín Molins Figueras, President of the Company from 1934 until 1976, also promoted manufacturing calcium aluminate cement, by installing the first two reverberatory furnaces in 1929 and 1930
In 1942 Cementos Molins requested that its shares be officially quoted on the Barcelona Stock Exchange, and this was admitted by the Barcelona Stock Exchange governing body in October that same year. From that moment until today, the Cementos Molins shares have been quoted on the Barcelona Stock Exchange.
In 1943 its first rotary kiln was started up for manufacturing Portland cement, with a capacity for 50 tonnes per day, which was a significant landmark for the company’s future.
In the decade of the 50s, there was an increase in demand which led to the construction of new furnaces to extend the production volume; in 1952 a second portland cement rotary kiln was started up, with a capacity of 150 T/day; and in relation to calcium aluminate cement, between 1955 and 1959, three new furnaces were installed, which were added to the existing ones and, finally, in 1965 a sixth furnace was added. These furnaces operated until 1997, when a new plant was started up and which led to the complete revolution of the calcium aluminate cement manufacturing plants.
Between the years 1965 and 1974 the Company took a quantitative leap; it started up three new portland cement furnaces; two with a production capacity of 900 T/day and, the third, with a capacity of 3000 T/day. This meant an increase in the production capacity from 200 to 4800 T/day.
The 70s were difficult years due to the significant crisis in the Spanish cement sector, which was mainly due to the economic impact of the petrol prices in 1973. This meant that the company had to turn to exporting as a solution to alleviate the effects of the complicated economic situation. In that decade, together with other companies within the sector, the group had shares in export companies, such as Portcemen, S.A and Hispacement, S.A., among others.
After the 80s, under the presidency of Mr. Juan Molins Ribot, and then continued from 1986 by Mr. Casimiro Molins Ribot, Cementos Molins started its geographical expansion and product diversification which, over time, made the Company the head of a wide group of national and international companies.
The strategy at that time is clear, giving activities an international outlook, diversifying production and gradually reducing participations in exporting companies.
The Group starts to structure itself around companies covering the industrial and geographical diversification it needs to grow.
Since 1980, Cementos Molins Group has been operating in Argentina through Compañía Cementos Avellaneda, who has two cement factories in the towns of Olavarría and San Luis, and also concrete plants. Cementos Molins owns 51% of the shares, and the other shareholder is the Brazilian cement company, Votorantim.
On the other hand, in Mexico, since 1988, together with the Italian cement group, Buzzi Unicem, the Company has owned 67% of Corporación Moctezuma, de C.V. - with factories in Tepetzingo Cerritos and Apazapan- as well as operating in the concrete and mortar business.
Since 1991 the Group has been operating in Uruguay through the company Cementos Artigas. It currently owns a clinker manufacturing plant in the town of Minas, a mill and an adhesive cement and mortar manufacturing plant in Sayago, and it also operates in the concrete business. Cementos Molins owns 49% of the shares, and the other shareholder is the Brazilian cement company, Votorantim.
Together with Lafarge, Cementos Molins has been operating in Bangladesh and India since 2006, with a cement factory in the town of Chatak, in the north of the country, which is supplied with raw materials from the quarry in India via a 16 km long conveyor belt. The participation of Cementos Molins is 29.46%.
Cementos Molins Group has operated in Tunisia since 2007 through SOTACIB who owns a white cement factory in the city of Feriana, near the border with Algeria. In turn, the Portland cement factory in Kairouan, started operating in 2012.
Since the end of 2016 the Group, together with Grupo Votorantim and with partners in the country, has been working in Bolivia through Sociedad Itacamba Cemento, with a cement factory in the town of Yacuses. The participation of Cementos Molins is 29.46%.
Finally, at the end of 2016, the earthworks for the construction of a new cement production plant in the municipality of Sonsón, Antioquia (Colombia) began, in partnership with the Colombian Group, Corona. Its start-up is expected for the first quarter of 2019.
In Spain, the diversification of Cementos Molins Group has also been developed at product level; since 1987, as well as participating in the cement sector , it also specialises in the business of concrete, aggregates, concrete prefabricates, special mortars and adhesive cements, while also running environmental activities. Said activities are carried out through the companies Cementos Molins Industrial, Promotora Mediterránea-2 (PROMSA), Prefabricaciones y Contratas (PRECON) and Propamsa, which are all part of Cementos Molins Group.
