Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri
INDUSTRIAL
“Although slip forming is not a new technology, these being some of the largest in the world carry a great deal of risk if not done correctly. MC Industrial has delivered what they promised … a quality team and quality workmanship.”
—Russell Wiles, senior vice president, Ste. Genevieve Project, Holcim (US)
On a stretch of Highway 61 in Ste. Genevieve County, the world’s largest single-line cement plant is underway for Holcim (US).
The landscape leading to the site is fairly unremarkable until you travel further and crest the hill. From there, 13 behemoth silos appear in the valley below. Climbing toward the sky at 10 inches an hour, each silo was slip formed. Once slip forming starts, the process can’t stop. More than 350 MC Industrial tradesmen worked 24/7 for 13 to 17 days at a time to complete each set of silos; the widest, 207 feet tall by 150 feet in diameter, the tallest, 275 feet tall by 80 feet in diameter. The plant will begin producing 12,000 tons per day clinker in 2009. MC Industrial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McCarthy. Architect/Engineer: T.E. Ibberson, Hopkins, Minn.
