As part of its continuous effort to be a prominent player in the industrial development of Ethiopia, EAH acquired Dire Dawa Cement and Lime Factory from the Privatization and Public Enterprises Agency of Ethiopian in 2005. The 70 years old factory was then re-incorporated as National Cement Share Company (NCSC). NCSC replaced most of the outdated, inefficient equipment and machinery, increasing the factories output fivefold by 2007.
In 2008, NCSC started the construction of a Greenfield cement plant, located three kilometers from the existing factory. The state-of-the-art factory was commissioned in 2012, with an installed capacity of 3,000 tons of clinker per day (4,200 tons of cement per day), and total project cost of 2.2 billion birr (115 million USD).
In line with NCSC vision to be a world class cement company in 2025, it has implemented the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system, acquired and upgraded the Koka grinding plant in central Ethiopia, and is aggressively looking for new investment opportunities in the region. NCSC is committed to serving its customers in Ethiopia and the neighboring countries of Djibouti and Somalia by providing quality cement products at competitive prices.
Products
Portland Pozzolona Cement (PPC)
The Portland Pozzolona Cement (PPC) produced by National Cement is a quality cement with 32.5 R Strength Class.
The Portland Pozzolona Cement is a kind of Blended Cement which is produced by either intergrading of OPC clinker along with gypsum and pozzolanic materials in certain proportions or grinding the OPC clinker, gypsum and Pozzolanic materials separately and thoroughly blending them in certain proportions.
Pozzolona is a natural or artificial material containing silica in a reactive form. It may be further discussed as siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material which in itself possesses little, or no cementations properties but will in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, chemically react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperature to form compounds possessing cementations properties. It is essential that Pozzolona be in a finely divided state as it is only then that silica can combine with calcium hydroxide (liberated by the hydrating Portland cement) in the presence of water to form stable calcium silicates which have cementations properties. The pozzolanic materials commonly used are volcanic ash, calcined clay, fly ash, and silica fumes.
The Portland Pozzolona Cement is ideal for general construction which does not required high early strength. Commonly, it is ideally suited for constructions such as hydraulic structures, mass concreting works, marine structures, masonry mortars and plastering, under aggressive conditions, and all other applications where Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is used.
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
The Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) produced by National Cement is a quality cement with 42.5 R Strength Class.
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world, used as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and most non-specialty grout. It is commonly used in general concrete construction when there is no exposure to sulphates in the soil or groundwater. OPC usually originates from limestone.
The most common use for Portland cement is in the production of concrete. Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete can be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, can become a structural (load bearing) element. Users may be involved in the fas panels, beams, road furniture, or may make cast-in situ concrete such as building superstructures, roads, dams. These may be supplied with concrete mixed on site, or may be provided with “ready-mixed" concrete made at permanent mixing sites. Portland cement is also used in mortars (with sand and water only) for plasters and screeds, and in grouts (cement/water mixes squeezed into gaps to consolidate foundations, road-beds, etc.). When water is mixed with Portland cement, the product sets in a few hours and hardens over a period of weeks. These processes can vary widely depending upon the mix used and the conditions of curing of the product, but a typical concrete sets in about 6 hours and develops a compressive strength of 8 MPa in 24 hours. The strength rises to 15 MPa at 3 days, 23 MPa at 1 week, 35 MPa at 4 weeks and 41 MPa at 3 months. In principle, the strength continues to rise slowly as long as water is available for continued hydration, but concrete is usually allowed to dry out after a few weeks and this causes strength growth to stop.
