Lafarge North America opened its state-of-the-art cement distribution terminal in Detroit in mid-June. The highly automated facility will reduce loading times for cement trucks and enhance the company's ability to supply environmentally friendly blended cements to the region, says Lafarge. The new distribution center includes North America's largest cement silo that fully automates blending and truck-loading operations.

Built in just 14 days using an estimated 7,000 yards of concrete, the terminal stands more than 180 ft high and 95 ft in diameter. It incorporates compartments to store a variety of specialized materials, which can be blended on line and delivered directly to trucks or stored in the silo. The concrete used to build the structure was placed in a continuous pour using slip-form molds. The silo also contains four precast columns made of Lafarge's Ductal ultra-high-strength material.

Three bulk loading bays and covered truck scales will allow for year-round truck loading, unaffected by weather. The cement and cementitious materials are loaded through a fully automated delivery system, reducing loading time for trucks.

In addition to the silo, the virtually dust free new operation also features a high-speed vessel receiving system for faster unloading of barges and ships. Additionally, it includes a 35,000-sq-ft packaged-product warehouse, where a high-speed packaging and palletizing operation can produce as many as 2,500 bags per hour.

The company is playing a major role in the city's economic revitalization. The new $30 million terminal is the cornerstone of Springwells Industrial Park, an 80-acre brownfield redevelopment site on the Detroit River. The company transferred operations from its aging cement plant in downtown Detroit, which is being demolished to make way for an expansion of the city's Tricentennial State Park and Harbor.