Henry Sy Jr. goes into cement business

Henry Sy Jr. of conglomerate SM Investments Corp.  (SMIC) is venturing into the cement business by launching of a 100-percent Filipino-owned manufacturing company.

Sy Jr., son of Philippines’ richest man Henry Sy Sr., heads the newly-launched Big Boss Cement Inc. (BBCI), which makes “environment-friendly” cement using a revolutionary technology.

He serves as vice chairman of SMIC and chairman of SM Prime Holdings Inc. and SM Development Corporation.

BBCI is not affiliated with SMIC, with Sy Jr. investing in his own personal capacity.

Gilbert Cruz, president of BBCI, said the company is banking on prospects in the local cement market.

“We are excited at the prospect of making a positive impact not only in the local construction industry but also in terms of decreasing air pollution and damage to the environment,” Cruz said in a statement on Thursday.

BBCI has invented a revolutionary cement manufacturing process that results in stronger structures and environment-friendly cement.

“BBCI’s new technology does away with the more than century-old system of mining raw materials such as limestone, clay, shale and sand, and heating them inside a kiln at around 1500 degrees Celsius," the company said.

Its patent-pending manufacturing process makes use of readily available raw materials, such as lahar, and does not require excessive heat to produce high quality cement.

“Science and technology are key drivers of our organization. We put a premium on research and development to be able to produce products that are superior while keeping in mind environmental sustainability,” Cruz said.

Big Boss Cement will be available in the market in March. Its factory in Porac, Pampanga, has a potential capacity of 1.5 million bags per month. — VDS, GMA News