An almost 100 years old History
An exceptional location, offering the possibility of expeditions by land and sea, close to Setúbal on the River Sado and blessed with a rich seam of limestone and marl – these were ample reasons for a cement factory to open in the Arrabida mountain range, where materials had been mined since the 18th century, .
As the result of the merger of two companies operating in the region, in 1930 Secil – Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento – was established. Since those far off days in the first half of the 20th century, there have been many changes.
Beyond the inevitable technological changes and a growing environmental awareness, the highlight has been Semapa’s purchase of 51% of Secil’s capital and 100% of CMP – Cimentos Maceira e Pataias, in 1994. CMP originated in the Maceira-Liz plant, inaugurated in 1923, and the Cibra-Pataias plant, founded in 1950. Since 2011 Semapa holds the entire share capital of Secil.
Many milestones have been passed throughout its history. The following are among the key events:
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1904
Foundation
Foundation of the Companhia de Cimentos de Portugal; installation of the Outão plant in Setúbal, which started with two vertical furnaces with an annual production of 10,000 t in 1906.
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1918
Acquisition
Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento bought the land and works and rented them to Secil (Sociedade de Empreendimentos Comerciais e Industriais, Lda.)
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1923
Inauguration of Maceira
Inauguration of the Maceira-Liz plant.
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1925
Creation
Creation of the Secil brand.
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1930
Incorporation
Incorporation of Secil – Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento, S.A. as a result of the merger between Secil and Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento, with the Danish companies F. L. Sidth & C0. and Hojgaard & Schultz, A/S also buying stakes.
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1950
Inauguration of Cibra
Inauguration of the Cibra-Pataias plant.
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1972
Expansion of Production
Secil installed its 7th wet process furnace (production process used at the time), gradually increasing its production capacity to 1 million tonnes of clinker to become Portugal’s largest cement manufacturer.
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1975
Nationalization
Nationalization of the cement sector, with Secil becoming a private company, but with majority public ownership.
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1978
Dry Process Launch
First dry process furnace commissioned, with centralized and computerized controls (800,000 t/year), to meet the growth in domestic demand and the need to cut production costs.
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1982
End of Wet Process
The old Vale da Rasca plant was decommissioned - thus bringing the wet production process to an end.
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1994/95
Privatization
The State sold its share in the cement sector, with Secil becoming a completely private company once again. Semapa acquired 51% of Secil and the entire share capital of CMP, thus becoming the owner of the Maceira-Liz and Cibra-Pataias cement plants.
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1998
Outão Certification
Secil awarded ISO 9002 quality certification and the Secil-Outão plant awarded ISO 14001 environmental certification, the fourth plant in Europe to do so.
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2000
Tunisia
Acquisition of "Societé des Ciments de Gabès" that had been returned to the private sector by the Tunisian Government and whose cement plant has a cement production capacity of about 1,400,000 t / year.
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2001
CMP Certification
Cimentos Maceira e Pataias achieved Quality Certification (ISO 9001) and Environmental Certification (ISO 14001).
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2002
Lebanon
Acquisition of 21.2% of CDS – Ciments de Sibline, Sal, located in Lebanon, to the south of Beirut.
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2003
Acquisition
Semapa bought out the Danish shareholders (49%) to become the owner of the entirety of Secil's capital.
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2004
Angola
Secil bought 51% of the share capital of the Encime cement plant, located in Lobito bay, Angola.
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2004
Sale
The Irish company CRH Plc, one of the largest construction materials groups, bought a 49% holding in Secil from Semapa SGPS.
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2005
Purchase
Acquisition of 70% of IRP – Indústria de Rebocos de Portugal, through Secil Martingança.
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2006
Acquisition
Change of Tecnosecil's name to Secil Angola, which acquired 51% of Secil-Lobito, formerly Encime.
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2007
Investment
Acquisition of majority interest in Ciments de Sibline. Acquisition of majority interest in Cimentos Madeira.
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2008
Merger
Completion of a merger by integration of the Rubetão company in Secil Prebetão.
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2010
Development Venture
First stone of the Secil Argamassas plant laid in Montijo.
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2011
Capital
Semapa acquires a 49% interest in Secil from CRH, thus becoming the Company's sole shareholder.
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2011
Award
Innovation for Sustainability Prize (European Awards for the Environment) in the management category, a European Commission initiative organized by the Portuguese Environmental Agency.
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2012
Brazil
Secil acquired 15% of Supremo Cimento, headquartered in Pomerode, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
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2015
Brazil Launch
Purchase of entire share capital of Supremo Cimento and launch of the most modern cement plant in Brazil, located in Adrianópolis, Paraná.