CEMEX's Texas plants pave way to environmental excellence

Now in its 10th year, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association's "Commitment To Environmental Excellence" Awards recognizes companies that have not only met, but also surpassed, governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment.

This year, NRMCA will recognize CEMEX's Katy and Cutten Road, Texas, plants with three Environmental Excellence Awards for their contributions to "protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations." The Katy and Cutten Road Plants were judged on their compliance history, site aesthetics, written plant procedures, training and employee involvement, water and solid waste management, air quality management, community relations, operating challenges, overall management commitment and environmental delivery awareness.

"Clean air, clean water and sound environmental management practices are fundamentals to our success as a company and as an industry," said Gilberto Perez, President of CEMEX. "We are committed to being proactive with environmental management programs and to working in collaboration with our communities. It is simply the right thing to do and the right way to run our business. Improving our environmental performance not only strengthens our company and our industry, but it also preserves the quality of life for both present and future generations."

CEMEX's Cutten Road Plant also received the public image award from the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association for "The Most Improved Plant" in 2004.

"We are extremely proud of all the employees associated with these two plant operations because their commitment to team work, environmental stewardship and site beautification has been instrumental in improving our public image as well as the image of the concrete industry," said Ron Bingham, plant manager for CEMEX's Katy and Cutten Road facilities. "The support and commitment from our management team to invest in our plants and make them a best place to work has greatly improved employee morale, and, in turn, has resulted in increased productivity and value for our customers and suppliers." Bingham adds, "We proved that what is good for the environment is also good for business."

Bingham and the many CEMEX employees who were involved in the improvement efforts at the plants will be the first to admit that things didn't change over night - it was an effort that was two years in the making.

Over the past two years, a Houston "action team" - including Environmental Manager Janet Krolczyk, Environmental Specialist Ivone Del Rio, Houston Plant Mangers Ron Bingham, John Wilson and Warren Treadway, and recently retired Plant Manager David Schram - has been the driving force in developing and implementing these initiatives.

The first step was to determine where the company stood with compliance and its public image, so the team conducted comprehensive assessments at each plant and took photographs to document the existing operations.

The improvements the team implemented at each plant generally represented good industrial practices that were practical, realistic and economically viable. The initiatives included installation of new water management systems that were designed on three basic principles: 1) to minimize the volume of fresh water generated and recycle water where possible; 2) to segregate process water and storm water, where possible; and 3) to eliminate process water discharges through a closed-loop system.

Initiatives also included improvements to site aesthetics and best management practices such as good housekeeping, preventive maintenance, spill prevention, employee training and other programs.

Perhaps most importantly, the team created an Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Center at the Cutten Road Plant to serve as a comprehensive information resource for all environmental, health and safety issues confronting plant operations including compliance guidelines and reports, relevant data, reporting requirements, and emergency information.

The EHS Center was designed to educate employees and improve their awareness of environmental regulations as well as their knowledge of emergency response procedures.

Regulatory inspectors also expressed appreciation of CEMEX's efforts to share information in an easily accessible and well-organized manner. One regulatory inspector stated, "I expect the best when I conduct inspections, but this was the first time I actually got the best." Some state and local regulators also have begun using the Cutten Road Plant as a model plant for inspector training. Krolczyk notes that the Cutten Road EHS Center will eventually serve as a model for many plants and terminals in CEMEX's U.S. operations.

"The environmental stewardship and awareness reflected in the physical plant operations is driven by the dedication and ingenuity of our outstanding employees associated with each of these plants at all levels," said Bill Poole, Vice President, Texas Ready Mix and Aggregates for CEMEX. "We are proud of our significant accomplishments, but recognize that there are still things to do and will strive to continually improve our operations in our quest to be a leader in environmental stewardship."