Schwenk Invests EUR 34 million in Cement Plant in Brocēni, Latvia

A new cement mill and multi-chamber silo will be built and put into operation at the Schwenk’s Brocēni Cement Plant in Latvia by the end of 2021. The implementation of the project will make it possible to more efficiently use the existing capacities of the enterprise and expand the range of cement types produced in Latvia with more environmentally friendly products, allowing the company to enter new export markets. The project cost is estimated at EUR 34 million.

Design stage began at the end of 2019, shortly after SCHWENK entered the Latvian market. The project is being implemented under the leadership of Latvian and German engineers from SCHWENK with the support of third-party European specialists. The mill is supplied by Christian Pfeiffer, and the design and installation of the silo will be provided by IBAU Hamburg. The construction contractor will be a Latvian company.

The future mill will be able to produce up to 170 tons of cement per hour and will partially replace the old generation energy-intensive mills. Oon a body length of 14 meters, a diameter of 4.4 meters and a weight of 137 tons.

A multi-chamber silo with a height of 60 meters will have a capacity of 12.5 thousand tons and will be able to simultaneously store five types of cement, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of logistics flows for customers in Latvia, the Baltic States and Northern Europe.

“We already export about 70 % of the cement produced in Brocēni to the Nordic countries, and we can confidently say that we are able to meet the needs of our customers for the most environmentally friendly products,” says Maris Gruznins, Schwenk's director of cement sales and logistics in the Baltic countries. "Progress cannot be stopped, the economy and production must become more environmentally friendly, and this is the only way to continue to operate and compete in Europe."

One of the ways to reduce the impact on the environment is the use of alternative fuels. According to Reinhold Schneider, CEO of Schwenk in Northern Europe and Chairman of the Schwenk Council in Latvia, already today about 85 % of all fuel used in the cement plant in Brocēni is a mixture of sorted, specially prepared urban and industrial waste, as well as shredded tires. The plant's goal for the coming years is to increase the share of alternative fuels to 100 % by attracting new fuels, expanding supply lines and installing an alternative fuel dryer.



SCHWENK Latvija is a leading manufacturer of building materials in Latvia, which supplies customers with high quality cement, concrete and mineral materials. The company's assets include a cement plant, five concrete plants and six quarries. The company is part of the SCHWENK building materials group, the oldest family-owned business in Europe.