Largest of its kind in North America, producing 1 million tons of slag cement annually

CHICAGO, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ozinga cut the ribbon today on a low-carbon cement mill in East Chicago, Indiana, aimed at strengthening the domestic supply chain for building materials, promoting Midwestern construction and advancing innovation in U.S. infrastructure.

The state-of-the-art, high-efficiency plant will produce 1 million tons of slag cement annually, with direct access to rail, water and highway routes reaching across the Midwest and beyond.

The plant’s strategic location and advanced process of recycling slag, which is produced during steelmaking, directly address the economic and environmental challenges of making cement—a key ingredient in concrete that is supplied largely by foreign-owned multinational companies.

“We built this mill in the heart of the Midwest because we believe it is central to producing high-performing, American-made materials that will be the foundation of U.S. infrastructure for years to come,” said Marty Ozinga, CEO of Ozinga. “We are taking the cement-to-concrete process from start to finish—with American ownership at every step of the domestic supply chain, with homegrown scientific innovation and with American workers all the way.”

Supply constraints in recent years have contributed to allocations, delivery delays and price swings for Portland cement, the primary binder in concrete, hurting the U.S. construction industry and slowing economic development. Adding new domestic capacity alongside reliable, imported supply helps keep projects on schedule and construction costs in check.

The local production and distribution capabilities at Ozinga’s facility are intended to instill confidence in low-carbon materials as environmental sustainability and construction costs drive development choices in both the private and public sectors.

“Our message to the market is clear: We have new domestic capacity to meet your needs for reliable, sustainable and cost-effective materials,” Ozinga said.

Ozinga’s private investment in the project was supported by state, federal and local public officials including Gov. Mike Braun, U.S. Sen. Todd Young, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland and the East Chicago City Council.

Concrete is the backbone of modern infrastructure essential to homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and bridges. Yet traditional Portland cement, its core ingredient, accounts for nearly 7% of global CO₂ emissions.

Domestic plants supply most of the cement used in the United States, with imports—about 22% of apparent consumption in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey—filling regional gaps and peak demand that domestic production alone has not met in any recent year. New American-owned capacity like Ozinga’s strengthens that balanced supply.

The facility will produce ASTM C989-compliant low-carbon slag cement, as well as proprietary blends under Ozinga’s CarbonSense™ brand, meeting ASTM C1157 performance standards and delivering up to 80% reductions in embodied carbon over traditional Portland cement mixes.

Once fully operational, the plant is projected to offset more than 700,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually, comparable to taking more than 150,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

On-site water access and rail transportation will be key factors in lowering the total embodied carbon impact of the product.

Access to the Great Lakes and inland waterways will enable Ozinga to ship finished slag cement by barge as well as highway. In addition, the facility will utilize its onsite rail infrastructure to create new business for the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad, which will connect to all Class 1 railroads.

One railcar carries more material than four semi-trucks, while one barge carries the equivalent of 17 railcars, or 75 semi-trucks.

The construction project created more than 250 temporary jobs, many of them through Indiana-based Morrison Construction, an employee-owned company.

At full operation, the plant will create approximately 50 permanent union steelworker jobs between the mill and Ozinga’s Burns Harbor operation at the site of the Cleveland Cliffs steel mill, where the slag is initially processed.

As part of the project, Ozinga is holding an ongoing series of job fairs and other workforce development efforts with East Chicago, part of an investment in Indiana that includes more than 20 facilities and nearly 400 employees.

The new capability will expand the market reach of Ozinga, which is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Mokena and has more than 2,000 employees and more than 100 ready-mix sites across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and South Florida.

About Ozinga

Ozinga is a fifth-generation, family-owned American company providing concrete, bulk materials, and construction solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Committed to service, learning, and entrepreneurship, Ozinga continues to develop environmentally responsible products and practices that make a positive impact and shape the future of the built environment.

Contact: Joe Brettell, Forward Energy PR –joe@forwardenergypr.com

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SOURCE Ozinga