The idea of constructing a cement plant in Karaganda Region was first conceived in 1933 by the Labour and Defence Council then. However, the problem of suitable site location, bureaucratic red-tape and the 2nd world war have one way or the other derailed the realization of the proposed cement plant project. In April 1946, the Ministry of Industry and Construction Materials finally commissioned “GiproCement” Institute to design and construct a 300,000 tons cement plant based on 2 wet process lines using “Krup-Gruzon” equipment from Germany. It however took another 7 years before the first line with the rated production capacity of 200,000 tons was commissioned and put into operation on 23rd September 1953. The line 2 and line 3 started commercial production in November 1953 and December 1956 respectively. Line 4 came into being 2 years later in November 1958.
The construction of the dry process 1st line or better known as line 5 with a rated production capacity of 1,000,000 tons started in 1971 and commenced commercial production 4 years later in March 1975. It was soon followed by the construction of one more technologically advanced 2nd dry process line or line 6 in 1976. The project took almost 7 years to complete.
At the peak, the Company, then known as Production (Industrial) Society Karagandacement, sold an average of about 3 million tons of cement yearly from the years 1988 to 1990.
However, due to very difficult economic conditions in early to mid 1990, lines 3 and 4 were shut down since 1993 whereas the 2 dry kilns stopped operation in 1995 altogether. Lines 1 and 2 were in operation on and off but they were finally shut down in November and December 1997 respectively as demand of cement came in trickle.
Production (Industrial) Society Karagandacement was privatised in 1996 and renamed Karagandacement Open Joint Stock Company.
Central Asia Cement JSC, formerly known as Fortuna LLP, a subsidiary of a Malaysian incorporated company called Cement Engineering Consultancy Limited, was incorporated in Kazakhstan on 15 May 1998 to acquire the Karaganda cement plant complex.
The Company re-fired line 1 in May 1998, just barely 3 months before the Russian economic meltdown that sent a chill across the Region. As a result, cement demand in Kazakhstan plummeted less than a million tons in 1989 and hardly any better in the following year. However, as the country economy rapidly recovered at the turn of the Millennium with consistent GDP growths close to double digit thereafter, cement demand started to pick up again. During the years 2001 - 2004, the increase averaged between 20 – 30 % a year.
In line with the above, the Company re-fired line 2 in May 1999 followed by line 3 in May 2000 and finally line 4 in May 2001. The four wet process lines have since been running at full capacity.
As demand and supply gap continues to widen in tandem with the rapid economic growth in the country, the Company decides to refurbish both of its disused dry lines (line 5 & 6). The project was undertaken by Kar Cement JSC a newly incorporated company in the group. On total completion of the project, the group shall be able to produce an additional 2.1 million tons of cement to the market.