Calucem

What Calucem does

Calucem d.o.o. is a specialty cement manufacturer founded in 1925 in Pula, Croatia, focused on a single underlying chemistry: calcium aluminate cement (CAC). Its core process fuses raw materials in kilns to produce clinker that is then ground and blended to specific cement norms, yielding multiple proprietary product grades organized under the ISTRA, Lumnite®, Refcon®, Electroland, Aluminite, Caluroc, and Bricocem brand families. These grades cover Al2O3 contents from approximately 38.5% to 70% and serve four application areas: building chemistry (flooring, tile adhesives, mortars), refractory (concretes, ramming mixes, gunning material), pipes & sewers (chemically resistant sewage systems with >50-year service life), and specialty applications (oil-well cements, 3D printing, steel slag conditioning, briquetting of process residues). Production is concentrated at the Pula plant in Croatia, described as the world's largest single CAC production site, with secondary operations in Barcelona, Spain, which also hosts the Applied Technology and R&D laboratory and group commercial functions. The company is ISO 9001, 14001, 50001 and 45001 certified and uses ZeLEn-certified green energy at Pula.

Calucem operates an industrial B2B sales model through direct regional sales offices in Europe (Barcelona), North America (Allentown, PA) and Asia (Calucem Pte Ltd, Singapore), with logistics and regional warehouses supporting exports to more than 60 (67 in 2020) countries. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; customers order samples and technical/safety data sheets by contacting [email protected] or regional offices. Custom/tailor-made binder development is handled by the Applied Technology and R&D team in Barcelona, supporting project-based revenue across specialty verticals. The company has approximately 200 employees globally across legal entities in Croatia, Spain, the USA, Germany and Singapore, and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Spanish construction materials group Cementos Molins, S.A. since the November 2021 acquisition from private equity firm Mid Europa Partners (which itself had acquired the business from HeidelbergCement in 2006).

Calucem is investing to broaden its product and geographic footprint. The ECO2Flex project (2020-2023), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund with the University of Zagreb, is developing a low-carbon CAC that reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 30% versus existing CAC products, complementing an in-house modern briquetting system installed at Pula in 2020 (EUR 3 million investment) that reuses finely ground product as raw material. In August 2022 the company announced a planned USD 35 million investment in a new CAC plant in the United States, marking its entry into North American manufacturing. Calucem is described as the second-largest global producer and supplier of calcium aluminate cement.

Name

Calucem

Legal name

Calucem d.o.o.

Website

http://www.calucem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Calucem is a 100-year-old specialty cement manufacturer producing calcium aluminate cements (CAC) for industrial B2B customers in refractory, building chemistry, sewerage and specialty applications, exporting to 60+ countries from its Pula and Barcelona plants as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cementos Molins, S.A.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cement (Calcium Aluminate Cement)

NAICS

Cement Manufacturing (327310)

SIC

Cement, Hydraulic (3241)

akta.pro primary industry

Cement Manufacturing (Portland, Blended & Specialty) (IMADAAAG)

Keywords

• Calcium aluminate cement
• Specialty cement manufacturing
• Refractory cement binders
• Sewer corrosion resistant cement
• Building chemistry cements

Headquarters

HQ city

Allentown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial B2B sales of Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) products: Direct sales of specialty cement grades (Electroland, Aluminite, Istra 40/45/50/50 5.0/Fast, Lumnite/MG/SG/SG5, Refcon/MG, Caluroc, Bricocem) to industrial customers via regional sales offices in Europe, North America and Asia, with global export logistics to more than 60 countries.
2. Custom/tailor-made CAC binder solutions for specialty applications: Applied Technologies and R&D team develops tailor-made products for specific customer or market-driven applications (waste processing, 3D printing, oil-well cements, municipal/industrial wastewater, steel slag conditioning, etc.), supporting project-based revenue.
3. EU and government co-funded R&D projects (e.g., ECO2Flex): Non-dilutive co-funding from the European Regional Development Fund and Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, supplementing internal R&D investment (ECO2Flex project total value HRK 34.9 million, grant HRK 14.9 million).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Calucem manufactures and sells specialty calcium aluminate cement (CAC) products under brands including Electroland, Istra 40/45/50/50 5.0/Fast, Lumnite/MG/SG/SG5, Refcon/MG, Aluminite, Caluroc, and Bricocem. The portfolio is grouped into four application families (Building Chemistry, Refractory, Pipes & Sewers, and Specialty Applications) and is supplied to industrial B2B customers through direct regional sales offices in Europe, North America, and Asia, exporting to more than 60 countries from its Pula (Croatia) and Barcelona (Spain) production sites.

Product overview

Calucem is a single-business specialty cement manufacturer with 100 years of history (founded 1925) and a portfolio organised around one underlying chemistry — Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) — sold under three principal brand families: ISTRA (Istra 40, Istra 45, Istra 50, Istra 50 5.0 and ISTRA Fast) for European and global building-chemistry and refractory markets; Lumnite (Lumnite, Lumnite MG, Lumnite SG, Lumnite SG5) traditionally produced for the U.S. market; and Refcon (Refcon, Refcon MG) for medium-to-high-temperature refractory and U.S. refractory use. The portfolio is completed by specialised products — Electroland (high early/final strength CAC), Caluroc (synthetic calcium aluminate aggregate for high-temperature and biogenic-acid-resistant concrete), Aluminite (refractory cement with reduced CO2) and Bricocem (CAC binder for briquetting solid process residues) — and grouped into four application families: Building Chemistry, Refractory, Pipes & Sewers, and Specialty Applications (the last driven by Calucem's Applied Technology and R&D lab in Barcelona). Production is concentrated at the Pula plant in Croatia (since 1997 dedicated exclusively to CAC) with a second plant in Barcelona, Spain, exporting to more than 60 countries; since November 2021 Calucem has been part of the Cementos Molins group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Electroland: Calcium aluminate cement with very high 6h and 24h mechanical strengths, used in aggressive environments, abrasion and high-temperature applications, and in special mortars, grouts and self-leveling screeds.
• Istra 40
• Istra 45
• Istra 50
• Istra 50 5.0
• ISTRA Fast
• Lumnite
• Lumnite MG
• Lumnite SG
• Lumnite SG5
• Refcon
• Refcon MG
• Caluroc
• Bricocem
• Aluminite

Products and services

• Electroland

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 30% vs existing CAC products (ECO2Flex)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Brijuni National Park (Javna ustanova Nacionalni park Brijuni)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2025Partner of the EduCalucemTech project for the 3rd 'Breakfast with Companies' held on Brijuni on 3 March 2025, focused on 3D reconstruction of dinosaur footprints, heritage interpretation, and collaboration with the robotics & AI lab of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. Alena Sprčić (NP Brijuni expert) presented the valorisation of the site.
• Istarsko veleučilište - Politehnika (Istrian Polytechnics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2025Academic partner that developed the Jadranko v1.0 robotic boat for detecting, collecting and analysing microplastics in the sea, led by Assoc. Prof. Vedrana Špada and a team of six students (Patrik, Luka, Lucija, Domagoj, Emil, Ener). Presented at Calucem's Pula factory on 21 January 2025. Calucem contributed more than EUR 50,000 and provides scholarships and internships.
• Juraj Dobrila University of PulacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Cooperation agreement signed on 27 November 2024 between Calucem and the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula as part of the joint 'EDU CALUCEM TECH' project within Calucem's broader TechInspire programme. Activities include setting up a robotics and AI lab at the Technical Faculty, educational workshops, innovation projects, scholarships ('Grow with Us'), 'Breakfast with Companies' events, and conferences. Total project value estimated at EUR 28,000 over three years. Signed by University Rector Prof. Marinko Škare and Calucem CEO Juan Martinez.
• Cementos Molins (CMSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Since November 2021 Calucem is part of the Cementos Molins group strategy to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions in the construction sector. Cementos Molins successfully closed the Calucem acquisition in 2021, gaining a majority stake after a management buyout with Mid Europa Partners in 2006. The group operates the Calucem brand, and Calucem contributes to the group's growth and expansion of innovative and sustainable solutions for construction.
• BC Stoja (Pula youth basketball club)minorOthers · 11 October 2021Calucem has been sponsoring the work of young male and female basketball players of BC Stoja for eight consecutive years (since 2013/2014). The 'Ljubav prema zajednici' (Love for the Community) programme supports local sports clubs in Istria.
• Terra Medica clinicminorOthers · 19 March 2021Healthcare partner that conducted continuous mass antigen testing of Calucem employees for SARS-CoV-2 during January-February 2021, led by Dr Dominik Gjoni.
• Osnovna škola Stoja (Stoja Elementary School)minorOthers · 7 August 2020Long-running Calucem partnership since 2015 (initially school lockers, then IT equipment, and in August 2020 a smart board for English-language teaching). Director: Zdenka Perović.
• University of Zagreb Faculty of Civil EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020R&D partner for the ECO2Flex project, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. Project start 1 August 2020, duration 3 years, total value HRK 34,926,624.69 with HRK 14,900,633.24 in EU grants. Goal: develop a new generation of calcium aluminate cement and an improved production process that together reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 30% versus existing CAC products.
• Zvjezdarnica Višnjan (Science-Educational Centre)minorOthers · 29 June 2020Recipient of six donated second-hand computers under Calucem's CSR 'Love for the Community' programme, supporting local educational and scientific institutions in Istria.
• ZvonaINari (Ližnjan cultural association)minorOthers · 29 June 2020Recipient of two donated computers under Calucem's CSR programme, supporting the association's online educational programmes such as 'See, Read!'.
• Udruga paraplegičara i tetraplegičara Istarske županijeminorOthers · 29 June 2020Recipient of two donated computers under Calucem's CSR programme, supporting the Association of Paraplegics and Tetraplegics of Istria County.
• Tekop Nova (workshop for employing people with disabilities)minorOthers · 20 May 2020Local supplier partner for high-visibility work clothing for Calucem's Pula production and maintenance employees, employing people with disabilities. Contract valued at HRK 140,000 for 280 HI-VIS suits, renewed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kerneos (Imerys): Imerys' Kerneos business is the world's largest calcium aluminate cement producer, directly competing with Calucem in CAC grades for refractory, sewerage and building-chemistry applications across the same global customer base.
• Caltra Nederland: Caltra is a European specialty calcium aluminate cement producer serving overlapping refractory and building-chemistry customers with comparable CAC grades to Calucem's Istra and Electroland lines.
• Denka: Denka is a Japanese chemical and cement producer with a significant calcium aluminate cement franchise, directly competing with Calucem in Asia-Pacific refractory and specialty binder markets.

Broad incumbents

• CRH plc: Large publicly-listed building-materials group with US and European cement operations; a broader incumbent that could enter specialty CAC adjacent to Calucem's existing product space.
• Heidelberg Materials: Former owner of Calucem (until the 2006 carveout) and one of the world's largest cement and aggregates groups; overlaps with Calucem only at the margin in specialty/refractory applications but is a structural adjacent incumbent.
• Holcim: Global cement and aggregates major with a growing specialty and lower-carbon cement portfolio; competes with Calucem at the edges of building chemistry and infrastructure but does not specialize in calcium aluminate cement.
• Buzzi Unicem: Multinational cement group with specialty cement exposure; an incumbent player in specialty binders that competes for adjacent building-chemistry and infrastructure customers.

Regional players

• Texas Lehigh Cement: US-based specialty cement producer (oil-well, masonry and infrastructure cements) serving North American customers that overlap with Calucem's Lumnite and Refcon US market focus; competes regionally rather than globally.

Others

• Cementos Molins: Calucem's publicly-listed Spanish parent company; a broader cement and building-materials group that is not a CAC competitor but provides strategic, capital and cross-sell context for Calucem's positioning.

Emerging players

• Çimsa: Turkish cement producer with a growing white and specialty cement franchise; an emerging player in adjacent specialty cement markets that could expand into CAC over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calucem

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calucem