What Drake Cement does

Drake Cement is a US cement and aggregate building-materials producer operating as a wholly-owned brand of UNACEM North America, the North American subsidiary of Peru-based Grupo UNACEM. The company runs two cement plants — Drake Cement in Paulden, Arizona and Tehachapi Cement in Tehachapi, California — supported by logistics terminals in California, Arizona, and Nevada that supply commercial, infrastructure, industrial, and ready-mix construction customers across the southwestern United States.

The product platform centers on Type II/V low-alkali Portland cement conforming to ASTM C-150 and ASTM C 1157, designed to mitigate alkali-silica reactivity and to perform in soils and water with moderate to high sulfate content — a prevalent condition across the Southwest. The portfolio is extended with Type IL (Portland-Limestone) and Type IP (Portland-Pozzolan) blended cements, the latter using locally mined volcanic pozzolan to lower embodied carbon, plus complementary pozzolan, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates offerings. Manufacturing follows conventional pyroprocessing: quarrying of limestone and silica, blending with imported alumina and iron, raw grinding, kiln heating through preheating towers, clinker cooling, and finish grinding with gypsum addition, all monitored through a certified in-house cement laboratory. The Tehachapi plant holds EPA Energy Star certification.

Revenue is generated through direct sales of cement and downstream building materials to builders, contractors, and ready-mix producers, with delivery by truck or rail from regional terminals. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per project based on specifications, volume, and delivery terms. The company is privately held under Grupo UNACEM, with corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and operates without venture capital, private equity, or public-market sponsorship.

Name

Drake Cement

Legal name

UNACEM North America

Website

https://drakecement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drake Cement, a UNACEM North America subsidiary, manufactures Type II/V Portland cement and supplementary cementitious products at plants in Arizona and California for southwestern US builders, contractors, and ready-mix producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cement Manufacturing

NAICS

Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing (327320), Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273)

SIC

Cement, Hydraulic (3241), Concrete, Gypsum & Plaster Products (3270)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Ready-Mix Concrete Production & Delivery (IMADAAAA), Limestone Quarrying (Industrial & Construction Grade) (IMAKAHAC)

Keywords

• Portland cement production
• Type II/V cement
• Ready mix concrete
• Construction aggregates
• Blended cement products

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cement Product Sales: Drake Cement generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of Portland cement products. The company operates cement plants in Paulden, Arizona and produces multiple cement types (Type II/V, Type IL, Type IP) sold to construction professionals including builders, contractors, and ready-mix producers. Revenue is derived from product sales with delivery via trucks or rail cars from company terminals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Drake Cement manufactures and sells Portland cement products — including Type II/V (low alkali), Type IL (portland-limestone), and Type IP (portland-pozzolan) cements — at its Paulden, Arizona plant, with sister operations under UNACEM North America in Tehachapi, California. It also supplies pozzolan, ready mix concrete, and aggregates to construction clients in the southwestern United States.

Product overview

UNACEM North America operates Drake Cement and Tehachapi Cement as a unified cement production platform supplying the Southwest United States market. The company offers a portfolio of portland cement products including Type II/V (the primary offering from both plants), Type IL (portland-limestone cement for reduced carbon footprint), and Type IP (portland-pozzolan cement using locally mined volcanic pozzolan). Beyond cement, the product line extends to pozzolan, ready mix concrete, and aggregates. Both cement plants manufacture Type II/V portland cement conforming to ASTM C-150 and C 1157 standards, with low alkali content for sulfate resistance and ASR mitigation. The company emphasizes sustainability through carbon footprint reduction in blended cements and state-of-the-art pollution control equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drake Cement: Portland cement brand produced at the Paulden, Arizona facility, specializing in Type II/V cement conforming to ASTM C-150 and ASTM C 1157 standards.
• Tehachapi Cement
• Cement Type IL
• Cement Type IP
• Cement Type II/V

Products and services

• Drake Cement Type II/V Portland Cement Type II/V Portland cement produced at the Drake Cement plant in Paulden, Arizona, conforming to ASTM C-150 for Types I, II, and V low alkali cements and ASTM C 1157 for Types GU, MS, and HS cements. For general construction applications including those with exposure to moderate or high levels of sulfates in soils and/or water, with low alkali levels reducing ASR damage potential. Sold to builders, contractors, and ready-mix producers.
• Tehachapi Cement Type II/V (LA) Portland Cement Type II/V (LA) low alkali Portland cement manufactured at the Tehachapi, California facility, meeting ASTM C-150 and ASTM C 1157 standards. Designed for general construction in environments with moderate to high sulfate content, with low alkali content to reduce alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) risk. Sold to builders, contractors, and ready-mix producers.
• Cement Type IL (Portland-Limestone Cement) Portland-limestone cement with increased limestone content designed to reduce the carbon footprint of cement production while maintaining functionality equivalent to Portland cement Types I and II. Sold to construction clients seeking lower-carbon cement options.
• Cement Type IP (Portland-Pozzolan Cement) Drake portland-pozzolan blended cement made with locally mined volcanic pozzolan, functioning as an all-purpose product for general concreting and plastering. Produced with lower energy consumption to reduce carbon footprint. Sold to construction and ready-mix customers.
• Pozzolan Pozzolan material produced by UNACEM North America for construction applications, including volcanic pozzolan sourced locally for use in blended cement products. Sold to construction industry buyers.
• Ready Mix Concrete Ready mix concrete produced by UNACEM North America for commercial, infrastructure, and industrial construction projects throughout the Southwest United States. Sold to construction firms and contractors.
• Aggregates Aggregates produced by UNACEM North America as construction materials for various building and infrastructure applications across the southwestern United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced carbon footprint through portland-limestone cement (Type IL) with increased limestone content
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grupo UNACEMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrupo UNACEM is the Peru-based parent company of UNACEM North America. The parent company owns and operates the Drake Cement plant in Paulden, Arizona and Tehachapi Cement plant in Tehachapi, California. UNACEM NA is the North American branch of this larger cement conglomerate, benefiting from shared technology, operational expertise, and corporate resources across the international organization.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Holcim US: US subsidiary of global cement major Holcim, operating integrated cement plants, ready-mix, and aggregates across multiple US regions including the Southwest. Directly comparable to Drake as a Portland cement and downstream concrete products producer at much greater scale and broader product mix.
• Cemex USA: US arm of Mexico-based Cemex, with cement plants, ready-mix, and aggregate operations throughout the Sun Belt. Directly comparable as a multi-state cement and ready-mix producer competing for the same Southwest builders, contractors, and ready-mix customers.
• Lehigh Hanson: North American subsidiary of Heidelberg Materials, one of the largest US cement and aggregates producers with plants serving the Southwest. Comparable as a Portland cement and downstream building materials incumbent competing in similar construction end-markets.
• Ash Grove Cement (CRH): US cement subsidiary of CRH plc operating cement plants across the Midwest, South, and Southwest. Comparable as a Portland cement producer selling into construction and ready-mix customers with similar ASTM C-150 specification focus.
• Martin Marietta Materials: US-listed aggregates and construction materials major with growing cement footprint via the Lehigh Hanson Texas acquisition. Comparable as a vertically integrated aggregates and cement supplier selling into Southwest construction markets.
• Vulcan Materials: Largest US producer of construction aggregates with downstream ready-mix and asphalt operations in the Southwest. Comparable as a vertically integrated heavy-side building materials peer, though primarily aggregates-led rather than cement-led.

Direct peers

• CalPortland: Major Western US cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates producer headquartered in California with extensive operations in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Highly comparable as a regional Portland cement and ready-mix peer competing directly for Drake's Southwest customers.
• GCC (Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua): Mexico-based cement producer with US operations concentrated in the Southwest and Sun Belt. Comparable to Drake as a Portland cement and ready-mix producer serving overlapping geographies, with similar focus on Type I/II/V product specifications.

Regional players

• Texas Lehigh Cement: Specialty cement producer focused on the South Central US with API and sulfate-resistant oilwell cements. Comparable to Drake as a niche cement manufacturer producing specialized formulations for regional markets, though its core territory differs from Drake's Southwest focus.

Others

• Quikrete: Leading US manufacturer of packaged concrete, cement, and masonry products. Compares to Drake as a Portland cement-based products company serving construction end-users, though focused on bagged/retail rather than bulk cement supply.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drakecement
• Facebookfacebook.com/Drake-Cement-Materials-106854190908839
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drake-materials-az

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Drake Cement