LafargeHolcim announced that it has received American Petroleum Institute (API) certification for the manufacture of well cement at its Holcim Theodore, Ala., plant, making it one of only four cement plants in the United States with an API 10A Monogram and Q1 Quality Management System.
The API Monogram is a license recognized worldwide denoting consistent cement manufacturing and testing processes that conform to API standards: the producing plants use a Quality Management System that meets API Q1 standards, and their products meet the specifications of API Spec 10A. At Theodore, production of Class A well cement will commence immediately, and the company plans to add Class H production in the future.
“This API certification demonstrates that we at LafargeHolcim hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of product consistency and performance,” said Jamie M. Gentoso, chief executive officer of U.S. Cement operations. “Our energy customers have complex needs, and must contend with extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. We are deeply committed to meeting those standards, and more – by committing to the API’s ongoing, rigorous quality management system and producing the best well cements on the market.”
In order to earn the certification, LafargeHolcim spent more than a year in a rigorous process of investing in additional testing equipment, developing a quality management system, conducting internal audits, and passing an audit by the API. Well cement is carefully designed to meet extremely demanding requirements, and so must be continuously tested for chemistry, thickening time, fluid loss, free fluid, rheology and compressive strength.
Production at the Theodore plant will complement LafargeHolcim’s ability to maintain a consistent supply of well cement to customers in the Gulf region and beyond. The company also manufacturer API Class A and H well cements at its Joppa, Ill., cement plant.
