CHICAGO – October 13, 2026 -- Ozinga has opened a slag cement mill in East Chicago, Indiana, with capacity of 1 million tons per year. The company calls it the largest of its kind in North America. Its blends are designed to cut embodied carbon by up to 80% compared with traditional Portland cement mixes.
Mill targets 700,000 metric tons of annual CO2 offsets
At full operation, the plant is projected to offset more than 700,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year. Ozinga equates that to taking more than 150,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
The facility will produce ASTM C989-compliant slag cement. It will also make proprietary blends under the CarbonSenseTM brand that meet ASTM C1157 performance standards. The process recycles slag, a by-product of steelmaking. Traditional Portland cement accounts for nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions.
New domestic capacity targets Portland cement supply swings
Supply constraints in recent years have caused allocations, delivery delays and price swings for Portland cement, according to Ozinga. The company says this has hurt U.S. construction and slowed economic development.
Imports made up about 22% of apparent U.S. cement consumption in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Imports filled regional gaps and peak demand that domestic production alone has not met in any recent year. Ozinga says new American-owned capacity adds to that balanced supply.
"We have new domestic capacity to meet your needs for reliable, sustainable and cost-effective materials," CEO Marty Ozinga said.
Barge and rail access aims to lower transport emissions
The site has direct access to rail, water and highway routes across the Midwest. Access to the Great Lakes and inland waterways will let Ozinga ship finished slag cement by barge as well as by truck.
Onsite rail infrastructure will bring new business to the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad, which connects to all Class 1 railroads. One railcar carries more material than four semi-trucks, and one barge carries the equivalent of 17 railcars, or 75 semi-trucks. Ozinga says water and rail access will be key to lowering the product's total embodied carbon.
Project created 250 temporary jobs and will add about 50 union positions
Construction created more than 250 temporary jobs, many through Indiana-based, employee-owned Morrison Construction. At full operation, the plant will employ approximately 50 permanent union steelworkers. They will work across the mill and Ozinga's Burns Harbor operation, where the slag is initially processed at the Cleveland Cliffs steel mill site.
Ozinga's private investment was supported by public officials including Gov. Mike Braun, U.S. Sen. Todd Young, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan and East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland. The company is also running job fairs and other workforce efforts with East Chicago. Its Indiana footprint already includes more than 20 facilities and nearly 400 employees.
The mill expands the market reach of Mokena-based Ozinga, which has more than 2,000 employees and more than 100 ready-mix sites across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and South Florida.