NIGERIA: Dangote unveils new 3X cement

As part of its efforts at ensuring that Nigerian consumers have the best cement product at affordable price, Nigeria’s leading cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement, yesterday launched a new brand, Dangote 3X Portland Cement. The new product, which comes in 50kg bag and 42.5R grade, according to the manufacturer, would automatically replace the existing brand in the market.

Speaking on the new brand at the unveiling ceremony, which was attended by stakeholders in the industry in Lagos yesterday, the Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Devakumar Edwin, said the new product was seen as part of the company’s social responsibility towards protecting the consumers by offering them the best product of international standard with more features.

“As market leaders that control 60 per cent of our brand market, it is our responsibility to ensure that this issue of incessant building collapse finally is arrested using the best cement product,” he said.

The Managing Director explained that the 3X stands for “Xtra Strength, Xtra Life and Xtra Yield, while the R in front of the 42.5 grade stands for rapid setting, which is a plus for the end user over the normal 42.5 brand being replaced,” he stated.

“Because the initial strength development of ‘R’ is faster, users achieve higher levels of productivity. Block-makers and builders can de-mould earlier and therefore build more blocks or pillars as turnaround time is faster and productivity improves.”

On the strength feature, Edwin noted that while the controversial substandard 32.5 grade only achieves 32.5 strength measured in Megapascals (MPA) in 28 days of setting time, the 42.5 cement from Dangote achieves 42.5 MPA strength in 28 days setting time.

He added: “On other features, the 42.5 is ground finer than 32.5, which gives a finer finish to the concrete work. Additionally, the mixed cement has fewer air pockets and therefore adheres better and has a longer life.

“Also, because of its higher strength characteristics, 42.5 grade cement gives higher yield than 32.5. For ordinary applications, cement users can mix more sand into the same quantity of 42.5 cement, thus increasing the volume and thus be able to make more blocks.”

Edwin maintained that the new product was also in line with the company’s business philosophy, which places life above profit, stressing that such was the reason it stopped producing 32.5 grade long time ago having noticed the rising incidence of building collapse.

In his contribution, Mr. Joseph Makoju, Adviser to the Dangote Group President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who recalled the history of cement in Nigeria since 1959, noted that Nigeria has made a great leap with the self-sufficiency of the product through local production.

“But the great emphasis now is to give value for money and this new product is also part of our efforts at crashing the price and maintaining our position as the market leader not only in Nigeria but Africa,” he said.

Representative of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at the event also confirmed that the new 3X cement has been certified by the organisation having met all the necessary requirements of 42.5R grade and all the characteristics spelt out in the new bag.