The company Cementos Artigas presented, on January 19, its new facilities, located in the city of Minas. On the occasion, the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, highlighted the economic growth that the country is experiencing, the record number of formalized workers, the state investments made without raising taxes, and reiterated his government commitment to continue attracting investments.
The president was accompanied by the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the Minister and Undersecretary of Industry, Energy and Mining, Omar Paganini and Walter Verri, respectively; the Minister of Transport and Public Works, José Luis Falero; the Minister and Undersecretary of the Environment, Adrián Peña and Gerardo Amarilla, respectively; the Undersecretary of Economy and Finance, Alejandro Irastorza; the mayor of Lavalleja, Mario García, and the Cementos Artigas board of directors, headed by the general director, Federico Gutiérrez, as well as departmental and company authorities.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Lacalle Pou met with the company’s board of directors and took a tour of the new facilities, which include a high-efficiency vertical mill, a multicellular silo, and a high-productivity bulk office. The work, which was carried out in 18 months and cost nearly 40 million dollars, generated 300 jobs during that period.
Cementos Artigas, a firm in which Cementos Molins and Votorantim Cimentos participate and based in Uruguay since 1919, is dedicated to the manufacture and sale of construction materials. It was the first and is the largest in the sector in the country, with a cement production capacity of some 670,000 tons per year.
In his speech, Lacalle Pou highlighted the country’s growth, the low unemployment figures, the record number of formalized workers, the number of Comap projects (investment law) presented in 2022 and the efficiency in the management of public resources, among other data.
In this sense, he highlighted the state investment without tax increases and affirmed that all this is part of the fulfillment of the commitments assumed in the campaign. In addition, he indicated that a tax relief for Uruguayans will soon be reported.
He also referred to state intervention in settlements, the arrival of internet signals to remote places, the construction of the Cerro hospital, among other issues, and said that the growth of the nation must be that of a society that develops integrated.
Uruguay grew twice as much as most countries in the world, and this is due to the fact that it generates credibility, stability and long-term policies, he said, adding that it is in excellent conditions to continue receiving investments, for which they will insist on a Uruguay open to the world. “The Executive has a strong vocation to attract investment,” she remarked.
Regarding the cement company, he mentioned that it is a good example of growth, development, ecosystem care, investment and innovation in the interior of the country, since it generates such important sources of work for the localities.
Paganini, meanwhile, stressed that the company continues to bet on the country’s growth and does so with a vision of the future that is consistent and aligned with the productive development model promoted by the Government. He added that all decentralizing impulses are welcome and more so when, as in this case, sources of work are taken care of.
In addition, he pointed out the high productive efficiency produced by these works and the environmental sustainability generated by the company, “one of the focuses of our public policies and our vision of the country,” as he stated.
He also explained that the Executive is promoting changes in the cement production of the state company Ancap, incorporating new technologies, investment and the opening of markets that a private partner can contribute. “We believe that a powerful cement sector with the participation of private investment is the best way to value our limestone resources, generating quality jobs, especially in the interior,” he considered.
