Holcim is a Swiss-based global building materials and aggregates flagship division of the Holcim Group. The original company was merged on 10 July 2015 with Lafarge to form LafargeHolcim as the new company and renamed to Holcim Group in 2021. When the merger was completed, the Holcim brand was retained within the group. Founded in 1912, the company expanded into France and then throughout Europe and Middle East during the 1920s. They expanded in the Americas during the 1950s and went public in 1958. The company continued to expand in Latin America and added Asian divisions during the 1970s and 1980s. A series of mergers and buyouts made Holcim one of the two largest cement manufacturers worldwide by 2014, roughly tied with rival Lafarge. In April 2014, the two companies agreed to a US$60 billion "merger of equals". The company was the market leader in cement production in Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Latin America. Overview Holcim is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and holds interests in more than 70 countries worldwide. They employ 71,000 people. Subsidiaries include St. Lawrence Cement (Canada), Aggregate Industries (the UK), and Holcim Apasco (Mexico). The company's products include cement, clinker, concrete, lime, aggregates, and roofing materials. They also offer consulting services, third party research and development, and land waste management services. Their largest business segment is the manufacture and distribution of cement and aggregates. As of 2014, Holcim's annual production capacity was 215 million tons. It has a BBB credit rating according to Fitch Ratings, with a 3.5 funds from operations to debt ratio. Holcim is the cement market leader in Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Latin America. It is among the top few producers throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. Globally, Holcim and Lafarge are the two largest producers in terms of sales, as of 2014. History Foundation and development Holcim was founded by Adolf Gygi in 1912 as "Aargauische Portlandcementfabrik Holderbank-Wildegg". The original headquarters were in Holderbank, (Lenzburg district, Canton of Aargau). In 1914, the company merged with "Rheintalischen Cementfabrik Rüthi" owned by Ernst Schmidheiny. Schmidheiny took over leadership duties and began the company on a course of expansion. In 1922, Holderbank, as the company was then known, expanded beyond the Swiss borders into France. Schmidheiny continued to expand, primarily by buying stakes in existing companies. By the end of the decade Holderbank held stakes in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and