Blue Circle Industries
 | |
| Industry | Building materials |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | 24 firms Merged to form; Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd. |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by Lafarge |
| Headquarters | Thames and Medway estuaries, UK |
| Products | Cement |
Blue Circle Industries was a British public company manufacturing cement. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and a long time constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Blue Circle Industries was founded in 1900 as the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd. through the amalgamation of 24 cement works, located mostly around on the Thames and Medway estuaries, together having around a 70 percent market share of the British cement market. In 1911, the British Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd. was formed by the addition of a further 35 companies, creating a company with an initial 80 percent of the British cement market. Subsequently, the company expanded overseas, predominantly into Commonwealth countries and South and Central America. During 1953, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
During the 1970s, Blue Circle was briefly the largest cement manufacturer in the world. However, the energy crisis of the 1970s compelled the company to contract, largely via the sale of several overseas plants. In 1978, the company's name was changed to Blue Circle, although it had long been informally referred to as such. In early 2001, following a protracted hostile bid to take over the firm, Blue Circle was acquired by French competitor Lafarge, which became the world's largest cement manufacturer.