MOOK has already covered many of the reasons for the Davenport closure. Another major factor in closing the plant was that the limestone deposit was of poor quality compared to other producers in the area as well as the cement being imported into Northern California from the Pacific Rim by several companies. This poor quality resulted in the cement being produced by CEMEX required more cement having to be used to produce a yard of concrete to make the same strength as the competitors cement. This resulted in customers using Davenport cement to have to use more cement in their mixes either at an additional cost to them, or a lower price for Davenport cement to remain competitive. CEMEX did not move production to another area, they just increased their amount of import cement by building an import facility in the Port of Sacramento. I believed CEMEX planed to close Davenport anyway, just not when they did. It was the discovery of high levels of mercury being discovered at a local school that turned their timetable up due to the uproar from the local communities.

JR