Etude comparatives de l'industrie du développement de l'industrie de ciment au royaume uni et en allemagne avant la première guerre mondiale
12226 mots
49 pages
EH 390 Dissertation in Economic and Social HistoryThe German and British Portland cement industries 1850-1913: A comparative study
Balthazar van Roosendaal
June 2009
1
Abbreviations • APCM – Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers • AGPCM – Association of German Portland Cement Manufacturers (Verein Deutscher Portland Cement Fabrikanten) • FCF – Fixed Capital Formation • UK – United Kingdom • WWI – World War One Terminology • A cement factory can also be called cement works or cement plant. • Germany in this paper is defined as the area covered by the Second Empire of 1871-1918 (see figure 1). E.g. Germany in 1850: in this paper makes reference to the area of the Second German empire (1871-1918) in the year 1850. • In this paper, the United Kingdom covers the area of England, Scottland, Wales and the whole island of Ireland. Great Britain is defined as England, Wales and Scottland. Britain is equivalent to the United Kingdom.
Figure 1: German Empire 1871-1918. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2
I report the present time as, in many respects, a very critical period in the history of the cement trade. Our own country, the original seat of the manufacture, has been distanced in certain directions in consequence of superior scientific skill and the energy of foreign rivals. The supremacy we have long enjoyed has undoubtedly been to some extent wrested from us by the products of Continental industry and enterprise, and in the absence of some united action and intelligent leading, our manufacturers are threatened with a competition which they are not adequately armed to encounter G. R. Redgrave, 18951
Introduction Portland cement is a key element in today’s world. It is used in most new houses, in commercial buildings, in infrastructural projects of all sorts. World cement consumption in 2006 was about 2.5 billion tons2. The patent for Portland cement dates from 1824, deposed by Joseph Aspdin from Leeds, UK3. The ascent of the Portland cement