The Lhoist quarry - Jemelle
Private property, strictly no access!
The Lhoist factory, one of the main suppliers of quicklime to the Belgian and Luxemburg steel industry. The quicklime produced by the factory is of the finest quality and the ultramodern factory plant is situated close to nearby major trunk roads and connected to the railway network. The factory produces about 500,000 tons of quicklime per year and employs roughly a 100 people.
Historically, the factory's development and exploitation are linked to the construction of the Brussels-Luxemburg railway line in 1850. Several entrepreneurs ran the factory before Mr Lhoist took over its management. He undertook the modernization and expansion of the factory. The very first rock crusher, additional industrial-size lime kilns and stone mills were added to the plant.
The Lhoist corporation specializes in the extraction of limestone which is then transformed into high quality quicklime used in the metalworking industry and for making cement for road surfaces (for example: the cobblestones that pave Brussels' Grand-Place which attracts visitors from all over the world). Along with the railways, the Lhoist factory is an important source of employment for the Jemelle population that quadrupled in the space of 30 years. The Lhoist Corporation has sites all over the world.
