In regard to its key role in building and constructional activities, the cement business is now called an infrastructural core industry. The housing industry is sure to gain in impetus, because a remarkable backlog needs to be finished up- both in urban and rural sectors. The inaugural cement factory built up in Chennai in 1904. At present, there are 115 large and 310 mini cement plants with an installed capacity of more than 110 million tonnes. In 1997-98 the total production was of the order of 83 million tonnes, of which 4.25 million tonnes were exported to South-east Asia, Middle-east and Africa.