Dragon Cement & Concrete Launches Web Site

www.dragonproducts.com provides background and product info on the 72-year-old Maine company

Dragon Cement and Concrete, a company with a 72-year history in Maine, has launched a web site on the Internet for the customers and communities it serves.

Located at www.dragonproducts.com on the World Wide Web, the site contains current information on both its cement and concrete divisions, product information, a company history, process descriptions and a list of plant locations. The locations are linked to Expedia maps for quick reference to driving directions.

The company, which was founded in 1928, is New England's only cement manufacturer and is the state's largest concrete supplier.

"Our company is striving to maintain its long history of supplying the construction industry by being part of its future," said Joe Koch, president of the firm. "Dragon is very well connected via the Internet, and we are placing a lot of emphasis on technology. This is just a part of our commitment to continually making progress."

Headquartered at 38 Preble St. in Portland, Dragon employs more than 230 people in Maine and has more than 10 concrete plants located throughout the state. The company's cement plant in Thomaston produces approximately 450,000 metric tons of cement per year. Products include bulk and bagged "Portland" cement, agricultural limestone, and a number of other masonry products. Its concrete division produces a number of high-quality aggregates as well as "brick and blocks" at its Madawaska plant. The company's other concrete plants are located in Biddeford, Portland, Brunswick, Lewiston, Augusta, Fairfield, Canton, Farmington and Presque Isle.

The site was created in-house by Steve Rowe, vice president of finance, and Travis Small, network administrator, who designed it to be easy to use and to convey some essential information about the company.

This isn't the first time Dragon has initiated a new technology to serve its customers. In 1995, the firm did away with the traditional dispatch system and centralized it at its Preble Street headquarters. Now, operators handle orders via computer and locations of trucks on the road are known at all times. The result has been faster and more reliable service for customers who are often on a tight construction schedule. In addition, by using a central, computerized system for dispatching of orders, the company has streamlined operations and reduced expenses.

Dragon supplies cement and concrete to many major building projects throughout the state. Recent and current projects include the Brunswick/Topsham Bypass, the Casco Bay Bridge in Portland, the Portland International Jetport expansion, the Bath Iron Works expansion, the Southern Maine Juvenile Facility and the "Big Dig" in Boston.

# # #