Today was another jam-packed day. We visited Vassiliko Cement Works, VTTI, and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, plus short visits to St. Lazarus Church and Hala Sultan Teke, which is actually the third most important pilgrimage in the Muslim faith, behind Mecca and Medina. Today, I’m just going to be talking about Vassiliko, though. They are the largest heavy industry in Cyprus, as well as the largest production unit in Europe with 310 factories in 33 countries. They produce and export cement, as well as clinker, which is an intermediate product. Vassiliko also has their own port , which operates 27/7/365, acting as the main industrial port of Cyprus. Of course, they use this port strictly to export their products out of Cyprus. They also use it to import goods, such as coal, pet-coke, alternative fuels, and other bulk cargo. For the most part, Vassiliko operates as a vertically integrated company. To be considered vertically integrated, a company attempts to have control/own much or all of its supply chain, such as owning the raw materials, operating their own transportation, distribution, manufacturing, and retail. Vassiliko has its own supply of raw materials, such as limsetone and clay, within quarries on property, so ✔. They control transportation and distribution via ships in their own port, another ✔. Vassiliko also manufactures their cement and clinker on property through their own process with their own machinery, so ✔ there too. Operating Vassiliko in such a way allows them to have seamless sourcing of all services, as well as have control over efficiency, ongoing technology updates, and ultimately, any decisions regarding this product(s). I really enjoyed learning about this, even if cement works seems inherently boring. It also helps that we got to tour around their property in hi-vis vests and hard hats, of course leading to a little harmless tomfoolery and Wreck-It Ralph jokes. Another 10 day 😉