The plant is mostly self-contained with its own shale and limestone quarries adjacent, with only fuel and small amounts of additives needing to be brought in.

The site is located inside the Peak District National Park, and so is subject to tighter planning restrictions than other cement plants in the United Kingdom.

By the 1960s, an upgrade of the plant led to it being converted to the 'dry' process,[note 1] which started in 1970 with two kilns, but with a greater output in tonnage, with the same amount of fuel used.

[20] Destinations formerly served have included Northenden (Manchester),[21] Dewsbury in West Yorkshire,[22] Tanhouse Lane at Widnes, and bagged cement to Carlisle.

[27] When the plant was hived off into its own company (Hope Construction Materials, which also operated other quarries) its market share of UK cement consumption was 12% (2012).

Part of the manufacturing process of cement uses pulverised fuel ash (PFA) a by-product of burning coal in power stations.

As this industry went into a sharp decline from 2015 onwards, alternative raw materials (ARM), such as slate quarry fines, marl, fireclay etc., could be used instead.