Lafarge is the largest cement manufacturer in the world, with a presence in 90 countries and 115,000 employees. It was formed by the merger of Holcim and Lafarge in 2015. The cement production process involves quarrying raw materials, crushing and transporting them to the plant for grinding, preheating, burning in a kiln at 1500°C to produce clinker, final grinding with gypsum, storage, and packing for shipping. Lafarge India's cement business was acquired by Nirma group for $1.4 billion and LafargeHolcim's net sales fell 7.5% in the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.