As the US gradually emerges from the Great Recession, the cement industry is preparing itself for the expected recovery in construction activity. One such producer is Argos, which is raising grinding capacity at its Harleyville works in South Carolina involving an investment of US$48m. By Christine Iddins, Argos, USA.
It is no secret that the United States went through its longest and worst economic recession since the Great Depression between December 2007 and June 2009. The ‘Great Recession’, as it is now known, was fuelled by a mortgage crisis, slowdown in industrial and commercial growth, record unemployment and a breakdown in the US financial system – all of which directly impacted the cement industry. As economic recovery begins to take hold, the outlook is more hopeful, but the country is taking time to get back on its feet as it slowly tries to crawl back to pre-crisis levels.
