The amount of energy required to produce 1t of cement decreased 1.1 per cent in 2014 from the previous year’s levels, according to PCA’s latest US Labor-Energy Input Survey. Plants averaged 4.384m BTUs per ton.

The PCA notes that this represents the most energy efficient year since tracking began for US cement manufacturing. The use of alternative fuel at cement plants was also on the rise in 2014, as 15 per cent of all energy needs are achieved through alternative fuel and 75 per cent of all US plants now incorporate these fuels into their energy strategy.

United States cement industry labour productivity also increased in 2014 with an industry average of 3.17Mt of cement produced per employee hour – a 2.6 per cent jump in labor productivity from year-ago levels. In comparison, manufacturing showed a 1.3 per cent increase in US labour productivity while farm-business reported a 0.7 per cent increase.