Cement News tagged under: USA

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US shipments see annual gains

13 January 2014, Published under Cement News

Total shipments of blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico in October 2013 were 8.7Mt, up eight per cent from October 2012, latest data from the USGS shows. Shipments for the year through October were 70.3Mt, up by about four per cent. The leading Portland cement-producing states in October were Missouri, California, Texas, Michigan and Florida (in descending order), accounting for about 43 per cent of total shipments for the month. The leading consuming states (Texas, California, Florida...

Lafarge one step closer to completing US refocus

10 January 2014, Published under Cement News

Lafarge announces the sale of five aggregates quarries and related assets in Maryland (USA) to Bluegrass Materials for a total enterprise value of US$320m. With these divestments, the group has now largely completed its strategy of refocusing on its core markets in the United States, the cement major said in a statement. Lafarge today operates a network of integrated positions mainly located in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River regions. It US operations consist of nine cement or grind...

TXI 2Q sales increase, but net loss widens

09 January 2014, Published under Cement News

Texas Industries, Inc today reported a wider net loss for the quarter ended 30 November 2013 compared to the same period of last year, as a number of non-recurring and short-term factors masked the improvement in both demand and pricing it is experiencing in its markets. The company reported a quarterly loss of US$17.6m, or 62 cents a share, compared with a loss of US$11.1m in the same period a year earlier, or 40 cents a share. The prior-year period included a four-cent loss tied to d...

US energy efficiency update

09 January 2014, Published under Cement News

US cement industry energy consumption in 2012 decreased by 2.1 per cent against 2011 levels, the recently released annual Labor-Energy Input Survey by the PCA indicates. This energy decrease occurred despite the third consecutive year of increases in average clinker capacity utilisation rates, the PCA highlights. The use of coal and petcoke, the primary fuels for cement production, declined from 70  to 63 per cent. Natural gas’ contribution to the fuel mix surged from around four per cent i...

New appointments at Buzzi Unicem USA

09 January 2014, Published under Cement News

David Nepereny has been elected as chairman of the board  for Buzzi Unicem USA, effective 1 January 2014. Mr Nepereny will continue as president and CEO of the company until 30 April 2014, at which time he will relinquish this position.  He has served as president and CEO for 24 years, and  will continue as executive chairman. On 1 May 2014, Massimo Toso will be appointed president and CEO of Buzzi Unicem USA. At the same time, Toso will be appointed CEO of Alamo Cement Company and its...

CRH full-year development spend

07 January 2014, Published under Cement News

CRH announced a total of seven acquisitions and investment initiatives in the second half of 2013, taking full-year development activity to EUR0.69bn. The company invested EUR0.22bn in the six months to the end of December last year, including one transaction in Asia, three under its American Materials division and a further three in its Distribution segment. Commenting on the these developments, CRH’s new chief executive Albert Manifold said: “Development spend of almost EUR0.7bn in 2013...

USA: Saint-Gobain sells Its fibre cement business

20 December 2013, Published under Cement News

Saint-Gobain has signed an agreement for the sale of its US-based Fibre Cement business to Plycem USA, a subsidiary of Elementia of Mexico in which Lafarge holds 47 per cent of shares in its 2Mta Cementos Fortaleza plant. This business is part of Saint-Gobain's Exterior Products activity of the construction products segment. It manufactures and sells fibre cement siding, trim and accessory products for the US and Canadian residential and commercial construction markets. The business employs...

USA: Union Bridge plant earns EPA ENERGY STAR® Certification

19 December 2013, Published under Cement News

Lehigh Hanson Inc's plant in Union Bridge, MD, has earned the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) prestigious ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the facility performs in the top 25 per cent of cement plants nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. "At the Lehigh Cement plant in Union Bridge, we are committed to operating in a safe and environmentally responsible manner," said Kent Martin, plant manager. "Earni...

New US capacity plans to ease imbalances

17 December 2013, Published under Cement News

A pick-up in the number of new capacity projects announced in the USA is set to ease the imbalances caused by depressed economic growth and subsequent plant closures and expansion postponements seen over the past period, the Portland Cement Association has said. Approximately 7.5Mta of new clinker capacity is scheduled to come on-line in the USA by the end of the PCA’s forecast horizon (2018), a recent PCA report stated. If all plans announced in 2012 and onward were to come to fruition, ap...

Texas Industries working with Citigroup for possible sale, USA

16 December 2013, Published under Cement News

The owners of Texas Industries are reported to be exploring a sale of the Dallas-based company, Bloomberg reported, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. and NNS Holding, the two largest shareholders, have been looking to sell their stakes for some time, though they may struggle to get a price they deem sufficient, one source said. Vulcan Materials and Holcim are among the companies being viewed as potential suitors, the news agency quoted one...