Martin Marietta Finds New Tehachapi Buyer – Martin Marietta Materials has entered a definitive agreement to sell its Tehachapi, Calif., cement plant to Unacem Corp., Peru-based parent company of Arizona’s Drake Cement. The transaction follows an abandoned deal between Martin Marietta and CalPortland earlier this year. With a projected closing by year end, the $317 million cash deal will position Unacem with 1.7 million tons of U.S. clinker capacity, about 15% of the volume in a cement plant fleet spanning Peru, Chile and Ecuador. Unacem entered the United States with the 2012 acquisition of Drake Cement and, like its South American sister businesses, has integrated ready mixed concrete operations.
SCA Seeks Promotional Partners – The Slag Cement Association (SCA) introduced a promotional partnership opportunity for industry leaders to support the association and its continued mission to serve as the leading source of knowledge and technology transfer for the growth of slag cement. Two promotional partnership options are available: Event and Education. The former allows partners to showcase their commitment to sustainable construction at SCA’s Slag Cement School and the Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards. Education partners will collaborate with SCA on the direction of Slag Cement University, impacting the knowledge and skills of future generations in the field.
California County: Cement Plant to Never Reopen – The Santa Clara County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors signed a legally binding agreement with Hanson Permanente Cement and Lehigh Southwest Cement Co. to ensure the cement kiln at the Permanente complex near Cupertino will never restart, reported local media. In November, Lehigh said it would shutter the controversial plant after not operating its cement kiln since April 2020. In the past decade, the plant has reportedly received more than 2,100 environmental violations, with more than 100 considered serious.
Hollingshead Cement to Serve DFW Market with SuMar Deal – Hollingshead Cement, the cement division of SRM Concrete, has acquired a cement terminal in Cresson, Texas, from SuMar Materials. This marks the sixth location for the growing division. CEO Jeff Hollingshead noted that the 6,000-ton-capacity terminal, which is positioned 25 miles southwest of Fort Worth, allows “Hollingshead Cement to begin serving the cement needs of the Dallas/Fort Worth market.” Born out of SRM Concrete’s need for a consistent supply of cement, Hollingshead Cement currently provides bulk cement distribution services in Nashville; Savannah, Ga.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Middletown, Ohio; Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth.
