Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Home foreclosures decreased dramatically in 2011, but industry experts are cautioning that this is not a reflection of improvements in the housing market, but a result of legal, process and “robo-signing” issues. At the 2012 International Builders’ Show in Orlando recently, Ed Sullivan, chief economist for PCA, said that the 1.9 million foreclosures reported…
Read MoreAuthor: Cement Optimized News
Ash Grove Durkee plant wins company’s top energy award
Source: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan. Ash Groves Durkee, Ore., plant won top honors in the company’s annual Ash Grove Energy Management (AGem) Outstanding Plant of the Year competition for 2011. Since 2008, eight Ash Grove cement manufacturing plants and two grinding facilities have competed to earn the award. Each facility is evaluated on an extensive matrix of…
Read MoreASTM, AASHTO dedicate combined Cement & Concrete and Materials Reference labs
Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. A 34,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Frederick, Md., has been converted to a shared ASTM Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL), bringing the operations of six buildings under one roof.
Read MoreCement Totals—December & Year-End 2011
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were about 4.8 million mt in December 2011, according to the USGS. This was 16 perfect higher compared with shipments for December 2010. Total shipments for 2011 were approximately 72.2 million mt, up 3.0% compared to year-end 2010.
Read MoreMartin Marietta, feds concur on Vulcan merger review, prospective consent order timeline
Sources: Martin Marietta Materials, Raleigh, N.C.; Staff reports A “Timing Agreement” will see Martin Marietta and U.S. Department of Justice officials meet in April to discuss resolution of any agency antitrust concerns surrounding the company’s proposed merger with Vulcan Materials Co. Discussions will proceed toward a consent order detailing potential asset sales or other measures to gain DOJ/Antitrust Division clearance…
Read MoreDrexel engineers develop cement with 97% smaller carbon dioxide, energy footprint
Source: Drexel University, Philadelphia Drexel University engineers are claiming to have found a way to improve upon portland cement. In research recently published in Cement and Concrete Composites the group served up a recipe for cement that is more energy efficient and cost effective to produce than masonry’s most prevalent bonding compound.
Read MorePCA’s Sullivan tells builders: Normal housing activity resumes 2016
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Home foreclosures decreased dramatically in 2011, but industry experts caution that instead of a housing market improvement indicator, they reflect legal, process and “robo-signing” issues.
Read MoreEssroc Nazareth plant hit with $82K EPA fine for reporting violations
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. The EPA recently announced that Essroc Cement Corp. has agreed to pay a $82,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of toxic chemical reporting requirements at its manufacturing Nazareth, Pa. facility. According to EPA, Essroc failed to submit three years of required reports on a regulated toxic chemical (lead) that was processed at this…
Read MoreMexico’s Cemex fined for anti-competitive practices
Source: Reuters.com Mexico’s competition watchdog, known as Cofeco, fined cement giant Cemex 10.2 million pesos (US$800,500) for anticompetitive practices in a 2005 dispute regarding the company blocking a shipment of cheap Russian-made cement from entering the country. A rival group tried to import 26,000 tons of the Russian cement into Mexico, but the “Mary Nour” vessel was held up for…
Read MoreAsh Grove Montana City plant wins MSHA award
Source: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan. The Ash Grove Cement Co.’s Montana City, Mont., plant was recognized for its outstanding safety record by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Mining Association as part of the Sentinels of Safety award program.
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