Quarterly Reports a Mixed Bag

Publicly traded U.S. cement producers just reported results, and those results are a mixed bag. At Summit Materials, Cement Segment net revenues increased 23.6% to $97.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Cement Segment adjusted cash gross profit margin increased to 47.1% in the fourth quarter, compared to 42.7% in the prior-year period as strong pricing gains more than…

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In Search of Electric Tech

New Electric Technology Hitting The Market Is Designed To Address The Sustainability Revolution In The Construction Materials Industry. By Mark S. Kuhar Cement producers seeking to develop the safe, productive, smart and clean workplaces of the future are looking hard at innovations in electric technology. There is no lack of innovations coming to market. For instance, Holcim US entered into…

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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 

Find Out How CalPortland Was Able To Receive A New Mill In The Middle Of A Supply Chain Crisis. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar When FLSmidth began negotiations with CalPortland for a new raw grinding circuit at CalPortland’s Mojave plant in California, the world was still relatively normal. And when contracts were signed in spring 2020, no one expected the…

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Chasing the Carbon Cure

There is no doubt that reducing the cement industry’s carbon footprint is a priority. The Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality recently celebrated one year of progress. PCA said notable achievements over the past year across the value chain include:   Multiple cement manufacturers in the United States, with support from the Department of Energy, have begun pilot projects…

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Talking Carbon 

I’ll state the obvious: carbon is a hot topic right now. Portland Cement Association (PCA) Chairman Ron Henley (GCC America) told a New York Climate Week gathering that U.S. producers have exceeded expectations outlined nearly one year ago with release of the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. That is good news. What is happening in the North American market is…

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Robust Anchor Design

Refractory Engineers’ And Managers’ Best Tips On Metallic Anchors. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar It is estimated that up to 40% of refractory lining failures can be attributed to a problem with the design of the anchor system or its improper installation. This is a significant number.  When designing a refractory lining for an industrial application, anchor design becomes one…

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What to Expect Up the Road

Shipments of portland and blended cement increased by 4% in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared with that in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Annual consumption increased by 4% in 2021, compared with that of 2020. They obtained this information via its monthly survey of U.S. cement producers. But Portland Cement Association (PCA) Chief…

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Guess What’s Coming Up The Road?

It’s a new year, and that means everyone has an analysis of the cement market. I attended the Intercem conference in Miami last October, and Colin Sutherland of SG Analytics assessed the market in coming years, stating that “After a long period of steady consumption growth, including 2018, our baseline forecast shows overall U.S. cement demand remaining more or less…

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