Category: Features

Dry cement may look like a hodge-podge of soot and gravel when it pours out of the bag, but each package is the result of a carefully calculated process. With more than a dozen possible components – which can differ based on the aggregate “recipe” needed for various construction jobs – accuracy and precision are key to quality control. In…

Improving underlying economic fundamentals, the existence of large pent-up demand balances, and the diminishment of economic fiscal cliff uncertainty will combine to result in strong growth rates in 2013 and an increase in cement consumption, said Portland Cement Association (PCA) Chief Economist Ed Sullivan, in a special forecast held at last month’s World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

According to USGS’ Mineral Commodity Summaries 2013, about 71 million tons of portland cement and 2.0 million tons of masonry cement were produced in 2012; the output was from 98 plants in 35 states. Cement was also produced at two plants in Puerto Rico.

Holcim’s Mexican arm, Cemex has announced it will lay off 79 people in West Palm Beach this year, starting March 31, even though the demand for cement is on the rise. The downsizing affects workers in accounting, information technology and other support roles, Cemex Spokeswoman Sara Engdahl said. The layoffs will include employees at Cemex’s locations on Belvedere Road and…

Holcim’s Mexican arm, Holcim Apasco, estimates that cement demand in the country grew 3.5 percent in 2012 compared to 2011. The cement major said the increase in consumption, which reached 35 Mt last year, was driven by stronger growth in the infrastructure segment, moderate expansion in self-build housing as well as the construction of industrial buildings, offices and shopping centers.

Hosting a World of Concrete opening day luncheon, PCA President and CEO Gregory Scott and 2013 Chairman Cary Cohrs underscored the group’s commitment to industry-wide promotion and greater advocacy efforts in the nation’s capital. The February 5 event marked the introduction of newly appointed PCA leadership to representatives from major national groups in concrete production and construction, and one of…

The promulgation of tough air toxics rules will cause the cement industry to spend $685 million per year for air-pollution-control equipment over each of the next three years, according to the McIlvaine Co.’s Cement Plant and Project Tracking System.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Cement Sustainability Initiative’s (CSI) new Product Category Rules (PCR) for unreinforced concrete offer producers a common methodology to prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their mixes. CSI membership includes all multinational companies with integrated North American operations: Argos, CRH, Cemex, GCC, Heidelberg, Holcim, Lafarge, Taiheiyo, Titan and Votorantim.

Carbon Management Canada (CMC) has awarded a total of $3.75 million to eight new research projects including two that are focused on the cement industry. With these awards, CMC has now committed $22 million to 44 research projects at Canadian universities with additional contributions and partners from more than 100 companies, stakeholder organizations and international universities in countries such as…