Each June, Lafarge North America facilities across the continent and at its sister company sites around the world celebrate Health & Safety Month, renewing the company’s commitment to the health and safety of their employees, contractors, families and local communities with a month’s worth of awareness-raising activities and events. From healthy meals and fitness challenges to educational safety programs and…
Read MoreCategory: Latest
Holcim attributes price bump to energy, EPA-compliance costs
Holcim (US) Inc. of Waltham, Mass., announced cement price increases effective August 1, citing burgeoning energy and operating costs, plus outlays associated with anticipated environmental regulations covering mills and air pollution controls.
Read MoreWhite cement, slag mix doubles High Concrete panels’ solar reflectance
Denver-based High Concrete Group has introduced a mix design that is said to significantly improve the heat reflectance of precast concrete surfaces, causing them to stay cooler by reversing the urban heat island effect. The mix imparts a solar reflective index (SRI) of 82 in finished products, nearly double that of the company’s conventional gray concrete mixes.
Read MoreCemex to cut 2,800 jobs worldwide by year’s end
Mexico-based construction materials giant Cemex is planning to cut 6.0% of its workforce worldwide as part of a wider reorganization. Reuters reported the world’s third-largest cement maker said it hopes to generate $400 million in additional cash flow by the end of 2012 through cutting costs and improving underperforming businesses. The company employs about 46,500 people across the globe and…
Read MoreNew edition of Innovations in Portland Cement Manufacturing addresses today’s challenges
The new edition of Portland Cement Association’s Innovations in Portland Cement Manufacturing was released during the 2011 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, May 22-25, in St. Louis, Mo. The fully revised second edition highlights the complex challenges facing cement manufacturers in today’s regulatory and manufacturing arenas.
Read More$225,000 EPA grant moves recycled glass cement substitute toward market
On the heels of research detailed in its “Value-Added Use of Milled Mixed-Color Waste Glass as a Supplementary Cementitious Material in Environmentally Friendly and Energy-Efficient Concrete Building Construction” report, Lansing, Mich.-based Technova Corp. is among 10 recipients sharing $2.25 million in grants under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
Read MoreCementos Argos becomes second major stakeholder in Class C ash formulator Ceratech
Only three months after announcing that third-largest coal producer Alpha Natural Resources had acquired 10.3% of its business (with an option to increase the stake to 28.3% under certain future terms), Ceratech Inc., Alexandria, Va., has accepted another strategic equity investment from Colombian cement giant Cementos Argos, the fourth-largest U.S. concrete producer.
Read MoreCement consumption forecast drops; lower prospective highway funding culprit
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Uncertainty regarding highway spending legislation and government policy related to the debt crisis has caused the PCA cement consumption forecast to be downgraded from a 1.4 percent increase over 2010 figures to 0.2 percent for 2011. Additionally PCA Chief Economic Ed Sullivan’s recent forecast indicates 2012 figures will be nearly flat as well, with…
Read MorePCA economist: Debt crisis could usher 13 percent cement consumption drop over 2011-12
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; Staff reports Inaction by Congress and the White House on the federal debt ceiling could derail the fragile U.S. economic recovery, spurring a second recession and adversely impacting cement shipments, according to a recent PCA report.
Read MoreCanadian cement consumption on the decline
Source: Portland Cement Assoication, Skokie, Ill. According to a recent report by PCA, a weaker assessment for the U.S. economy in tandem with a slower Canadian construction outlook suggests Canadian cement consumption will not perform as previously anticipated.
Read More