Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, New York According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s report, 2013 Dodge Construction Outlook, total U.S. construction starts for 2013 will rise 6 percent to $483.7 billion, slightly higher than the 5 percent increase to $458 billion estimated for 2012. The forecast was presented at McGraw-Hill Construction’s recent 74th annual Outlook Executive Conference in Washington, D.C.
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Consumer confidence spurs new-home demand to level of pre-mortgage market meltdown
Source: National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C. Nationwide production and permitting of new homes rose sharply in September to their highest levels in more than four years, according to newly released figures from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. A 15 percent gain brought the pace of new housing construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 units,…
Read MoreAutomation & Energy Conference to debut in Atlanta
Source: Mining Media Inc., Denver Cement Americas is joining Concrete Products and Rock Products magazines behind the Automation & Energy Conference (A+E), premiering November 19-21, 2013, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
Read MoreCemex USA commissions 1-MW wind turbine at Calif. quarry
Source: Cemex USA, Houston Cemex is pleased to announce the commissioning of a 1-megawatt (MW) wind turbine at its quarry located in Madison, Calif. The turbine is one of three renewable energy projects Cemex will soon bring online in California. Cemex is planning to bring two additional wind power projects online later this year at its facility in Victorville, Calif.,…
Read MoreFive Holcim (US) plants receive EPA’s 2012 Energy Star
Source: Holcim (US) Inc., Waltham, Mass. Holcim (US) announced recently that five of its plants have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious Energy Star. The plants given this honor were: Theodore in Theodore, Ala.; Ste. Genevieve in Bloomsdale, Mo.; Holly Hill in Holly Hill, S.C.; Portland in Florence, Colo.; and Devil’s Slide in Morgan, Utah.
Read MoreAsh Grove announces sales team promotions
Source: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan. Ash Grove Cement Company recenetly announced promotions in its sales leadership teams, according to Ash Grove Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Charlie Sunderland. The promotions are effective Jan. 1, 2013.
Read MorePCA, MSHA Renew Safety Alliance
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. PCA and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration renewed an alliance designed to foster safer and more healthful working conditions in the cement industry. Originally signed in 2008, the agreement allows PCA and MSHA to combine resources and expertise to provide cement industry personnel with information, guidance and access to…
Read MoreCement Totals—July 2012
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were 7.3 million mt in July 2012, according to the USGS. This was about 7.0 percent higher compared with shipments for July 2011. Shipments for the year through July were 44.4 million mt, up about 14 percent for the same…
Read MoreCompliance deadline reset to increase technology availability, preserve jobs, says PCA
A recently proposed standard for particulate matter for the cement industry will allow plants to develop new control and compliance strategies to address this and other emissions while preserving vital manufacturing jobs, according to statements Portland Cement Association issued recently at a public hearing in Arlington, Texas.
Read MoreHolcim honored as South Carolina manufacturer of the year
The Holcim (US) Inc. cement plant in Holly Hill, S.C., has been named the medium-sized manufacturer of the year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. “Holcim believes that active involvement in the communities in which it operates is essential to the success of its business,” the chamber said in an announcement about the honor.
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