Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
Portland Cement Association Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Ed Sullivan offers two U.S. cement consumption scenarios around “U” or “W” shaped economic recovery curves, with respective 2020 and 2021 figures of -3.4 percent or +1.7 percent and -4.8 percent and -2.7 percent—this year’s projections measured against 2019 shipments.
Read MoreSource: Allen-Villere Partners, New Orleans
Strong stock market performance plus progress in U.S. and China trade discussions have helped temper concerns of an economic slowdown moving into 2020. In his latest Concrete Products dispatch, “Will headwinds from the global economy affect us?,” however, leading construction materials industry management consultant Pierre Villere discusses a potential 180-degree shift in market forces that could impact concrete demand.
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
The PCA Market Intelligence Group cement consumption forecast paints a limited growth pattern from 2017 levels, with this year trending a 2.9 percent gain, followed by 2.6 percent and 1.6 percent bumps in 2019-2020.
Read MoreSources: Associated General Contractors of America, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Construction employment increased by 13,000 in June and 282,000 over the past year, bringing the total industry payroll to 7.22 million—its highest level since May 2008. “The construction industry continues to add workers faster than the economy as a whole, and is paying premium wages to attract and retain [them],” affirms AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “Employment gains are occurring in both residential and nonresidential construction. However, the industry is having to rely more on workers without construction experience, as the pool of unemployed construction workers has nearly evaporated.”
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Advanced Concrete Technologies, Inc. enters 2017 with a new line of affordable batch plants equal to a wide range of applications. The small footprint CentroMix models arrive on site pre-wired, pre-plumbed and factory tested for quick and easy installation—requiring merely a single electric, water and air connection to be up and running.
Read MoreAlthough recent indicators point to a tempering of the U.S. economy, Portland Cement Association is maintaining its forecast for steady growth in construction and cement consumption during the next five years, starting with a projected 7.9 percent increase this year in powder shipments—nearly double the 4.5 percent increase the industry logged in 2013 over prior-year volume.
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
Although recent indicators point to a tempering of the U.S. economy, PCA is maintaining its forecast for steady growth in construction and cement consumption during the next five years, starting with a projected 7.9 percent increase this year in powder shipments, nearly double the 4.5 increase the industry logged in 2013 over prior-year volume.
Read MoreThe U.S. Green Building Council released its Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system, highlighting the regions around the country that are at the forefront of sustainable building design and transformation.
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Responding to the White House’s just-announced second phase of fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks, targeted for 2015-16 rulemaking and implementation, PCA CEO Gregory Scott notes, “We should expand the debate beyond making more efficient [vehicles] to making more efficient infrastructure.”
Read MoreNox-Crete Products Group introduced two concrete form release agent sprayers last month at the 2013 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Convention in Dallas. The Ultimate Concrete Form Sprayer and the Excel 130 Concrete Form Sprayer are specifically designed for precast applications where tighter control of release agent application is necessary to ensure maximum performance and economy.
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