October 2014 – Page 5 – Concrete Products

Construction equipment industry: $57 billion, 370K jobs

October 25, 2014 Concrete News

A new Association of Equipment Manufacturers report highlights the construction equipment industry’s link to hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs and billions in economic activity. Authored by Inforum, a University of Maryland research organization, “The Economic Footprint of the Construction Equipment Industry on the U.S. Economy” underscores business growth over the last decade, plus threats posed by diminishing government investment in infrastructure projects and eliminating support for manufacturing exports.

NLRB clears path for Operating Engineers decertification vote at Allied Stone

October 25, 2014 Concrete News

In a case involving a crushed stone operation of Moline, Ill.-based RiverStone Group Inc., the National Labor Relations Board affirms a contract bar doctrine limiting to three years the window during which a collective bargaining agreement restricts unit members from pursuing a vote to decertify their union.

Market conditions favor Hanson products business public offering

October 25, 2014 Concrete News

The most recent proposed initial public offering of a business featuring U.S. and Canadian concrete production assets, Votorantim Cementos, was withdrawn with little explanation last fall. As presented by Brazil’s Votorantim Industrial S.A., the IPO encompassed a portfolio of cement and concrete operations in the Americas, Europe and Africa, and had a target value hovering $5 billion.

Custom-Crete delivers U.S. Concrete wider Texas footprint, volumetric fleet

October 22, 2014 Concrete News

Sources: U.S. Concrete, Inc., Euless, Texas; CP staff

Through Texas subsidiary Redi-Mix LLC, U.S. Concrete has acquired the assets of Custom-Crete—61 volumetric mixers and 11 concrete plants serving Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio markets—from Oldcastle Architectural Inc. The mid-October transaction marks a rare U.S. asset disposal for Oldcastle parent, CRH Plc.

Capitol Aggregates commences carbon capture

October 22, 2014March 6, 2023 Concrete News

Sources: Skyonic Corp., Austin, Texas; CP staff

Capping a four-year funding and construction program, Skyonic scheduled an October 21 dedication of a $125 million, commercial-scale carbon capture and utilization facility—the first of its kind in the world—at Capitol Aggregates’ flagship cement mill in San Antonio.

Housing starts again breach pivotal watermark

October 22, 2014 Concrete News

Source: National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C.

Nationwide housing starts surpassed one million in September, the third time this year, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Census Bureau figures. Total housing production during the month rose 6.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.017 million units.

Report shows cities’ improved fiscal outlook, lagging infrastructure funding

October 22, 2014 Concrete News

Sources: National League of Cities, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

Officials are optimistic about the health and direction of local fiscal conditions for the first time since the recession, according to the National League of Cities (NLC), whose 29th annual City Fiscal Conditions report confirms the first positive growth in five years, coupled with members’ resumption of hiring.

Vulcan flattens management structure entering 2015

October 21, 2014 Concrete News

Source: Vulcan Materials Co., Birmingham, Ala.

A new Vulcan organizational structure places key leaders over one single- and six multi-state operating divisions: Western, California businesses; Mountain West, Arizona and New Mexico; Southwest, Texas and Oklahoma; Central, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois; Mideast, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware; Southern and Gulf Coast, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; and, Southeast, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Heldenfels, robust-home specialist peg ‘Win-Wind’ solution for hurricane extremes

October 13, 2014 Concrete News

Sources: Heldenfels Enterprises Inc. (HEI), San Marcos, Texas; and CP staff

In alliance with HEI Building Systems Division, Coastal Fortified Homes (CFH) has designed a carbon fiber-reinforced precast concrete wall system to withstand Category 5 hurricane exposure (winds > 157 mph) and attendant flooding or storm surge. The system premiers at a development of eight 1,600-sq.-ft. properties in Port Aransas, Texas, located between San Jose and Padre Islands.

ASCE brings technical edge to EPA Green Infrastructure Collaboration

October 13, 2014 Concrete News

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff

EPA has teamed with companion agencies, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Landscape Architects, plus downstream stakeholder organizations to form a network advancing green stormwater management, water conservation and pollution control measures.