MANUFACTURERS – MARCH 2017

Texas-based Concrete Results Inc. has established a division supporting professional financial analysts and fund managers seeking strategic investments within the global building materials industry. With over 40 years of direct senior executive leadership in the international cement, concrete, aggregate, fly ash, and concrete products industry, Concrete Results President Mark Muratore and colleagues will offer strategic insight on the sector.

Concrete Results has been providing unique and relevant information to companies seeking to develop strategic initiatives on market penetration and merger & acquisition strategies. These include private equity firms, fund managers, investment analysts, private placement firms, retirement fund managers, equities investors, institutional banking representatives, Wall Street analysts, and individually owned investment organizations.

“We have seen a great need from professional financial clients for information that is not often available through traditional research channels,” says Muratore, noting especially their interest in “critical insight on items like cost-of-entry, customer and asset valuations, market penetration and opportunities, company vulnerabilities, leadership strengths, pricing opportunities, import and export impacts, and how these organizations are impacted by government policies, regulatory issues, and infrastructure spending programs.”

Caterpillar Inc. will relocate a limited group of senior executives and support functions to the Chicago area later this year, while maintaining a major presence in its longtime base of Peoria, Ill. A group of senior executives will lead an initial transition to leased office space; when fully operational, Caterpillar expects about 300 employees to be based in the new Chicago headquarters.

Peoria is 175 miles from Chicago and its two major airports. “[The] Board of Directors has been discussing the benefits of a more accessible, strategic location for some time,” says Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby. “Since 2012, about two-thirds of Caterpillar’s sales and revenues have come from outside the United States. Locating our headquarters closer to a global transportation hub means we can meet with customers, dealers and employees more easily and frequently. The new location is also an opportunity to add to our talented team while improving the productivity of our senior leaders.”

“We value our deep roots in central Illinois, and Peoria will continue to be our hometown. The vast majority of our people will remain in this important region where we have many essential facilities and functions.”

As a result of continuing challenging market conditions and the need to prioritize resources to focus on growth, Caterpillar will not build the previously announced headquarters complex in Peoria. The current headquarters building will continue to be used for Caterpillar offices.

Cleveland-based RPM International Inc. has added Prime Resins, a Conyers, Ga., manufacturer of specialty chemicals and equipment for infrastructure construction and repair, to its USL Group business. Prime Resins’ product line includes polyurethane and epoxy grouts, foams, adhesives and coatings. They are primarily used for leak sealing, concrete structural repair, slab lifting and soil stabilization. Product applications include highways, roads, bridges, airport runways, sewage systems, and retaining walls. Based in the United Kingdom, USL Group is comprised of several business units that provide a wide array of coatings, products and services for infrastructure projects, including bridges, and roadways.

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, representing the $1 trillion equipment finance sector, projects that U.S. businesses, nonprofits and government agencies will spend over $1.5 trillion in capital goods or fixed business investment this year, financing a majority of those assets. Businesses will find positive momentum for equipment investment as the changing economic and regulatory environment contributes to improved business conditions.

“Equipment acquisition continues to drive the supply chains across all U.S. manufacturing and service sectors,” says ELFA President Ralph Petta. “Equipment leasing and financing provide the source of funding for a majority of U.S. businesses to acquire the productive assets they need to operate and grow.”