December 12, 2017 – Concrete Products

Forterra prevails in court challenge to HeidelbergCement affiliate claims

December 12, 2017 Concrete News

Sources: Forterra Inc., Irving, Texas; CP staff

Delaware Court of Chancery has granted Forterra attorneys’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit that HeidelbergCement AG affiliates had filed over earn-out contingency fees tied to the $1.2 billion sale of the former Hanson Building Materials. Terms called for buyer Lone Star Fund IX (U.S.), L.P. to pay an additional sum for the 67-plant business, up to $100 million, depending on fiscal 2015 EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) thresholds.

Laser tunnel’s HPC mixes stingy on aluminum, magnesium and silica

December 12, 2017 Concrete News

Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff

LafargeHolcim and Holcim Deutschland have formulated a series of high-performance concrete mixes for a 3.4-kilometer tunnel housing the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. Located near Hamburg, Germany, the European XFEL generates extremely intense X-ray flashes allowing researchers around the world to map atomic details of viruses, record chemical reactions, and study planets’ interior processes.

Prefabricated elements top commercial contractors’ productivity catalysts

December 12, 2017 Concrete News

Sources: USG Corp., Chicago; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.

Ninety percent of contractors surveyed for the USG + U.S. Chamber Q4 2017 Commercial Construction Index do not consider jobsites to be very efficient. Respondents identify labor productivity as the means to achieving jobsite efficiency, a metric they acknowledge can be improved by using more prefabricated building elements.