Argos USA merger positions Summit Materials as top five U.S. cement player

At levels just under 100 percent, Summit Materials Inc. shareholders approved proposals at the heart of a September 2023 agreement with Colombia-based Cementos Argos S.A., paving the path for a mid-January merger of Summit Materials and Argos North America Corp. Valued at $3.2 billion, the merger creates the fourth-largest U.S. cement producer—behind Holcim US, Heidelberg Materials and Ash Grove—and significantly…

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Argos driver hands NLRB a vehicle to affirm sound cell phone policy

A top ready mixed producer’s alleged unfair practices case has spawned a decision demonstrating the National Labor Relations Board’s return to decades-old, court-tested standards and National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) interpretations. It triggered a welcome rebuke of agency actions under the Obama administration, many of them skewed to Big Labor or injecting ambiguity in routine union grievance and employer response reviews.

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NLRB affirms legality of Argos zero tolerance cell phone policy

Sources: CP staff; National Labor Relations Board

The National Labor Relations Board has determined that a ready mixed concrete producer can restrict employees’ possession of cell phones in heavy-duty trucks, disclosure of compensation and other business matters, and use of company e-mail for nonwork purposes without violating their National Labor Relations Act-defined organizing rights. 

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Argos, CalPortland, Thomas lead NRMCA Quality Awards

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff

NRMCA will honor 20 producer members earning 2018 Excellence in Quality Awards during an October 1 luncheon capping the ConcreteWorks conference in National Harbor, Md. Recipients demonstrate how they abide and exceed quality management principles over a broad range of activities—from program commitment, materials and production facility management to product quality control and maintaining high customer satisfaction levels.

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Argos’ art of the nine-figure deal

By Don Marsh

Colombia-based Argos S.A. demonstrates in its latest investment the credit facilities and drive to build multiple U.S. cement and concrete platforms, perhaps competing for acquisitions with expansion-minded peers on the order of Oldcastle Materials and Summit Materials.

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Argos secures Mid-Atlantic market presence in $660M Essroc mill, terminal deal

Sources: CP staff; HeidelbergCement AG, Germany

A major transaction key to the merger of Lehigh Cement Co. and Essroc Cement Corp. parent companies, HeidelbergCement and Italcementi S.p.A., is scheduled for a fourth quarter closing and subject to U.S. Federal Trade Commission approval. Per a definitive agreement HeidelbergCement announced on August 18, Argos USA LLC will acquire Essroc’s Martinsburg, W.Va., cement plant and seven terminals in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus a Lehigh terminal in upstate New York.

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Argos Innovation Center to tackle industry challenges

64 CementosArgos 150

Located on the campus of EAFIT University in Medellín, Colombia, the recently opened Argos Innovation Center is a sign of the company’s commitment toward the productive, competitive and sustainable growth of the industry, the region and the country. Through its Innovation Center, Argos hopes to create a meeting place for the challenges of the cement and concrete industry and academic solutions, stimulating the discovery of new uses of the materials. The center is currently hosting R&D, new business development and innovation processes that are tackling industry challenges throughout different regions, including the U.S. and Caribbean where Argos has operations.

 
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