Sullivan keeps cement, construction focus after PCA exit

Former Portland Cement Association Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Market Intelligence Ed Sullivan remains a principal information source for cement, concrete and construction stakeholders through “The Sullivan Report.” The Substack portal offering (sullivansreport.substack.com) launched last month with installments on U.S. cement consumption trends, Federal Reserve policy, and the impact of tariffs on cement imports: CEMENT SHIPMENTSConstruction market and…

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Post-PCA, Sullivan channels industry insights through new platform 

Source: CP staff Former Portland Cement Association Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Market Intelligence Ed Sullivan remains a principal information source for cement, concrete and construction stakeholders through “The Sullivan Report,” a new Substack portal offering. “I plan to continue to assess the U.S. economy and how that relates to the construction and cement industries,” he tells Concrete…

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Concrete Masonry Checkoff leaders eager to drive investor returns

Design, promotional and technical support for architectural and gray block in U.S. building markets will reach a new peak this year with the launch of 23 inaugural Concrete Masonry Checkoff (CMC) projects, funded with nearly $5 million from initial 2023 assessments. The projects contour the six programs that CMC directors defined in their November 2022 charter meeting—Codes & Standards, Design…

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PCA factors housing market decline into lower 2023 cement shipments

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff The Portland Cement Association fall forecast sees 2023 U.S. cement shipments to be off 3.5 percent against this year’s levels, which are trending nearly flat, or 0.3 percent above 2021 figures. Next year stands to bring the first cement volume decline in 13 years, but sets the stage for a growth window…

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Two economic recovery models inform new PCA market outlook

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—both years measured against 2019 industry shipments.

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PCA’s Sullivan confirms favorable 2018-20 cement consumption curve

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff

The PCA Market Intelligence Group’s annual Spring Forecast projects cement consumption growth of 2.8 percent in 2018 and 2019, along with 4 percent the following year, as impacts from potential federal infrastructure spending are likely to take effect. An analysis shows prospective annual cement shipments of 99.3 million, 102.1 million, and 106.1 million metric tons for the period.

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PCA factors weather, agency budgets in minor 2017-18 forecast revisions

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff

The latest PCA forecast of U.S. cement consumption sees year-over-year gains of 2.6 percent and 2.8 percent in 2017 and 2018 versus uniform 3 percent levels projected earlier this year. Bad weather, especially in the high volume concrete markets of Florida and Texas, coupled with lower anticipated public construction sector budgets are behind the more modest growth outlook.

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Traffic ‘chokepoint’ factor shapes bridge market future around expansion jobs

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff

Higher volumes of vehicles on the road over the next 25 years stand to spur a 5 percent gain in cement shipments for bridges above present consumption levels. A new PCA Market Intelligence report estimates the U.S. will need as many as 140,000 new or substantially reconfigured bridges by 2040, nearly 60 percent or 81,200 of which will be concrete.

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Agency confirms solid first quarter aggregate, cement consumption figures

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey; CP staff

The principal federal agency tracking sand & gravel, crushed stone and portland cement shipments reports double-digit gains for each material during the first quarter of 2016 as measured against prior year figures. The U.S. Geological Survey confirms these year-over-year 2016 Q1 trends: sand & gravel, 173 million metric tons (mt), +10 percent; crushed stone, 270 million mt, +21 percent; and, portland cement, +14 percent.

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