GCC weighs freight costs vs. steep capital outlay in Texas plant expansion

Sources: GCC S.A.B. de C.V., Chihuahua, Mexico; CP staff GCC plans to add more than 1 million metric tons of annual capacity to its Odessa, Texas cement plant. The project’s $750 million budget will almost surely set a new dollar/ton of output watermark for a cement operation in North America, where recent outlays of comparable clinker capacity have trended below…

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RMC Foundation strength predictor model picks up where Duff Abrams left off

The latest RMC Research & Education Foundation report, “A Concrete Strength Model to Optimize Concrete Mixtures,” and companion Excel tool equip producers and practitioners to pinpoint appropriate binder dosages and limit potential overdesign as measured in 28-day concrete specimen compressive strengths exceeding psi targets.  Report author and Florida consultant Edwin J. Dunstan Jr. refined his model based on observations from…

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Natural gas-powered mixers, tractors roll into Cemex California fleet

Sources: Cemex USA, Houston; CP staff In one of the latest moves to achieve carbon neutrality in cement, aggregate and concrete production and delivery by 2050, Cemex USA has added 30 mixer trucks and eight tractors, all running on compressed natural gas or renewable natural gas. The vehicles are earmarked for the Lytle Creek operation in Rialto, Calif., where work…

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PRODUCERS – MAY 2022

A new identity for LafargeHolcim in the United States, Holcim US, unites legacy brands and strengthening the cement, aggregate and concrete producer’s purpose “to build progress for people and the planet.” Between cement, aggregates, concrete businesses under namesake, Lafarge, Aggregate Industries, Lattimore Materials and other brands, Holcim US operates in 43 states. As the country’s leading building materials provider, it…

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LafargeHolcim US follows Swiss parent in transition to Holcim identity

Source: Holcim US, Chicago; CP staff LafargeHolcim in the United States has unveiled its new identity, Holcim US, uniting legacy brands and strengthening the cement, aggregate and concrete producer’s purpose “to build progress for people and the planet.” The transition is the first within Holcim Group and represents what management notes is a significant milestone. “The Holcim US identity is…

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CRH to book $3.45B in Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope sale

Sources: CRH Plc, Dublin; CP staff CRH continues to streamline its North American portfolio around cement, aggregates, concrete and asphalt production assets. The company recently announced an agreement to sell its California-based Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope business to KPS Capital Partners, a New York private equity firm. The deal includes a $3.45 billion cash payment, plus transfer of $335 million in lease…

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PCA’s Sullivan factors Ukraine into revised U.S. construction forecast

Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff Portland Cement Association Chief Economist Ed Sullivan cites the potential for a dip in cement consumption and concrete output attributable to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At a joint luncheon in San Antonio during the PCA and National Ready Mixed Concrete Association 2022 conventions, he offered three scenarios for U.S. shipments through 2024:

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Cemex, CRH, Heidelberg, Holcim school GHG emissions auditors

Sources: Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico; Holcim AG, Zug, Switzerland; HeidelbergCement AG, Germany; CP staff Three of the top five global cement, aggregate and concrete producers have made the 2021 Climate Disclosure Project A List, reflecting transparency in environmental impact, greenhouse gas emissions management and water resource metrics. Cemex, HeidelbergCement and Holcim are among 200 A List/Climate category performers…

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Holcim to cut water consumption 
in concrete, upstream operations

Holcim AG aims to reduce cement, aggregates and ready mixed concrete operations’ respective water intensities by 33 percent, 20 percent and 15 percent through 2030. Applicable to namesake, Lafarge, Aggregate Industries, Lattimore Materials and other North America or overseas brands, the targets are part of a global strategy to become nature-positive by restoring and preserving water and biodiversity, while bringing…

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